Does Your Phone Listen to You? Yes, and Here’s What You Can Do About It

So, your phone is listening to you. But why? To what end? The short answer is that your phone can listen to you through its virtual assistants to hear voice commands and recommend personalized ads. 

You most likely leave your smartphone turned on and within arm’s reach when you’re at home or going out, but don’t let the prevalence of data monitoring deter you from taking steps to protect your privacy. This article will cover several concrete steps you can take to start protecting your data, such as changing settings and using the best VPNs.

Why is my phone listening to me?

Your phone and plan carrier use voice data, which can manifest in several forms — from voice assistant apps like Siri and Google Assistant to personalized advertisements. Your phone also listen sto you for marketing purposes. Just like how Google and other search engines keep track of your search and browsing history to make sure the online ads you see are relevant to your particular interests, your voice data is used in the same way.

It’s simply another means to target relevant advertisements to you, which in turn helps the advertiser stretch their clients’ dollars as far as they can by avoiding irrelevant ad targeting.

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Is my phone always listening?

This is the next logical question. If it’s legal for your phone to listen to you, then is it doing it every second of every hour that it’s turned on? The short answer is yes, your smartphone is technically always listening. However, the truth is a bit more complicated.

A voice-activated device has to be constantly eavesdropping so that it picks up on “wake words,” or the voice command used to activate their virtual assistant service. These range from “Hey Siri” or “OK, Google” to simply “Alexa” (much to the annoyance of anyone whose name starts with those five letters).

This doesn’t mean that it’s ignoring everything else being said. As mentioned, your smart devices use data of all types to create a “profile” of you as a user and consumer to show you the most relevant ads.

And while there isn’t usually anything nefarious behind this practice (depending on how you view data collection as a whole), it makes sense that you’d still be concerned about it from a privacy standpoint.

Is my Android always listening?

For Android devices, “wake words” include “OK, Google,” but your phone might be listening for certain other keywords as well. That doesn't mean that there are audio recordings of everything you say being uploaded to Google. Most of that voice data would have no advertising value. But what you say after those wake words, such as “Who is the President of Mexico” or “How old is Emma Watson,” will be saved the same way a Google search would be.

However, your Android phone can also be accidentally activated and record sensitive conversations or other details from your personal life. You could be having a conversation with a friend about some obscure fun fact. One of you doesn’t believe the other, and says “OK, Google it!” But your virtual assistant can certainly mistake other words or similar-sounding phrases as its wake word, too.

Is my iPhone always listening?

Your iPhone is also listening to you. Siri was one of the very first virtual assistants on any smartphone, and it is constantly listening for certain wake words or other keywords. However, Apple goes a bit further than other devices. Your iPhone will randomly select parts of conversations recorded by Siri to determine how they can improve their service.

The iPhone manufacturer also made news in 2019 when it was revealed that contractors with the company were regularly hearing far more than they bargained for. iPhone users would be justified in their concerns after this fact. Though Apple claims that it's cracked down on the accidental collection of sensitive or embarrassing personal data, the technology responsible for it in the first place remains commonplace for all modern mobile devices.

Is it legal for my phone to listen to me?

Not only is your phone listening to you, but it’s 100% legal for phone makers to do so. You might be thinking “I didn’t give my consent!” Well, unfortunately, you almost certainly did.

Any time you accept terms and conditions for a software upgrade or app download, that’s exactly what you’re doing. This is how smartphone manufacturers and app developers collect your data — from audio to browsing to other web activity. Whether that’s totally fair or especially sleazy isn’t the point of this particular article. The fact is it’s legal, and it’s happening.

However, just because your device can listen to you legally doesn’t mean that it can’t listen to you illegally. Just like with any other device connected to the internet, your smartphone can be infected with malware that can track your activity. That’s why it’s usually a good idea to limit permissions and always read the terms of service before agreeing to them.

How to stop your Android phone from listening to you

Now that you know your phone is listening to you — and that it could be doing so for a variety of reasons — what if you want to create some reasonable digital boundaries? After all, there’s more to life than conveniently relevant ads and information overload on demand.

One of the most important first steps is to remove malware from your devices. You’ll want to start by removing any suspicious apps. For Android devices, take the following steps:

1. Go to settings on your Android device and select Apps.
   

   

2. Select the infected apps and then hit Uninstall.
   

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts to finish.

You can also revoke app admin permissions in the security section in settings. In addition, you could put your Android in safe mode, which stops third-party apps from running in the background, and then reboot it. Doing this is simple: Just press the power button and hold it until you see the power off option. Then, select power off and hold it until you see the reboot in safe mode prompt.

Other common options include resetting your browser to factory settings, resetting your entire device to factory settings, or clearing out your downloads. Overall, your best bet is to take proactive measures before your phone can get infected, whether that’s installing anti-malware apps or using Android’s Google Play Protect function in your app store settings.

How to turn off Google Assistant on Google Maps and Android Auto

Another way Google can listen in on you is through Google Assistant on Google Maps and Android Auto. Turning off this function is simple. 

First, go to the settings app on your Android phone or tablet or say, “Hey Google, open Assistant settings.” From there, you can follow the prompts to turn off Google Assistant:

1. On your Android phone or tablet, say "Hey Google, open Assistant settings" or open the Google Assistant app and say, “Assistant settings.”
2. Under All settings, tap General. If you don’t find General, first tap View all settings or See all Assistant Settings.
   

   

3. Toggle off Google Assistant.
   

   

You can also access your Google Assistant settings via the Google Maps app. To do this, open the app, tap your profile picture or initials and then select Settings. Then, select Navigation settings and toggle oft Access your Assistant with "Ok Google."

How to stop your Apple iPhone from listening to you

The best way to keep your Apple iPhone, and other iOS devices, from listening to you is by turning off Siri.

1. Go to Settings and select Siri & Search.
   

   

2. Turn off Listen for “Hey Siri”, Press Side Button for Siri, and Allow Siri When Locked.
3. Select Turn Off Siri in the pop-up.
   

   

If you’re worried about iPhone malware, you can also restart your phone, clear your browsing data and history, or back up your iPhone and restore it to factory settings.

7 smartphone privacy tips

There are a lot of other steps you can take to protect your privacy while using a smartphone. The best way to avoid malware and unwanted monitoring of your activity is to take a proactive approach to your privacy. Here are a few helpful tips to help keep you secure.

1. Only download verified apps: A verified third-party app has been reviewed to ensure it meets standard security and privacy requirements.
2. Update your phone’s software: Keeping your phone’s software updated increases your chances that spyware and malware can’t infect your phone. Phone makers often issue patches that address security issues with each new software update.
3. Delete unused apps: Not using that puzzle game app you downloaded a few years ago? Delete it. It’s best to keep possible sources for malware and monitoring to a minimum.
4. Check app permissions: You can control what your app sees and hears. In your device’s settings, you should have the option to block certain apps from accessing your pictures, contacts, location, and microphone.
5. Delete your voice request history: You can delete your voice request history and other voice data by deleting your call history or managing your history under the data and privacy section of your smartphone’s settings.
6. Use a VPN: A virtual private network (VPN) is useful for blocking location tracking and other forms of data monitoring by keeping your connection to the internet secure and encrypted.
7. Update your privacy settings: It’s always a good idea to check your device’s privacy settings to see which apps you’re giving permissions to. This can help you regain some control over your data sharing.

Best VPNs for smartphones

A VPN is one of the best ways to maintain online privacy. It encrypts your internet traffic and masks your IP address to hide your true physical location. The following VPNs we've selected have high security standards and easy-to-use smartphone apps:

• Surfshark: Surfshark is best for large families or multi-device households thanks to its allowance of unlimited simultaneous connections. Among its privacy features are double VPN servers and an ad and tracker blocker.

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• NordVPN: NordVPN shows its commitment to privacy thanks to its headquarters in Panama, which isn't part of any data-sharing alliances. It also submits its no-logs policy for routine audits, includes speciality servers for double VPN and obfuscation, and includes an ad and tracker blocker.

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• Private Internet Access: Private Internet Access offers smartphone apps that don't sacrifice speed to protect your data. They're all user-friendly and come with privacy features like two kill switches, split tunneling, and even double VPN.

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FAQs

Bottom line

Even before the internet and mobile phones were invented, privacy has always been a concern for the average consumer. Now, with our increasingly online world, privacy is more important than ever, though it’s rarely addressed by the leading smartphone manufacturers and technology providers. That’s why it falls to the consumer to take an active role in protecting their own data and privacy.

But just because protecting your privacy is harder now than it used to be doesn’t mean it’s impossible or not worth attempting. You can take an active role in how your data is recorded and stored. When you do this, you become an empowered consumer, and you’re no longer just a data point for big tech. You can start by reviewing the best VPNs for iPhones.

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Author Details

Juliana Kenny

About the Author

Juliana Kenny is a seasoned writer with over 14 years of experience writing for cybersecurity topics. Holding a B.A. in both English and French, her work explores the convergence of security and technology. She specializes in endpoint security, cloud security, and networking technologies like secure access service edge (SASE).