Apple has released the 2nd beta build for the upcoming iOS 15.4 version and one of the things it fixes is the situation where the iPhone was recording the interactions that users were having with Siri.
The bug, which was first introduced in iOS 15, automatically enabled the Improve Siri & Dictation setting that gives Apple permission to record, store, and review your conversations with Siri.
Apple has revealed that they have since deleted these recordings related to the bug and they are looking into how this eventuality can be completed avoided. After discovering the bug, the company reportedly turned off the feature for “many” users when it released iOS 15.2, but fully fixed the bug in the second beta of iOS 15.4. As ZDNet points out, this is the reason why you might get a prompt asking for your permission to enable the Improve Siri & Dictation feature once you install the new 15.4 betas.
This seems like the kind of bug that Apple should explicitly warn all of its users about, and urge them to ensure their iPhones are up-to-date while notifying anyone affected. Instead, the company has left us in the dark about how many phones were affected, or when. Without transparency, there’s no way to tell who may have had their conversations recorded and listened to by Apple employees despite asking to avoid exactly that outcome. If you have an iPhone, now might be a good time to update to iOS 15.2 or later (if you haven’t already).
