Apple is testing new audio features for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 that let users revisit a recent spoken exchange or receive summaries of conversations. The tools, called Live Rewind and Siri Recap, are part of a broader package named Audio Intelligence and are available in beta with iOS 27.3, initially in English, with more languages planned later.
Live Rewind displays a text snippet of what was said in the previous 15 seconds when a user double-clicks the Digital Crown. The watch continuously replaces and deletes older audio; unless the user activates the feature to retrieve a snippet, that audio is gone. The resulting text disappears if left on screen, but users can ask Siri about it or save it in the Siri app to view later on an iPhone.
Siri Recap can listen in the background when enabled and produce high-level summaries and key points from conversations. Users can save the notes in the Siri app and export them to Notes or Journal, or delete them. Recaps are automatically deleted after seven days if they are not removed sooner.
Both features are opt-in. Live Rewind must be activated manually, while Siri Recap can be left on, scheduled around meetings, or started manually through a new Control Center icon. The watch provides reminders when Recap is on and when schedules begin or end. Apple says the feature does not work for conference calls or FaceTime when AirPods or headphones are being used, because it relies on audio picked up through the watch’s speaker.
Apple says the watch does not save audio. Raw audio is processed in a hardware-isolated area of the S11 chip called the Secure Exclave. For Siri Recap, the full transcript is condensed on the device and deleted; only the shortened text is encrypted and sent to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute. Apple says the recap is returned to the iPhone and immediately deleted from that service. The system is also designed to omit categories including financial data, authentication details, personal identifiers, self-harm-related language and government secrets.
The new capabilities have nevertheless prompted concerns about recording conversations involving people who may not know the watch is listening. Live Rewind plays a chime when active, but the source says it found no equivalent alert for Siri Recap. Apple says the features will not affect battery life, attributing their efficiency to the S11 chip’s dual architecture, which handles background tasks separately from the more power-hungry main processor.
Audio Intelligence also includes music recognition and Sound Recognition. Music recognition can identify songs without opening the Shazam app, with results appearing in the watch’s Smart Stack. Sound Recognition can alert deaf or hard-of-hearing users to selected sounds, such as a baby crying, a dog barking or a doorbell; it must be enabled through the iPhone’s Accessibility settings.
Sources: CNET.