Sometimes it seems as if your iPhone is secretly listening to your conversations, especially if you receive advertisements about it. But is it really so?
Can the iPhone eavesdrop on you? This is how it really works
The rumor that your iPhone is silently listening to you pops up regularly. People mainly complain about seeing advertisements that are remarkably related to something they have recently discussed. It sometimes seems like your iPhone is eavesdropping and picking up every word, but the reality is a lot more nuanced.
Apple has said for years that Siri only listens when an activation phrase is recognized. However, that system did not always work perfectly. A few years ago there was a commotion when it became known that Siri was sometimes activated unintentionally, including by certain movements with an Apple Watch.
In those situations, short snippets of conversations were recorded and automatically sent to Apple, where they were sometimes reviewed by Apple for quality control. That process was supposed to improve Siri’s recognition, but also raised legitimate concerns about privacy. Apple later settled the lawsuit for $95 million.
Social Media is often the culprit
For many people it still feels like their iPhone is eavesdropping, because advertisements often match their interests exactly. But this is mainly caused by smart algorithms of social platforms such as X (former Twitter), Facebook, search engines, web shops and more. These systems analyze what you do online and predict surprisingly effectively what you might be looking for, without having to listen in.
So rest assured: your iPhone is not eavesdropping on you. The incidents involving Siri arose from the unintentional activation of the voice assistant and not from hidden eavesdropping functions. However, it remains wise to regularly check your privacy settings on your iPhone, so that you know exactly which apps have access to your microphone and how your data is processed. Check the article above for more information.
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