Does Amazon Alexa listen to everything you say?
You may wonder if Alexa is listening to conversations, or listening to everything you say. You may want to know whether Alexa listens to you when you're not directly interacting with an Echo device. The answer to those questions is no. Alexa and all of our Echo devices are designed with your privacy in mind.
- How to stop Alexa from listening in 5 easy steps.
- Know when Alexa is recording. ...
- Use the mute button to disable the microphone. ...
- Disable the camera when not needed. ...
- Delete your Alexa voice history. ...
- Review your Alexa privacy settings and manage how your voice data is handled. ...
- What happens when you drop in on Echo show?
The fact that Alexa is always listening to her surrounding is easily explained by the technology that Amazon chose to implement for its smart speakers: The Seattle-based technology giant uses cloud computing to process every spoken word captured by its smart speakers.
It's basically impossible to stop Alexa from recording private conversations. A former Amazon exec has admitted that workers sometimes inadvertently listen to your conversations through Alexa.
Here's why: Placing an Alexa device in certain areas of your house could risk your privacy or even damage your Echo. For example, did you know intruders can access your smart home device from outside if it's placed too close to a window?
I've talked to Alexa about 20-25 feet away, but that's by talking loudly and no other noise in the background. 4 of 4 found this helpful. Do you?
Use your Alexa voice remote and mute the microphone on the Alexa device. Alexa devices only store relevant information, but if you would like to make sure it only records you when you speak specifically to it, you can turn off the microphone and only talk to it through the voice remote, which comes with the device.
The short answer is yes, Alexa is always listening to you. Or rather the microphone on your Alexa smart speaker is always active (by default, at least) and is constantly monitoring voices in your home in order to hear its wake word.
Given all that, the most likely cause of an Alexa spontaneous reaction is a misinterpretation of sound. Given how sensitive Alexa has to be to process wake words, sometimes Alexa will react to a sound (even one we might not hear or notice) and interpret that as a wake word.
With the Alexa Drop In feature, people can eavesdrop on you if you have given them the access to drop in on your Echo device anything. However, you will be alerted as soon as someone drops in.
What happens if you tell Alexa there's an intruder?
Nothing. At least, there's no built-in skill called “Intruder Alert” that Alexa will recognize right out of the box. If you say that phrase to Alexa, the voice assistant will have no idea what to do — your time is better spent calling 911 if you actually think there's a burglar in your home.
If you intend to use Alexa to spy on someone, you should know that Alexa is not a spying device. So, there are some drawbacks to using it as a spy device: The recipient's device will start flashing green lights and ring whenever you try to drop in. They must be close to their Echo device for you to see or hear them.

Does Alexa record everything? No, Alexa does not record all your conversations — just some of them. According to Amazon, Alexa records what you say only after the Echo or Alexa-enabled device detects your wake word.
With the inclusion of a built-in camera and a screen on Echo Show and Echo Spot devices, you can make video calls, take photos and videos, and more, while still maintaining your privacy. Let's go over some of the things you can do with the camera on these Echo devices.
When is Echo recording? You'll know when the Echo device is recording your request because a light indicator will appear on the device or an audible tone will sound. For additional control, all Echo smart speakers have microphone off buttons, so you can disconnect the microphones with the press of a button.
Whenever you want Amazons smart Assistant “Alexa” to stop listening, you simply press the mute-button on any Echo device to switch off the microphone. A red light indicates that the device is muted and Alexa no longer listens in on conversations.
Conclusion. Alexa will listen to and record the background noises while activated (for example; you're giving a command and someone else is talking in the background), but she isn't supposed to record outside of that.
Alexa Home Monitoring is a feature that lets you use your Echo Show devices like security cameras. When this feature is on, you can use the Alexa app on your phone or tablet to view a live feed from your Echo Show. You can also view the live video feed from any other Echo Show that's connected to your Amazon account.
Mute or unmute: "Alexa, mute" or, "Alexa, unmute." Stop or pause: "Alexa, stop" or, "Alexa, shut up."