Apple has introduced two new audio intelligence features for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 in the latest software update. The watchOS 27.3 beta, released Tuesday, enables Siri Recap and Live Rewind, features originally announced alongside the hardware in September.
Siri Recap Summarizes Conversations
Siri Recap allows users to access high-level summaries of recent discussions. The system generates a title and key points from the conversation, which users can retrieve through the Siri app when they need to recall specific details. Apple Intelligence processes these summaries to provide a quick overview without requiring users to replay entire audio clips.
The feature is designed to help users jog their memory after meetings or casual chats. It does not identify or attribute specific speakers within the conversation. Apple stated that the summaries will exclude sensitive information, such as financial details, to protect user privacy.
Live Rewind Transcribes Recent Speech
Live Rewind converts the last 15 seconds of audio into text. This function is useful for capturing details from airport announcements, presentations, or other situations where hearing the full context is difficult. Users can double-press the Digital Crown to view the transcribed snippet.
Once the text is displayed, users can ask Siri questions about the content or save the snippet for later review in the Siri app. The feature operates even if the watch is set to silent mode, though it plays a chime and displays a microphone indicator animation to alert the user that audio is being processed.
Privacy and Hardware Requirements
These features rely on the always-on microphones present in the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. The devices use the S11 chip to process audio in isolation from the rest of the system. Apple claims that the operating system, apps, users, and the company itself cannot access the raw audio data. The chip processes the audio and then deletes it immediately.
Apple also noted that these features do not record or store audio files. Users can opt out of Siri Recap and Live Rewind, though some settings must be manually enabled. The company added that the microphones support other audio intelligence functions, including sound recognition for alarms and crying infants, as well as faster Shazam song detection.
Using these features requires a compatible iPhone with Apple Intelligence enabled, specifically an iPhone 16 or later model. The iPhone 16e is not supported. Siri Recap and Live Rewind are initially available only in English and are not accessible in the European Union. Daily usage limits apply to both features.
Source: Engadget
