Questions about audio data collection and usage by Apple devices

Hi everyone,

I’m a Business Administration student at Insper (Brazil), and I’m currently working on an academic project about data privacy and the use of audio information by tech companies.

I’d really appreciate it if someone from the community (or from Apple, if any team members are present here) could help me with the following questions:

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2. Do Apple devices (like iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.) capture ambient sound data even outside explicit voice command triggers like “Hey Siri”?
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5. If so, are these audio inputs processed or stored in any way? How are they treated (e.g. stored, analyzed, linked with other data)?
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8. Are these sound-related data used for marketing, ad personalization, or shared with third parties?
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11. Is there an official and up-to-date place where I can read more about Apple’s policy specifically regarding audio data usage?
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I tried submitting this question through Apple’s official privacy form, but I kept getting an error — and I’ve heard others are facing the same issue. So I thought I’d ask the community directly.

Thanks in advance for any help or references you can share!

Best regards,

Enrico Mattos

Business Administration | Insper – Brazil