Is Alexa encrypted?
No. Everything you ask Alexa is sent to Amazon's cloud, and Amazon keeps the recording unless you choose not to save it. Calls and Drop Ins between Echo devices are the exception: Amazon says they're end-to-end encrypted by default.
Checked on 25 October 2026 against 4 sources.
Made by Secria. We grade every app by the same rules. How we check
- RecordingsNot offeredAmazon lists calls, Live View and photos among what Echo cameras do, but no saved camera recordings, as of 25 October 2026.3
- Live viewPartlyDrop In is end-to-end encrypted by default, but Amazon doesn't say the same for Live View, which streams to its cloud.3
- Voice commandsAmazon can read itEvery request goes to Amazon's cloud, and Amazon saves the recording and transcript unless you change that.1, 2
- Who holds the keys
- Amazon holds the keys to your voice requests; it says calls and Drop Ins are end-to-end encrypted unless you turn on enhanced calling features.
- What Amazon can still see
- Your voice recordings and transcripts, what Alexa did in response, your smart home device history, and when an Echo camera detects someone nearby.
Stop Amazon keeping your recordings, once
- In the Alexa app, tap More › Alexa Privacy › Manage Your Alexa Data.
- Under Voice Recordings, tap Choose how long to save recordings, then Voice Recordings and Transcripts.
- Choose Don't save, then tap Confirm.
This deletes your saved recordings and stops new ones being kept. Amazon still processes each request in its cloud and keeps the text transcript until the chat has been quiet for 30 days. Voice ID stops working.
Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.
Does Alexa record everything I say?
No. Amazon says Echo devices listen only for the wake word, and no audio is stored or sent to the cloud until they hear it or you press the action button1. A light, such as the blue ring, shows when audio is going to Amazon1. If you join Alexa+, Follow Up Mode is turned on, so you can make follow-up requests without saying the wake word again1.
Once you speak to Alexa, the recording goes to Amazon's cloud, where it's turned into text and processed1. By default, Amazon saves all your recordings and transcripts2.
What changed with Alexa voice recordings in 2025?
Until 28 March 2025, three Echo models could handle requests on the device with a setting called Do Not Send Voice Recordings. Amazon dropped it, so those requests now go to the cloud too4. Amazon said it was expanding Alexa with generative AI features that rely on its cloud4.
You can still choose Don't save, so recordings are deleted after Alexa answers. The text transcripts are kept until the chat has been quiet for 30 days1, 2.
Are Alexa calls and Drop Ins encrypted?
Yes, by default. Amazon says audio and video calls and Drop Ins between Echo devices or the Alexa app are end-to-end encrypted3. If you turn on enhanced features such as group Drop In, or call captions, calls are decrypted and processed in Amazon's cloud, though Amazon says it doesn't store them3.
When Alexa calls a normal phone number, the part of the call on the phone network isn't encrypted3.
How Alexa compares
Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.
Sources
- Alexa, Echo Devices, and Your Privacy, Amazon. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Personalize your Alexa Experience, Amazon. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Alexa and Alexa Device FAQs, Amazon. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Amazon's Echo is ending its 'Do Not Send Voice Recordings' feature, starting March 28, TechCrunch. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Changes to this answer
- First published.