Connect with us

How-To

How to locate and delete voice commands on Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa

Voice assistants are great, but you need to know how to control your data.

Voice assistant logos
Image: KnowTechie

It can’t be understated that voice command technology has changed the way we work and relax. But with that, tech companies gain a ton of data about us through voice recordings. That’s why it’s nice to know how to locate and delete voice commands.

If anyone in an office needs a reminder on what is on their schedule today, all they need to do is ask Alexa or their Google Assistant to get a refresher. If a student is up at night scrambling to finish a research paper, they can ask Siri for some information on a topic.

As great as these devices are, over time, they build up quite a library of recordings of your voice. There’s also the risk of the manufacturer’s employees listening to the commands as well.

With that in mind, there are ways to delete the recordings. Most of them require a working computer to log into accounts tied to the devices. We’ll show you the shortest route, so you can delete those recorded queries.

How to find and delete voice command recordings on all your voice assistants

Whether you use Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple’s Siri, knowing how to delete voice command recordings is a great tool to have in your bag. We’ll walk you through the process on all three of these.

How to delete voice command recordings from Amazon Alexa

Amazon dot fourth generation on a wooden table
Image: Joe Rice-Jones / KnowTechie

READ MORE: How to turn on follow-up mode on Alexa

Devices compatible with Alexa include all Amazon-built ones, such as the Echo, Fire TV, certain Kindle models, and many more.

Deleting voice commands via a computer:

  1. Log into your Amazon account
  1. Click on the Accounts & Lists in the upper right-hand corner
Screenshot of amazon site showing the content and devices menu item
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Select Content & Devices
  1. Select Privacy Settings > Alexa Settings
Screenshot of alexa privacy settings
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Once there, click on Review Voice History
  1. You’ll see a list of all your voice recordings, starting with the current day.
Screenshot of alexa privacy settings
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Click on individual recordings to manage them or click Delete all recordings from today to delete the entire day. You can change the time period shown using the Filter by date setting. Once it’s showing All history you can delete every recording.

Now you know where to find your Alexa recordings, and how to delete them from Amazon’s servers.

How to turn on voice command deletion by voice on Alexa

You can also set up Alexa to delete voice command recordings by saying “Alexa, delete my voice commands,” but you need to set it up. Here’s how:

  1. Repeat steps 1 through 4 above
  1. Select Manage Your Alexa Data from the left menu
Screenshot of alexa privacy settings
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Click on the toggle next to Enable deletion by voice
Screenshot of amazon alexa settings enabling the deletion of voice command recordings via voice commands
Image: KnowTechie

Now you can use voice commands to tell Alexa to delete your recordings. Try saying “Alexa, delete what I just said,” or “Alexa, delete everything I said today.”

How to stop Alexa from storing your voice command data

Finally, if you don’t want Jeff Bezos and Co. to listen in on your recordings. Follow the steps below:

  1. Go through steps 1 through 4 on the first list above
  1. Click on Manage Your Alexa Data
Screenshot of alexa privacy settings
Image: KnowTechie
  1. From this menu, click on the box next to the Use Voice Recordings to Improve Amazon Services and to Develop New Features option to uncheck it
Screenshot of alexa settings to disable amazon using your voice recordings
Image: KnowTechie

If you turn this option off, Amazon notes that some voice recognition services might not work properly.

How to delete voice command data from the Alexa app

You can also manage your recordings from the Alexa app. We’ll show you how below:

  1. Open the Alexa app
Iphone home screen showing alexa app icon
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Tap on More on the bottom, then on Settings
Amazon alexa app showing settings menu
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Tap on Alexa Privacy > Review Voice History
Screenshot of alexa privacy settings
Image: KnowTechie

From here, you can tap on individual recordings to get the option for deletion. You can also change the time period shown or delete all recordings from the time period being shown.

How to delete voice recordings on Siri

Most Apple-manufactured devices, ranging from the iPhone 11 to the Macbook Air, come with Siri installed. We’ll show you how to delete voice recordings on Siri below:

Here’s how to delete Siri voice history:

  1. Go to the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad
Ios settings app
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Scroll down to Siri & Search and tap on it
Screenshot of siri and search settings
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Tap on Siri & Dictation History
Screenshot of siri and dictation history location
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Tap on Delete Siri & Dictation History
Screenshot of delete siri and dictation history button
Image: KnowTechie

For macOS users, they can find the same options to delete voice commands by going into System Preferences and clicking on the Siri icon. Users will follow the same steps as they would deleting them off an iPhone or iPad.

Users can disable Siri through iOS and macOS as well:

  1. Open Settings (or System Preferences on macOS)
Ios settings app
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Tap on Privacy
Screenshot of ios settings showing the privacy menu link
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Scroll through the Privacy menu to find Analytics & Improvements and tap on that
Screenshot of ios privacy menu showing analytics and improvements link
Image: KnowTechie
  1. In this menu, switch off the Improve Siri & Dictation option
Screenshot of ios analytics and improvements menu showing the toggle to turn off siri recordings
Image: KnowTechie

That will stop Siri from recording any of your queries.

Google Assistant

Google home on table with google home app on phone
Image: Unsplash

Out of all the digital assistants, Google Assistant appears on the most devices. Of course, it’s on the Google Pixel phones and a myriad of Android-based devices, but Google Home and Nest are both enabled with Assistant, and you can get the app on your non-Android devices, as well.

How to delete your Google Assistant voice data from the web

  1. Log onto your Google Account (from Google.com or Google Chrome app)
  1. On the main screen, click on Data & Privacy
Screenshot of google account options showing the data and privacy option
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Scroll down to the My Activity link in the History settings section, and click on it
Screenshot of google account management page showing the my activity link
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Click on Web & App Activity
Screenshot of google activity settings
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Click on the icon for Google Assistant. While you’re on this screen, you can also untick the Include voice and audio activity setting, which will stop Google from saving audio recordings in future
Activity controls assistant
Image: KnowTechie
  1. From here, you can click on the X next to any voice recordings to delete them. You can also set Google to delete your Assistant data periodically or stop Google from saving any of your Assistant queries.
Screenshot of google assistant activity page
Image: KnowTechie

Now you know where to find your recordings in your Google account, and how to delete them.

Delete your Google Assistant recordings from the Google Home app:

It’s actually easier to find your Assistant’s recordings from the app. Here’s how that is done:

  1. Open the Google Home app
Screenshot of iphone home screen showing google home app icon
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Tap on your Account icon, then on My Activity from the menu that appears
Screenshot of google home app
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Scroll down, and tap on the three dots next to any recordings you want to delete
Screenshot of google home app showing google assistant activity
Image: KnowTechie
  1. Tap on Controls, which will let you see and delete activity from other Google apps. You can also uncheck Include voice and audio activity so you never have your Google Assistant voice commands saved on Google’s servers. The last option on this page lets you set auto-delete for the time period you choose.
Screenshot of google home app showing the settings for deletion of content
Image: KnowTechie

Now you know how to control what Google Assistant records of you, and how to delete any recordings you might not want saved. But you also have one other option you can use.

You can also use Google Assistant to do this, by saying things like “Hey Google, delete everything I said to you last week.”

Your voice, your choice

Anyone who uses their voice assistants regularly knows that they store our recorded voices. That data is used for training the algorithms powering their responses. That leads to a better experience for all users, not just you.

But, that said, it’s your voice. You should have the choice to delete all those recordings if you want. The voice assistant makers tried burying the details in nested submenus, but we’ve got you covered.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Follow us on Flipboard, Google News, or Apple News

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in How-To