In short, turn off your microphone to stop your phone from listening to you. But a more surefire approach is to review the microphone permissions granted across applications and also disable virtual assistants. Sure, just as you might cover your webcam, you can also cover your microphone with a piece of tape or purchase a special phone case to stop your phone from listening to you. How to stop my phone from listening to me Of course, if you’re uncomfortable with your data being collected - it’s your data, after all - there are some ways to stop your phone from listening. Hey, you might even appreciate the personalized advertisements that result from it. Generally, you shouldn’t be too concerned about your phone listening to you. Should I be concerned my phone is listening to me?

For this reason, it’s always wise to limit the permissions you provide to applications and review the terms and conditions of new programs that ask for microphone access. That’s when users do not consent to be listened to and it’s often by way of spyware or other malware infecting smartphones. Worth mentioning is that phones can also listen to us illegally. That’s because we often give consent for phones to listen to us when we accept terms and conditions of software updates or app downloads. Those conditions are usually that we’ll allow our data to be collected so that we can harness all the wonders and conveniences of voice-assisted programs and services. Yes, it is legal for phones to listen to you. And your data can be collected, oftentimes for advertising or marketing purposes. So, the next time you beckon “Hey Google” or Siri, know that it’s just like opening a browser window.

These devices and the applications on them are capable of internet tracking, too. In this respect, you might think of your smartphone as a verbal search engine.

It’s similar to how search engines track our activity to ensure we’re delivered the most relevant results and advertisements. See, it’s no coincidence that you’re sometimes served advertisements that directly relate to a phone conversation you just had. That’s through voice assistant apps, like Siri and “Hey Google,” but also through personalized advertisements that follow conversations had on them.

Foremost, our phones listen to us to virtually assist us.

Where is my phone