Here’s How You Can Track What Your Virtual Assistant Has Recorded

How to hear and delete conversations recorded by your Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

Amazon Echo Dot works in tandem with Alexa, the voice assistant. 

(Photo: The Quint)

Perhaps the greatest spy after James Bond and the great Johnny English, is the virtual assistant (both Amazon and Google’s) which is garnering enough fame already across the world.

Not that the companies have claimed that their gizmos have been surreptitiously pilfering consumer data, many reports have emerged about Amazon’s Echo sometimes malfunctioning or even sending messages without users' consent.

Tell me that’s not scary.

But, what if I told you there was a way that you could see everything your Amazon Echo was recording and you could also delete the conversation history of the gizmo. Makes things easier, right?

Recently, news broke that a private conversation between a couple in the US was recorded by Alexa and then sent to a random person in their contact list.

Also, a few days before that the Amazon Echo smart speakers ran into a creepy laughter problem. The company’s voice assistant has reportedly gone on an involuntary laughing spree, which spooked many users across the globe.

Technology like this has its flaws, but will never stop evolving. Despite that there will always be that one small-minded luddite who will find more ways to castigate the technology rather than find ways to make it better.

But, what do normal people like us do? We find a way to be safer.

Here’s how you can see whatever Alexa has recorded:

1. If you’re using an Amazon Echo device, you first need to install the Alexa application on you phone which is available on Google Playstore.
2. Sync your Echo device with the Alexa app by registering.
3. In the app, go to Settings.
4. In Settings you’ll see a “History” tab. This is where all your conversations are stored.

Select the History option for the conversation list(Photo: Alexa app screenshot)

Here is a conversation list recorded by Alexa(Photo: Alexa app screenshot)

There is also a way you can listen to and also delete any of the conversations that have been recorded by your Amazon virtual assistant. For that you need to tap on the particular conversation or skill that you asked for.

Post that you’ll be directed to a page where you’ll be given an option to listen to the recording of the command captured by the gizmo.

You will also get an option to delete the command if you choose to.

You can delete conversations and also hear what the assistant recorded.(Photo: Alexa app screenshot)

Also, in case you feel that the command “Alexa” is something that might get triggered inadvertently again and again, you can also change the command prompt. This is particularly useful if someone in your household is named Alexa (or Alexis or Alex).

Here’s how you can do it:

1. In the Alexa app, go to Settings and select your device.
2. Then select the “Wake Word” option.
3. You have options like Amazon, Echo and Computer to choose from.

Different prompts to choose from.(Photo: Alexa app screenshot)

For Android users who want to get rid of their Google Assistant activity, all they need to do is:

1. Go to your Google account’s Activity Page.
2. On the top right corner of the Google Assistant page, tap “More”.
3. Under “Delete Activity by” on the left, choose from what time you want to delete the data.
4. Tap “Delete” and confirm deletion.

Currently, there is no way to be sure whether anybody is spying on your conversations or keeping a track of whatever you are saying to your virtual assistant device. However, every action of the assistant is recorded in its app history.

I know it will be a pain to go and delete each of the commands you gave, but for the ones who are a bit paranoid about their personal data, I think it’s best to delete your online cache of data so that there is a certain assurance that nothing will be transmitted anywhere.

BE SAFE AND DO TRY THIS AT HOME.