Is Alexa always listening?

Sort of. An Echo's microphones are always on, listening locally for the wake word. According to Amazon, audio isn't sent to the cloud until the device detects the wake word or you press the action button. Then what you say goes to Amazon's servers to be processed.

Accidental activations

Wake-word detection isn't perfect. Researchers at Northeastern University played 125 hours of TV dialogue to popular smart speakers and found they activated by mistake, as often as 19 times a day for some devices, recording for up to 43 seconds.

The 2025 change

Some Echo models offered a "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" setting that processed requests locally. Amazon removed it on March 28, 2025, citing new generative-AI features that rely on its cloud. Since then, requests from those devices go to Amazon's cloud.

What you can do

• Use the Echo's microphone-off button when you want it deaf.
• Review and delete voice history in the Alexa app's privacy settings.
• Tap the mic or press Alt+M for a local voice conversation. Manual Talk stops on silence, another tap, or after 15 seconds. Optional local wake detection is a separate setting, off by default. Compare them →

Sources

• Amazon: Alexa, Echo devices and your privacy
• Northeastern Mon(IoT)r lab: smart speakers study (PETS 2020)
• TechCrunch: Amazon's Echo will send all voice recordings to the cloud, starting March 28 (2025)

Questions