Amazon to Reportedly Process Alexa Voice Recordings in the Cloud, Ending Local Processing

Amazon is reportedly informing Echo users that the voice requests sent to Alexa will soon stop supporting local processing. As per the report, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant is planning to stop on-device processing of voice recordings for Echo devices starting March 28. The company is reportedly making the change since the new artificial intelligence (AI) version of the virtual assistant, Alexa+, will be entirely cloud-based. Those users who continue to keep their devices set to local processing will reportedly lose the Voice ID functionality of Alexa.

Amazon Reportedly Ending Local Voice Processing for Echo Users

The tech giant added the functionality of on-device voice request processing on Echo devices in 2021, allowing users who do not want to give Amazon access to their conversations with the voice assistant to opt for a privacy-focused approach. However, now, the company is said to be taking a 180-degree turn on that feature.

Update: Amazon has clarified that it will continue processing functions like wake word detection and visual ID on-device. The company also claimed that the ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings' feature was available only on select Echo devices — Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15 — and was used by a very small number of customers. Once the feature is discontinued on March 28, users' privacy settings will be updated to automatically delete voice recordings after they are processed in the cloud.

According to an Ars Technica report, Amazon sent an email to Echo users informing them that they will no longer be able to process Alexa requests locally. These emails were reportedly sent only to those users who had enabled the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature on their devices.

“As we continue to expand Alexa's capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon's secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature,” the email stated, as per the publication.

The company is said to be planning to stop supporting local processing starting March 28, likely in preparation for deploying the new AI-powered Alexa+. Those who do not disable the setting will reportedly not be able to use one of the most integral features of the virtual assistant dubbed Voice ID. This feature allows Alexa to personalise user experience and share information such as calendar events, reminders, music, and more.

Alexa Voice ID is set to receive a major upgrade with the new AI version as it will be able to understand contextual information and make recommendations more personalised. It will also be able to recognise different voices of users. However, even those Echo users who do not wish to use the AI features, will not get to use the legacy version of Voice ID after March 28, the report claimed.

Ars Technica also shared the rest of the email where Amazon claimed that Alexa voice requests sent to cloud servers will always be encrypted with multiple security layers to keep users' information safe. Despite the assurance, the move is likely to raise concerns of some Echo users who prefer the privacy aspect of the device.

Notably, in 2023, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Amazon over allegations that the company was illegally collecting and indefinitely storing data on children under the age of 13 without parental consent. As per a TechCrunch report, the e-commerce giant settled the lawsuit by paying a fine of $25 million (roughly Rs. 216.9 crores) and deleting the existing data.