Amazon Ends Alexa Local Processing, All Voice Recordings to Be Cloud-Based

The company will discontinue the 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' feature on March 28, citing the rollout of its generative AI-powered Alexa+ as the reason.

Starting March 28, Amazon will remove the 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' feature, requiring all Alexa voice requests to be processed in the cloud.
The change supports the launch of Alexa+, a generative AI assistant offering advanced personalization and integration features.
Users who opt out of saving voice recordings will lose access to the Voice ID feature, which provides personalized responses.
The discontinued feature was available only on specific Echo devices and used by less than 0.03% of customers, according to Amazon.
Amazon's history of privacy issues, including a $25 million FTC fine in 2023, has raised concerns over the implications of this change.