Apple adds ability to delete Siri and Dictation history in iOS 13.2

Earlier this year it was reported that Apple brought on contractors to listen to Siri recordings, all in an effort to improve the overall quality of Siri and the digital assistant’s accuracy.

The recordings that those contractors were able to hear were anonymized, but the news did not go over well for all Siri users. As such, the company promised that it would make the whole audio grading program an opt-in situation for Siri users, letting them decide if they want to share their audio recordings to improve Siri.

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Apple said this feature would arrive in a subsequent software update, but, at the time, it was unknown when the feature would arrive. Now we know. With the second developer beta of iOS 13.2 out there in the wild, it’s been discovered (via MacRumors) that Apple has added the ability to quickly and easily delete Siri and Dictation history.

Now, when you update to iOS 13.2 developer beta 2 (and more than likely when the iOS 13.2 update launches to all users in the future), there is a dedicated splash screen that outlines the audio grading program for Siri, letting users opt-out if they decide after explaining how the recordings are used:

Help Improve  Siri  and Dictation by allowing Apple to store and review audio of your  Siri  and Dictation interactions on this iPhone and on any connected Apple Watch or HomePod. You can change this later in the settings for each device.

This data is not associated with your Apple ID, and will only be stored for a limited period.

There is now a dedicated area to turn off the “Improve Siri & Dictation” setting. Furthermore, there is a new setting in the Siri section that will allow users to completely delete their Siri recordings.

Another change Apple is making to its audio grading program: it is no longer going to hire contractors for the work.

Are you glad that Apple made this an opt-in situation? Do you think you’ll be sending in your recordings in an effort to improve Siri?