Echo, or Amazon Echo, is a voice commands and assistance smart speakers that's developed by Amazon, and powered by the Alexa--Amazon virtual assistant.
Starting from March 28, 2025, people using Amazon Echo will no longer have to the option to process their Alexa request locally. In other words, all their voice recordings will be sent to Amazon's cloud service.
Last week Friday, Amazon informed customers—who had previously enabled "do not send voice recordings" to the cloud—that this privacy feature will no longer be available after March 28.
This simply means, after this date mentioned, all voice recordings from Echo devices will be sent to Amazon cloud, even for users who had opted out from the option before.
However, it's worth noting that Amazon is launching Alexa+, a new and advance version of its voice-controlled AI assistant powered by generative AI to provide more conversational and personalized interactions.
The "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" setting that will be disabled on Echo devices soon will enables Alexa+ to function effectively.
Although, this shift may raise privacy concerns, but Amazon has assumed users that they can still manage their privacy settings, such as opting not to save voice recordings after processing.
Remember, consumers and regulators in the United States have raised concerns about Alexa’s privacy implications in the past, with Amazon accepting to pay a $25 million in 2023 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over children’s privacy.
