The scary suspicions have finally been confirmed - by Apple tech support staff - YES, it listens to conversations over the phone AND conversations in-person even when iPhone is NOT being used!!
The
initial suspicion surfaced when we were traveling in Utah back in May.
We drove through a new housing development area in St. George, UT.
Jokingly said it'd be nice to live here - it's new, less congested, and
very quiet... When we got to the hotel, my Facebook was populated with
housing prices in St. George and the benefits of moving there - truly
creepy!!!
Twenty
five days later, on Monday, 6/17/24, over dinner, we had a conversation
about Tesla's charging stations across the country, and the feasibility
of taking Tesla on a long road trip. First thing on Tuesday, I got
attachment 1 in my Twitter account. And then first thing on Wednesday, I
got attachment 2 in my Twitter account. These were the tweets I'd never
received in the past!!
So,
I called Apple today describing the creepy experiences. I asked: "Do
you think my iPhone is secretly listening to my conversations?" The
answer... "YES!"
I
asked: "How can I turn it OFF?" My simple question resulted in long
struggles of trying everything - including random, illogical attempts
trying to turn it OFF. When nothing worked, a Sr. Advisor was brought
in. She was super nice, but unable to answer my question. Her answer...
"Well, we don't know how to turn it OFF completely. But we can go
through the options in Settings to help you eliminate potential places
where the "Listening" may occur..."
I
carefully wrote down all the steps attempting to turn OFF the potential
"spying" capabilities - in hope to help you avoid being spied on... I
have no confidence that these steps would work, but happy to share what I
was told.
Go to iPhone Settings:
1. Accessibility / Siri / Always Listen for "Siri" = OFF
2. Siri and Search / Allow Siri When Locked = OFF
3. Privacy and Security / Apple Advertising / Personalized Ads = OFF
4. Privacy and Security / Location Services / turn it OFF for some of the apps as you see fit
5. Safari / Prevent Cross Tracking = ON
6. Safari / Microphone = Deny
7. Settings / X (Twitter) / Allow Tracking = OFF
8. Settings / X (Twitter) / Siri and Search / Learn from this App = OFF
