Alexa records conversations: Here's how you can delete them
What's the story
Amazon's Alexa AI can handle most of your queries, but in case you don't know, it also records the same conversations. Everything you say to Alexa is stored on the cloud and processed for better voice recognition. Some recordings are even sent to Amazon employees for training the assistant's machine learning algorithms. Now, if that scares you, here's the way to delete these recordings.
Working
Recording triggers with 'Alexa' wake word
Before you run and ditch your Alexa-powered smart speaker, do note that the assistant only records sentences said after the 'Alexa' wake word. This means as long as you're not saying 'Alexa' and commanding the assistant to do something, nothing gets recorded. Also, even when you say the wake word, only things said immediately afterward would be recorded, not those said after a pause.
Access
So, how do you access these recordings?
Though most Alexa recordings are simple commands like song requests or food orders, having them stored online can make you uncomfortable. In such a case, you can check them out by opening the Alexa app, taping on the menu button and heading over to Settings > Alexa account > Alexa Privacy. Here, you will find the 'Review Voice History' option to access/hear everything recorded.
Deletion
Then, you can delete the recordings
On the 'Review Voice History' page, you can sift through Alexa recordings by changing the date range. Now, if you want to delete a single recording, just tap on the checkbox next to it and click on 'Delete Selected Recordings'. However, in case you want everything gone, select 'All history' from the date range and tap on 'Delete all recordings for all history'.
Voice deletion
Finally, turn the toggle for voice deletion on
When you have deleted the recordings, head over to the top of 'Review Voice History' page. Here, find the toggle to enable deletion by voice and turn it on. Once you do that, you will be able to delete recordings for the day (sentences recorded after 12:00 am) by simply saying "Alexa, delete everything I said today."