Apple explains how Live Rewind protects privacy on Apple Watch

Apple says Live Rewind on Apple Watch is designed to provide a text transcription of the previous 15 seconds without recording or storing audio. Users of Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 activate it by double-pressing the Digital Crown.

The audio is processed inside the Secure Enclave, a separate part of the S11 chip that cannot be accessed by the operating system, apps, or Apple. The audio is used to create a transcript and then permanently deleted from the device and iCloud. If the audio cannot reach the user’s iPhone, it is discarded immediately.

The resulting text remains available on the Watch for 30 seconds after the screen dims. Users can optionally save it in the Siri app, where it is end-to-end encrypted. Transcripts contain no speaker attribution. Asking Siri about them sends the text to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers. With iCloud two-factor authentication and a device passcode, synced transcripts use end-to-end encryption.

Live Rewind also provides visible and audible alerts. The Watch plays a chime even in silent mode or when headphones are connected, while an animation and microphone icon appear on screen. Apple says the feature is opt-in and can be managed in Siri Settings. It does not let users save or identify the captured audio.