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iOS 15 bug recorded a ‘small portion’ of Siri interactions

By Peter Hunt Szpytek February 10, 2022

Apple has brought a lot of changes to its devices in the iOS 15 update with the new Focus taskbar, Live Text, the redesigned Safari browser, and more. However, the company has noted that the transition to the newest software hasn’t been entirely smooth. Some users who opted out of Siri and Dictation’s ability to record their voices for service improvements were recorded anyway.

Despite giving iOS users the ability to opt out of the service, recordings of unconsenting users were made and sent to Apple as the result of a bug in iOS 15. The bug has since been fixed as of the iOS 15.2 update, and Apple addressed the issue by saying that it deleted “audio received from all affected devices” in a statement to ZDNet. In the same statement, Apple said that the bug turned on the Improve Siri and Dictation setting on unaware iOS users, but the company has turned the setting off again for those affected.

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The tech giant hasn’t clarified how many users were impacted by the bug other than saying that it had to fix the issue for “many” users. As a result, it seems as if all who are updating to the latest iOS software will be asked again if they want to allow Siri and Dictation to record their voices. Participants in the iOS 15.4 beta tests have confirmed that the newest software asks users once more if they consent to the recordings.

Any iOS users worried about being recorded due to the bug should check to ensure that their devices are up to date with the latest iOS 15.3 update and update to iOS 15.4 once it becomes widely available.

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