• Amazon to stop supporting local voice processing on Echo devices.
• All voice data will be processed via Amazon’s cloud.

Amazon Echo devices will no longer support local processing of voice requests starting March 28, 2025. After this date, all voice commands will be processed through Amazon’s cloud rather than on the device itself.

The change affects the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” setting, which was available only on select models—specifically, the Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15. According to a source familiar with the matter, only a small number of users had access to and enabled this feature, which allowed some voice interactions to be handled locally instead of being sent to Amazon’s servers.

Amazon notified Echo users about the change in an email. “We are [letting] you know that the Alexa feature ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings’ that you enabled on your supported Echo device(s) will no longer be available beginning March 28, 2025,” the email stated. “As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature.”

The change means that all voice interactions with Alexa will be sent to, processed by, and stored on Amazon’s servers. Users who have enabled the “Don’t save recordings” setting will lose access to Voice ID, which provides personalised responses based on user-specific data, such as calendar events and music preferences. To keep that functionality, users will need to adjust their privacy settings to accept the cloud giant’s new policy.

Reactions from users

Echo users have criticised the update, with many voicing frustration on Reddit and other platforms. Some users have raised concerns about losing control over how their data is handled, particularly the shift from local processing to cloud-based storage. The idea of a company collecting and storing personal conversations made at home has made some users uneasy. For some, local processing was a reason for choosing Echo devices, as it allowed greater control over how data was handled.

Amazon has confirmed that it collects data about third-party devices on users’ home networks even if Alexa isn’t used to operate them. It has also stated that it doesn’t necessarily delete stored data obtained through voice interactions.

Echo’s market position and sales trends

Amazon Echo remains a major player in the smart speaker market, but sales have shown mixed results over the years. According to Statista, global shipments of Echo devices reached 32 million in 2018, with projections estimating sales to hit 130 million units by 2025. However, those projections were made in 2019, and more recent figures suggest a more complex picture.

In the US, Echo continues to dominate the smart speaker market. According to a Statista survey conducted in September 2024, Amazon Echo was the leading smart speaker brand among US customers. In a 2024 article, The Verge stated there were over 40 million Echo devices in American households, with Alexa processing billions of commands every week.

While Amazon doesn’t disclose specific Echo sales figures, its overall financial reports provide some context. In 2024, Amazon’s net sales increased by 11% to $638.0 billion, compared to $574.8 billion in 2023. However, Amazon’s Worldwide Digital business unit, which includes Echo and Alexa, ran a $3 billion operating loss in the first quarter of 2022, according to Business Insider.

The smart speaker market is growing. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global smart speaker market is projected to grow from a value of $7.1 billion in 2020 to $15.6 billion by 2025, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.1%. While this indicates strong demand, competition and shifting user preferences may affect individual brands’ performance. In short, while Amazon Echo is a market leader, its long-term sales trajectory is uncertain.

Alexa+ and cloud integration

The recent shift to wholesale data upload comes shortly after Amazon announced Alexa+, a subscription service that will add ‘AI-powered features’ to Alexa. Alexa+ was initially delayed due to technical issues but is now expected to launch later this year.

Amazon says Alexa+ will improve Alexa’s response to user commands and better integrate with other Alexa-enabled devices, like Ring video doorbells. The shift to cloud-based processing appears to support these AI enhancements, as more complex processing will require greater computing power.

What it means for users

Echo users who wish to keep features like Voice ID or other AI-powered services must allow Amazon to store and process their voice data. Users who continue to delete recordings may lose access to Alexa functions they paid for.

The shift reflects a broader move toward accessing AI’s apparent reasoning capabilities, but raises questions about data privacy of a company with a less-than-stellar record in that area.