London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2026

Apple apologizes for listening to Siri conversations

Apple apologizes for listening to Siri conversations

Apple apologizes for a Siri grading program. The company had been allowing contractors to listen to a small percentage of the things people spoke to Siri. It suspended the program but will relaunch it this fall, letting users opt in if they want to help Apple improve Siri.

Apple on Wednesday apologized for its “Siri grading program,” which allowed contractors to review a small percentage of the things people spoke to its Siri voice assistant. The company said it will enable a few changes that give users more control over how their Siri requests are handled.

The program was halted earlier this month after The Guardian reported on July 26 that some of the workers who were reviewing Siri requests heard personal medical details, drug deals and more. Apple does most of its Siri processing on the device, however, instead of sending it to the cloud as Amazon and Google do.

Still, there’s no way to find out if you might have been among the small percentage of people whose questions to Siri were heard by people working for Apple. Apple also doesn’t let you review the questions you’ve asked Siri, a feature that both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant offer.

In a post to its site, Apple said that, by default, it will “no longer retain audio recordings of Siri interactions” but that it will still use “computer-generated transcripts to help Siri improve.” Users will be able to opt in to help Apple improve Siri, and those who do will also be able to opt out whenever they want to.

Apple also said that only its own employees, not outside contractors, “will be allowed to listen to audio samples of the Siri interactions,” and that the team will “delete any recording which is determined to be an inadvertent trigger of Siri.” According to a report from The Guardian on Wednesday, Apple laid off more than 300 contractors who were working on Siri grading in Europe.

“These transcriptions are associated with a random identifier, not your Apple ID, for up to six months,” according to a new Siri Privacy and Grading page that Apple published on Wednesday. “If you do not want transcriptions of your Siri audio recordings to be retained, you can disable Siri and Dictation in Settings.”

The page also explained that Apple’s grading process reviewed less than 0.2% of Siri requests. It used grading to “measure how well Siri was responding and to improve its reliability.”

 “For example, did the user intend to wake Siri? Did Siri hear the request accurately? And did Siri respond appropriately to the request? By using grading across a small sample of Siri requests over time, Apple can make big improvements that help ensure that our customers around the world have the best Siri experience possible,” Apple’s new Siri privacy page says.

Amazon also grades how well Alexa performs, but lets users opt out of the program, which is enabled by default. Google suspended a similar practice in Europe earlier this month. In July, Google admitted that contractors leaked more than 1,000 voice recordings from Google Assistant, and voices in the clips were identifiable by what was spoken, according to Belgian news site VLT.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Taxpayer Support Grows for Higher Digital Levies on Multinational Tech Companies
Bank of England Signals Caution Over Inflation Despite Easing Energy Prices
Lloyds Banking Group Expands Artificial Intelligence Hiring Amid Sector-Wide Automation Shift
Film Producer Corporate Collapse Leaves Creditors Facing Unrecoverable Losses
UK Ten-Year Brexit Anniversary Highlights Ongoing Political and Economic Uncertainty
Nottingham Maternity Scandal Inquiry Reveals Systemic Failings in NHS Care
Met Office Heatwave Prompts Public Health Warnings Across United Kingdom
Concerns Rise Over Fiscal Stability as Political Uncertainty Weighs on UK Borrowing Costs
UK Taxpayers Back Higher Digital Taxes on Global Technology Firms, Survey Shows
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates Steady Amid Persistent Services Inflation
Reform UK and Opposition Leaders Call for General Election Following Starmer’s Departure
Ten Years After Brexit Referendum, UK Faces Ongoing Political Fragmentation and Economic Debate
Nottingham University Hospitals Maternity Inquiry Exposes Severe NHS Failures
Met Office Issues Heat Health Alerts as United Kingdom Faces Record-Breaking Temperatures
Andy Burnham Emerges as Front-Runner for Labour Leadership After Starmer’s Resignation
Keir Starmer Resigns as UK Enters New Phase of Political Leadership Transition
UK Expands Alcohol Ban Enforcement Using Tagging Technology Ahead of World Cup
UK Invests £50 Million in Critical Minerals Supply Chain Security
UK Appoints Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
UK Introduces Fines for Landlords of Unsafe Rental Properties
Reform UK Leads Opinion Polls as Immigration Debate Reshapes UK Politics
Police Investigate Edinburgh Attacks as Potential Hate Crimes
King Charles to Publish Personal Tax and Royal Household Financial Records
Nottingham University Hospitals Maternity Inquiry Report Set for Publication
Heat-Health Alerts Issued Across London and Southern England Amid Rising Temperatures
UK Economy Shows Pressure From Middle East Conflict Despite Modest Growth
Brexit Anniversary Reignites Debate Over UK Economic and Political Direction
UK Parliament Continues Legislative Work Amid Leadership Transition
Financial Markets Hold Steady After UK Leadership Shake-Up
Andy Burnham Enters Labour Leadership Race With Strong Parliamentary Backing
Keir Starmer Resigns as UK Prime Minister After Two Years in Office
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson to Raise Pension Concerns Over British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme
UK Parliament to Debate Newborn Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Following Public Petition
Met Office Warns of Water Safety Risks During Heatwave as Temperatures Peak in England
Treasury Increases Mileage Allowance Payments for 2026–27 Tax Year to 55 Pence Per Mile
UK Government Raises Electricity Generator Levy to 55 Percent in New Revenue Measure
House of Lords Moves Financial Services and Markets Bill to Committee Stage Amid Regulatory Scrutiny
Westminster Hall to Debate Petition on Pro-Israel Influence in UK Politics
UK Parliament Prepares for Estimates Days Debates as Backbench Business Schedule Approved
Armed Forces Bill Nears Final Stages in UK House of Commons With Military Justice Reforms
Donald Trump Comments on UK Political Situation, Citing Immigration and Energy Policy Concerns
Andy Burnham By-Election Victory Fuels Speculation Over Potential Labour Leadership Contest
UK Economy Shows Resilience but Faces Headwinds from Middle East Tensions, UK Finance Says
UK Parliament Opens Week of Debates on Net Zero, Security and Armed Forces Reform
Met Office Issues Amber Extreme Heat Warning as Temperatures Expected to Reach 35C Across England and Wales
Prime Minister Keir Starmer Faces Mounting Leadership Pressure After Makerfield By-Election Defeat
London Hotel Wins World’s Best Afternoon Tea Award at International Hospitality Guide La Liste
Court of Appeal Rules in Favour of Competition and Markets Authority in Phenytoin Drug Case
Chichester Waste Site Suspended After Environment Agency Finds Serious Fire and Pollution Risks
UK Appoints Chris Elmore as Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
×