Breaking
BackApple launches Siri Recap and audio intelligence features for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4
Apple launches Siri Recap and audio intelligence features for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4
Developing
TechCrunch1 hour agoTech1 min readUnited States

Apple launches Siri Recap and audio intelligence features for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4

Quick Look

Apple introduced Siri Recap and other audio intelligence features for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, including ambient conversation note-taking, song recognition via Shazam, sound detection for alarms and cries, and Live Rewind for 15-second conversation recall, emphasizing on-device processing and end-to-end encryption while acknowledging potential privacy concerns from always-listening functionality.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Apple continues to expand AI-powered features across its wearable devices, positioning the Apple Watch as an intelligent health and productivity companion through on-device processing and privacy-preserving technologies.

Font size

Apple launched a meeting notetaker on Wednesday for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, one of a series of new audio intelligence features that can listen to sounds through your Apple Watch.

The feature, called Siri Recap, uses ambient listening to take high-level notes of your conversations, according to the company. Apple Intelligence will automatically generate a title, summary, and key points from the conversation, which can then be reviewed in the Siri app.

Apple said that you can choose to keep this feature always on, set up a schedule, or turn off completely.

The notetaker wasn’t the only audio-focused feature introduced for the Watch during the event. Apple’s new audio intelligence features also include Shazam, which can identify songs instantly. This means Apple has finally caught up to Google’s Now Playing feature. The Watch can recognize loud sounds like sirens, alarms, doorbells, or a baby crying and notify users.

Apple also introduced a feature is called Live Rewind, which lets users recap 15 seconds of conversation when they double press the digital crown.

Apple emphasized that the features don’t store recordings and that raw audio is inaccessible. The Siri Recap feature doesn’t identify speakers either. Users can access Live Rewind recaps, which are end-to-end encrypted. Despite these guardrails, an always-listening feature will likely raise privacy concerns because Siri Recap may still capture sensitive information in its summaries.

Besides some of the privacy features, Siri Recap sounds similar to other notetakers like Granola and Circleback, which also have Apple Watch apps.

Open Questions

  • What is the exact battery impact of always-on ambient listening on Apple Watch?
  • How does Siri Recap's accuracy compare to dedicated notetaker apps like Granola or Circleback?
  • Will third-party developers be allowed to access similar audio intelligence APIs on watchOS?

Related Topics

This article was originally published by TechCrunch.

Related Stories

Apple Unveils iPhone Duo Foldable, iPhone 18 Pro Series, Apple Watch Updates, AirPods 5 and Revamped Health App at Fall Event
Developing·

Apple Unveils iPhone Duo Foldable, iPhone 18 Pro Series, Apple Watch Updates, AirPods 5 and Revamped Health App at Fall Event

Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone Duo with 7.6-inch inner display and $1,999 starting price, alongside iPhone 18 Pro series with enhanced variable aperture cameras, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with new audio intelligence features, AirPods 5 with improved noise cancellation and stem volume control, and a redesigned Health app with Health Age and Readiness scores, all announced at its first fall event under CEO John Ternus.

TechCrunch
3 min read
More on this topicapple