Apple has officially begun rolling out a controversial new tool that turns an Apple Watch into an AI-driven, always-listening device.
Apple first announced the Apple Watch Series 12, and its AI-infused Siri features, at its fall hardware event, Surprise and Shine, back in September. Two key new features have been unveiled under the name Audio Intelligence, and both sound like privacy nightmares.
First, there’s Live Rewind, which allows Apple Watch owners to double-press the digital crown button to get a transcript of the last 15 seconds of any conversation near the watch. The second is called Siri Recap, and it relies on ambient listening to continuously eavesdrop on a user’s everyday conversations and create summaries, key points and other notes.
Both features are concerning, and potentially even illegal in some states, due to the fact that people who are discreetly recorded by these Apple Watches cannot give open consent. Apple seems to be aware of the potential ethical issue it has on its hands, as it has tried to circumvent it by promising strict rejection of personal identifiers and other privacy protections, such as an audible sound and a visible animation on the screen when Live Rewind is activated. But other AI-recording-enabled devices, most notably Meta’s smart glasses that have been widely criticized and dubbed “pervert glasses” online, have also tried to add similar features to alert viewers when they’ve been recorded, which have been bypassed by determined perverts.
The Apple Watch Series 12 launched weeks ago without the two controversial features. Then, finally on Tuesday, Apple officially started rolling out the first developer beta versions of iOS 27.3 and watchOS 27.3, which host both of these features. The features are not yet in their final form, but the rollout means that select users now have access to the feature at its base. So if you want to be careful about what you say around Apple Watch Series 12 wearers, this is your final warning.
The full public rollout isn’t scheduled until December, but early reviews give a glimpse of how the features will work. Both features must be activated manually and TechCrunch notes that each of the snippets you retrieve via Live Rewind can be saved as a note on the standalone Siri app. If you don’t save them via Siri, the snippets will be deleted after 30 seconds. The high-level notes and summaries that Siri Recaps compiles can also be saved to the iPhone, especially in the Notes app, or they will be deleted within seven days, TechCrunch reports.
The features are also currently not available in the European Union, a decision Apple made months ago. The company blames strict EU tech regulations.
“Apple is working constructively with the EU in an attempt to find a way forward,” Apple said in a statement.