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Apple’s latest watchOS beta includes its new always-on Audio Intelligence features
Devices1 min read
Apple is testing new features that let Siri listen through the Apple Watch's microphone. The features can make summaries of conversations and text of the last 15 seconds of talk.
What happened
Apple released a test version of watchOS 27.3 for developers. It adds two Audio Intelligence features that use the watch's mic. Siri Recap makes short summaries of conversations. Live Rewind turns the last 15 seconds of sound into written text. Apple also started testing a redesigned Health app in iOS 27.3 and added more languages.
Key facts
- Live Rewind covers the last 15 seconds of audio.
- A double-press of the Digital Crown shows the Live Rewind text.
- Siri Recap creates a title and key points after a conversation.
- Health app languages now include global English, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
How the features work
Live Rewind helps you catch something you missed in a talk. You can ask Siri about the text or save it in the Siri app. Siri Recap works like a memory helper. It can be turned on, and then Apple Intelligence makes a summary you can read later. Apple says the raw audio is handled inside special hardware and is not saved as a file.
Why it matters
The watch would be listening around the clock, so privacy is a big question. Apple says the audio is not saved or open to apps or Apple. Saved summaries sync across devices with end-to-end encryption, which means only you can read them. Users will need to decide if they trust this kind of always-listening AI.
What to watch
- Whether Apple keeps its privacy promises as the features reach more people.
- How the redesigned Health app with its Insights tab works in real use.
- Whether these features appear in the final public release.
Glossary
- Audio Intelligence
- Apple features that use the watch's microphone to understand and summarize sound.
- watchOS 27.3
- A test version of the software that runs on the Apple Watch.
- Digital Crown
- The round dial on the side of the Apple Watch.
- Apple Intelligence
- Apple's name for its AI tools that help with tasks on its devices.