What does your voice assistant keep, and where?
A voice assistant usually starts after a wake word or the press of a button. Before that, say Google and Apple, nothing goes to their servers: in standby a Google speaker checks short audio snippets only for the hotword and neither sends nor saves them if none is detected.
What is kept after a request depends on the provider:
| Provider | What is stored | Where you see it | Automatic deletion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Alexa | Voice recordings of your requests, unless you choose not to save them | Alexa app or the online Alexa privacy settings | Can be set in the app |
| Google with Gemini for Home | Activity such as requests in Home history when Voice Match and Home history are on; recordings used for improvement only if you opt in | Google Home app or myactivity.google.com/product/home | 18 months by default; 3 or 36 months, or off |
| Google Assistant (previous version) | Interactions in My Activity when Web & App Activity is on; audio not kept by default | Your Google Account | Can be set up in your account |
| Apple HomePod (Siri) | Siri history stored on HomePod; samples kept by Apple only with Improve Siri & Dictation | Home app on iPhone or iPad | Delete Siri history by hand |
Tip: Gemini for Home activity only appears after the update to the new assistant, which Google is rolling out gradually.
How do you review and delete your recordings?
Start in the app you used to set up the speaker. Play back a few entries to see whether the device woke up by mistake.
Amazon Alexa
Labels in the Alexa app change with updates, so here is Amazon's route without exact menu names:
- Open the Alexa app and go to its settings.
- Open the Alexa privacy section and then your voice history.
- Sort by date, device or profile and play individual recordings.
- Delete recordings one by one or all at once.
- In the same section, choose whether recordings are deleted automatically on an ongoing basis or not saved at all.
The same settings are available online in the Alexa privacy settings. Thinking of moving to the AI version? See Upgrading to Alexa+: check the cost, data and way back first.
Google with Gemini for Home
Google Home app (Gemini for Home)
- Open the Google Home app.
- At the top right, tap your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Home settings, then under Home features tap Privacy › Home history.
- On a computer, go to myactivity.google.com/product/home, click Delete above your activity and choose All time, Last hour, Last day or Custom range. To remove a single day or item, use the icon next to it.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
Google Assistant (previous version)
If your speaker still runs the previous Google Assistant, your requests are saved to your Google Account as long as Web & App Activity is switched on. Google says that by default it does not keep your audio recordings on its servers.
Apple HomePod
HomePod (Home app on iPhone or iPad)
- Open the Home app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your HomePod, then tap the Settings button.
- Tap Siri History › Delete Siri History.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.apple.com
Apple says your Siri history is stored on HomePod and may be used to personalise Siri; anonymous IDs protect your identity.
How do you limit how long recordings are kept?
Deleting once only clears the past. A short automatic period keeps the history small from then on.
Google: auto-delete (browser)
- Go to myactivity.google.com/product/home.
- Near the top, click Choose an auto-delete option, or the line showing the period already set.
- Choose 3, 18 or 36 months, or Don't auto-delete activity.
- Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
If you change nothing, Google deletes Gemini for Home activity after 18 months. For recordings from a living room, the shortest period is often enough. With the previous Assistant, you set up automatic deletion in your Google Account.
For Alexa, you choose in the privacy section of the app whether recordings are deleted on an ongoing basis or not saved at all; check which periods your app offers. Asking “Alexa, what are my privacy settings?” reminds you how long recordings are kept.
For HomePod, you delete Siri history in the Home app, so make it a habit, for example once a month. To bundle such checks, see Review digital access yearly: what still fits your life?.
When is the microphone listening, and when should you switch it off?
According to Amazon, Echo devices only record once they detect the wake word or when you press the action button. A blue light shows that Alexa is listening; a red light means the microphones are off. You can turn the microphones off manually on every Echo device.
False starts happen. In the Google Home app you can adjust how sensitive speakers and smart displays are to activation phrases. If your speaker woke up by mistake, saying “Hey Google, that wasn't for you” removes the recording from your activity, provided Web & App Activity is on.
On HomePod, say “Hey Siri, stop listening”. Siri then only responds when you touch and hold the top of the speaker. The light on top shows when HomePod has recognised “Hey Siri” or “Siri”.
France's CNIL recommends muting the microphone or switching the device off when you do not want to be heard, and warning guests that they may be recorded.
Tip: Muting stops new recordings but deletes nothing. Clear the history in the app as well.
Which improvement and personalisation settings are worth checking?
Other switches decide whether your recordings help improve the service. At Google and Apple these are opt-ins you can withdraw at any time.
Google only uses your voice, audio and Gemini Live recordings to improve its services, including training generative AI models, if you turn on “Improve Google services with your voice, audio and Gemini Live recordings”. It is off by default.
Turning on Apple's optional Improve Siri & Dictation lets Apple store and review a sample of your audio recordings and transcripts, linked to a random identifier rather than your Apple Account. Only Apple employees listen to audio. On HomePod, only the Home Organiser can change it.
HomePod: Improve Siri & Dictation
- On your iPhone or iPad, open the Home app.
- Touch and hold your HomePod, then tap Accessory Settings.
- Tap Analytics & Improvements, then turn Improve Siri & Dictation off.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.apple.com
For Alexa, Amazon says you control in your settings whether recordings may be used to help improve Alexa.
Voice Match and personal results settings decide who gets personal answers from a Google speaker. Italy's Garante advises switching off online purchases by voice or requiring a password for each use, and the CNIL recommends securing the assistant's Wi-Fi; Check your home Wi-Fi: five questions about the router shows how.
Example: Pieter tidies up after a family weekend
Fictional example: Pieter in Utrecht has a Google speaker in the living room that recently moved to Gemini for Home. While his parents were visiting, it lit up a few times although nobody had called it.
On Monday he opens the Google Home app, goes to Home history and finds four short entries from Saturday evening. He deletes the whole day using the icon next to the date. Then, at myactivity.google.com/product/home, he changes auto-delete from 18 to 3 months.
He checks that improving Google services with his recordings is still off and plans to mute the speaker next time family stays. His chatbot gets the same check with Chatbot privacy settings: history, memory, training and ads.
What are your rights in the EU and in Switzerland?
If the app settings are not enough, the law backs you up. Under EU rules, you can ask a company for a free copy of your data, and it should reply within one month. You can ask for erasure if data is no longer needed or is used unlawfully, and withdraw consent at any time. Your national data protection authority handles complaints and should respond within three months; you can also go to court.
Switzerland is not in the EU and has its own Data Protection Act (DSG). According to the federal data protection commissioner (EDÖB), access is free in principle and usually provided within 30 days; for disproportionate effort, fees of up to CHF 300 are possible. Erasure applies in particular to data no longer needed or after you withdraw consent, though a company may refuse with a justification such as a legal obligation.
| Country | Rules | Where to turn | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | GDPR | Data protection authorities | EU rules: free copy of your data, reply within one month |
| Austria | GDPR | Datenschutzbehörde (Austrian data protection authority) | EU rules: the authority should answer a complaint within three months |
| France | GDPR | CNIL | Check the history regularly, delete confidential data |
| Italy | GDPR | Garante per la protezione dei dati personali | Delete the history regularly, in full or by category |
| Spain | GDPR | Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD) | EU rules: you can also go straight to court |
| Switzerland | Data Protection Act (DSG) | Conciliation authority, then civil court; report to the EDÖB possible | Access free in principle, usually within 30 days |
This overview cannot replace legal advice on your own case.
Common mistakes
- Deleting once but leaving auto-delete on the default.
- Assuming that muting the microphone also deletes recordings already stored.
- Agreeing to product improvement during setup and forgetting it.
- Allowing voice purchases or commands for locks and alarms without a PIN or password.
- Not telling guests that a voice assistant is in the room.
Your checklist
The checkboxes are for your own reference. No entries are sent to us. To keep a copy, print the page or save it as a PDF using your browser menu.
Common questions
Can I delete recordings by voice?
With Google Assistant, yes: “Hey Google, that wasn't for you” removes an accidental recording if Web & App Activity is on, and Google gives “Hey Google, delete what I said this week” as an example. For Alexa, asking “Alexa, what are my privacy settings?” tells you how long recordings are kept. To see exactly what is being deleted, the app remains the better place.
What about guests and children?
Anyone near a Google speaker can ask it for information, but Voice Match and personal results settings decide who hears personal details. France's CNIL advises warning guests that they may be recorded, or muting the microphone, and not placing the device in children's rooms.
Can I get a copy of everything stored about my voice requests?
In the EU, you can ask for a free copy of the personal data a company holds about you, with a reply due within one month. In Switzerland, the EDÖB says access is free in principle, usually given within 30 days, and needs no reason. Name the account and ask for voice recordings and transcripts to be included.
Sources and further information
Primary sources from public authorities, consumer organisations and providers. A source may be in another language; follow the guidance that applies to your service and where you live.
- Amazon UK: Busting the biggest myths about Amazon's Alexa (17 August 2022)Source review date:
- European Data Protection Board (EDPB): Our members, the national data protection authoritiesSource review date:
- Google Home Help: Manage and delete your Gemini for Home activitySource review date:
- Google Home Help: Data security and privacy on devices that work with AssistantSource review date:
- Apple Support: HomePod privacy and securitySource review date:
- Apple Support: Turn Improve Siri & Dictation on or off (2 June 2026)Source review date:
- Your Europe (EU): Data protection and online privacySource review date:
- CNIL (France): Tips for configuring and using a voice assistant (3 September 2020, in French)Source review date:
- Garante (Italy): Digital assistants – advice for privacy-friendly use (in Italian)Source review date:
- EDÖB (Switzerland): Knowing and enforcing your rights (in German)Source review date:
