Amazon announced that it will make a significant change in Echo devices using Alexa. As of March 28, 2025, the company announced that all sound recordings will be sent directly to the cloud system. This means that all voice commands made by users with Alexa will now be completely processed on Amazon’s servers.
Following this decision, people who use Echo speakers or smart screens will not have the option to “send sound recordings” which prevents Alexa requests from being processed locally on the device. According to Ars Technica, Amazon sent an e-mail to its customers using this feature and reported that this function, which increased privacy as of March 28, will be removed.
In the e-mail sent by the company, “While continuing to increase Alexa’s capabilities and focus on the development of productive artificial intelligence features that benefit from the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud system, we decided not to support this feature anymore”.
This change coincides with the period in which Amazon introduces Alexa, Alexa+, Alexa. The company says it offers new features with artificial intelligence to make the voice assistant smarter and faster. However, the fact that all Alexa interactions will be sent to the cloud will be re -criticized in the past, Amazon’s policies in this field again.
Amazon was previously examined because of Alexa’s privacy policies. In 2023, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined the company $ 25 million on the allegation that children’s personal data were inappropriate. This shows that Alexa’s discussions on confidentiality standards are still continuing.
Amazon Echo will make its devices completely cloud -based
Amazon’s new decision can increase the concerns of some users in terms of data safety. The removal of sound recordings on local devices means that more data will be stored on Amazon’s servers. In particular, keeping personal and sensitive information in the cloud system may become a subject closely followed by cyber security experts.
This policy of Amazon will make Echo devices completely cloud -based. Previously, certain voice commands can be processed on the device, while all Alexa commands will be directed directly to Amazon’s data centers.
This change is thought to shorten Alexa’s response time and allow the use of more advanced artificial intelligence features. On the other hand, issues such as how long the personal data of users will be stored, how to use it and sharing with third parties are still not clear.