I Tried Apple's Siri Recaps: Surprisingly Useful, and a Little Unsettling

On Tuesday, Apple rolled out a potentially controversial set of Audio Intelligence features into testing with the first developer beta versions of iOS 27.3 and watchOS 27.3. The betas bring four new AI features that allow Apple Watch Series 12 wearers to detect important sounds, identify songs, catch up on conversations, and take notes.

After just a day with Apple's Siri Recaps feature on my Apple Watch, I can already see how its value may ultimately outweigh any creepiness factor that comes from the AI-powered audio recording and summarization it provides. However, I also see areas where AI-assisted note-taking can go too far—capturing things that aren't worth remembering—and where there's room for improvement.

Two Features That Don't Raise Privacy Concerns

The first two features, sound and song detection, don't represent potential privacy concerns. They are designed either to detect important sounds—like an alarm or doorbell—or to identify a song using Shazam's technology. The former helps deaf and hard-of-hearing users navigate the world, while the latter is something we've already done with our iPhone for nearly two decades.

The Features That Have Raised Concerns

It's the two other features, Live Rewind and Siri Recaps, that have raised concerns. They record and then transcribe or summarize the conversations happening with and around the Apple Watch's owner. Live Rewind lets you go back to see what was said in the past 15 seconds, while Siri Recaps summarize audio throughout your day, saving notes of the important things that were said.

!iPhone screenshot by TechCrunch

How Apple Is Handling Privacy

Apple has taken care to ensure the privacy of these AI features by processing the audio and running AI models on-device when possible, and by not identifying speakers, storing raw audio files, or retaining sensitive information such as government ID numbers or personal account details.

Still, some are put off by the idea that we're now normalizing the notion that technology is always listening.

I find myself sympathizing with both camps. I often lament that we've allowed technology to become so pervasive in our daily lives, but I still see the value in what Apple has built.

My Experience With Live Rewind and Siri Recaps

I haven't yet had an appropriate time to test Live Rewind, nor do I think it will be a feature I use often. I'm more likely to say "sorry, what?" or "can you repeat that?" if I missed something that was said, before turning to my Apple Watch for help.

But with Siri Recaps, I immediately saw how this could become a feature I rely on regularly to save important notes for later.

I was able to test the feature in a real-world setting...

via TechCrunch AI