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.
- Choose a device with no wake word at all. PHNTM One is push-to-talk only: the mic is live while the dot is red, 15 seconds at most, and speech is processed on the device. Compare them →
Sources
Questions
Does Alexa record everything I say?
According to Amazon, no. The device listens locally for the wake word and sends audio to the cloud after detecting it. But accidental activations do happen, and those get sent too.
Can I stop Alexa sending recordings to the cloud?
Not by processing locally any more: Amazon removed that option in March 2025. You can mute the microphones and delete your voice history.