Here’s what it’s like to use Audio Intelligence on the Apple Watch
Siri can still make mistakes in transcripts. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge It's impossible to paint a full picture of what Audio Intelligence on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 will be right now. The watchOS 27.3 developer beta just dropped earlier this afternoon, and these features are meant to be lived with in day-to-day life. We're definitely going to do that over the next few weeks at The Verge.…
Key points
- Live Rewind shows a transcript of the last 15 seconds, while Siri Recap gives summaries of conversations.
- Both features are off by default and must be enabled through the iPhone's Watch app.
- The writer tested Live Rewind only in a quiet home office and has not yet received a Siri Recap.
The Verge has published initial impressions of Audio Intelligence on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, after the watchOS 27.3 developer beta was released earlier in the afternoon. Two features became newly available: Live Rewind, which shows a transcript of the last 15 seconds, and Siri Recap, which provides high-level summaries of conversations. The other two Audio Intelligence features have been available for the last few weeks.
The writer notes that the features are in developer beta and could change before a final public version. They are not turned on by default and require the latest Apple Watch hardware, a compatible iOS version and the user opting in through the iPhone's Watch app. Live Rewind also needs an initial microphone calibration with the phone.
How the features work
Siri Recap can be customized in detail, for example to run only at the office on weekdays from 1 PM to 4 PM. The writer says ethical use should include telling people you frequently interact with in person, since bystanders are unlikely to understand the feature.
Live Rewind worked as described in the writer's quiet home office with their spouse, though learning the timing of the double press took a moment. The spouse noticed the audible chime signaling use but not the animation. Siri accurately captured attempts to get the writer's cat to roll over, but misheard a word or two in later tests.
I think ethical use should come with an in-person heads-up to the people you frequently interact with.
— The Verge writer
Siri Recap still untested
The writer is more hesitant to assess Siri Recap, having not yet had an organic, lengthy spoken conversation since downloading the beta. Siri did not consider a brief conversation with the spouse worthy of a recap. The writer plans to test it across more scenarios, including talking aloud alone and filtering out gossip.
The writer has also been testing the Amazon Bee Frontier and says the differences are clear. Bee offers insights on emotional tone and has an Amazon integration that surfaces buying suggestions, while Live Rewind is a straight transcript and Apple has described its features as highly factual notes to jog memory.
