Tip: This is how you delete all recordings that Siri has about you

Apple has made it easier to delete Siri recordings. From now on you can also indicate more simply not to share your audio files with the iPhone maker at all. This is how you delete Siri recordings from all your Apple devices.

Delete Siri Recordings on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Apple employees were listening to Siri recordings. From iOS 13.2 it is very simple to indicate whether you want to participate or not. You can also delete all your past Siri recordings from now on. If you want to make sure that the files have been erased, you have to do this from any Apple device you have. To do this, follow the steps below on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch:

1. Open the Settings app and tap ‘Siri & Search’;
2. Go to ‘Siri and dictation history’;
3. Press the red button and confirm your choice.

Apple will now receive your request to delete all Siri recordings. It is not entirely clear how long it will take for these audio files to be erased. You must be running at least iOS 13.2 or iPadOS 13.2 to see the above function.

Mac

You can also delete Siri recordings on your Mac:

1. Open ‘System Preferences’ and click on ‘Siri’;
2. Select ‘Delete Siri and Dictation History’ and confirm.

Apple Watch

Here’s how to delete Siri recordings from an Apple Watch with at least watchOS 6.1:

1. Go to the Settings app and select ‘Siri’;
2. Then tap on ‘Siri and dictation history’;
3. Choose ‘Delete Siri and Dictation History’.

Apple TV

Finally, you can also delete Siri recordings on an Apple TV:

1. Go to Settings and choose ‘General’;
2. Tap on ‘Siri history’ under the heading ‘Siri’;
3. Select ‘Delete’ and you’re done.

Stop allowing Apple to listen in

Apple has promised to make employees less likely to listen to user Siri recordings in the future. However, if this does not suit you, it is quite simple not to give permission for this. To do this, follow the steps below on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch:

1. Open the Settings app, scroll down and choose ‘Privacy’;
2. Tap on ‘Analysis & Improvements’;
3. Slide the switch for Enhance Siri & Audio Recording so that the box turns gray.

From now on, Apple may no longer have your Siri recordings analyzed by human employees. That way, your conversations remain on the device itself. However, Apple always makes transcripts of the conversations: you cannot turn this off. To protect your privacy as much as possible, you can disable the permission for human analysis per device

Mac

You must be running at least macOS Catalina 10.15.1 on your Mac to revoke permission in the following way:

1. Open the System Preferences and go to ‘Security & Privacy’;
2. Select ‘Privacy’, followed by ‘Analysis’;
3. Turn off Enhance Siri & Dictation.

Apple Watch

Do you have an Apple Watch with watchOS 6.1? Then follow these steps:

1. Go to the Settings app and choose ‘Privacy’;
2. Tap Analytics and Enhancements and slide the toggle for Enhance Siri and Dictation to make the box gray.

Apple TV

Finally, you can also restrict Siri recordings on an Apple TV. For this you need to be running at least tvOS 13.2:

1. Go to the Settings app and choose ‘General’;
2. Tap on ‘Privacy’ and select ‘Improve Siri and Dictation’;
3. Turn the feature off.

What you need to know about how to delete Siri recordings

You need to know two things about the above way to delete Siri recordings. First, you have to repeat the procedure for every Apple device you have, because the voice assistant stores files locally, and does not associate them with your Apple ID. This is better for your privacy anyway, but less user-friendly if you want to delete the recordings.

So if your household has multiple Apple devices, repeat the above steps. It is also important to know that Siri will start registering recordings again as soon as you turn on dictation. To find out how to turn off the voice assistant completely on all Apple devices, check out our article on how to turn off Siri.

• The 40 funniest questions for the Dutch Siri (13-4)
• ‘Siri may whisper and scream in the future’ (1-4)
• Shared Siri Shortcuts not working: solution unknown (24-3)
• ‘Spotify as default Siri music service can be set from iOS 14.5’ – Update (5-3)
• Apple trains Siri to better understand people with speech impediments (26-2)