"Small portion" of iPhones recorded conversations with Siri, even if you didn't opt: Apple

Apple's release of iOS 15.4 beta 2 fixes a bug that may have logged interactions with Siri on a few devices, regardless of whether you opted out, according to a report by ZDNet. The bug, which was initially introduced in iOS 15, automatically enabled the Enhance Siri and Dictation setting that offers Apple permission to record, store, and review your conversations with Siri.

Apple told ZDNet that it has deleted all recordings collected in connection with the bug. After discovering the bug, the company reportedly disabled the feature for "many" users when it released iOS 15.2, but fixed the bug fully in the second beta of iOS 15.4. As ZDNet points out, this is why you might get a message asking for your permission to enable the Enhance Siri and Dictation feature once you install the new 15.4 beta.

"With iOS 15.2, we turned off the Improve Siri & Dictation setting for many Siri users while we fixed a bug introduced with iOS 15," Apple said in a statement to ZDNet. "This bug inadvertently enabled the setting for a small portion of devices. Since identifying the bug, we stopped reviewing and are deleting audio received from all affected devices."

This looks to be the kind of bug that Apple should explicitly warn all of its users about and urge them to make sure their iPhones are up to date while notifying anyone affected. Instead, the company has left us vague about how many phones were affected or when. Without transparency, there is no way to find out who may have had their conversations recorded and listened to by many Apple employees despite asking to avoid exactly that result. If you own an iPhone, now might be a good time to update to iOS 15.2 or later (if you haven't already).