Can People Listen In on Your Alexa? How to Protect Yourself from Spying

In 2020, a woman in the UK discovered that her ex-partner had been secretly listening to recordings from her Alexa device long after their relationship had ended. He’d been granted access while they lived together and it had never been revoked.

By the time she realized what was happening, he had been quietly monitoring her private conversations from another location, using only his smartphone and her Alexa device.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated incident. As smart speakers become more embedded in our lives, so do concerns about what they’re capable of and who might be listening.

According to a CNET survey, 73% of users are worried about privacy risks when using devices like Alexa. Half of those surveyed said they don’t trust their smart assistant at all.

So, can you listen in on Alexa? Can someone like an ex, a hacker, or even Amazon spy on you using this voice assistant?

This guide answers two main questions:

• Can someone, like a hacker or a jealous ex, use Alexa to spy on someone else?
• Is Amazon recording everything you say via your Alexa?

We’ll also provide tips on how to protect your privacy and personal data when using Alexa.

The short answer is yes, but not without some level of access or permission.

Alexa-enabled devices continuously listen. The microphone is always on but doesn’t record or transmit anything until it hears the wake word.

It’s surprisingly easy for someone to spy using the Drop In feature, as long as they’ve been set up as an approved user.

You typically grant these permissions when you set up your Alexa. This is often done between people who live in the same household. But here’s the catch: once access is granted, it stays in place until you manually remove it.

That means someone you trusted in the past might still be able to drop in on your device, even if they’ve moved out or the relationship has ended.

Another important security feature is that Alexa plays a chime and displays a visual cue when a Drop In session begins. This way, you’d be alerted if someone was trying to spy on you.

However, this warning is subtle and if you’re in another room, the volume is low or you are distracted, you might not notice it has been activated.

This is how Drop In can become a surveillance tool in the wrong hands. In the next section, we’ll show you how to prevent this from happening by checking your permissions and removing anyone who shouldn’t still have access.

How to stop someone from spying on you with Drop In

If you’re worried that someone might still have access to your Alexa device, you have a few options. Here’s what you can do.

1. Disable Drop In

Follow these steps to disable Drop In on your Alexa or Echo device:

1. Open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet.
2. Tap Devices at the bottom of the screen.
3. Select your Echo or Alexa device.
4. Tap the Settings icon.
5. Tap Communication then Drop In.
6. Select Off to turn off Drop In.

This will immediately block them from initiating a Drop In on your device.

Fig 1. Disabling Drop In via the Alexa app.

2. Manage Drop In permissions

You don’t have to disable Drop-In entirely. Instead, you can control exactly who has access to Drop In on your Alexa device, directly from the Alexa app. Here’s how to manage your contact permissions:

1. Open the Alexa app and tap More (or the three lines) at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Communicate, then tap the Contacts icon in the top right corner.
3. Select a contact and look for the “Allow Drop In” toggle.
   • If this option is enabled, that contact can Drop In on your Alexa.
   • If the toggle doesn’t appear, that contact does not have Drop-In access.

Regularly reviewing this list helps ensure that only trusted people can use Drop-In — and removes lingering access from past roommates, partners, or anyone who no longer needs it.

Fig 2. Reviewing permissions for contacts in the Alexa app.

3. Turn on Drop In notifications

It’s possible to turn off the Drop In warning notification. If this happens, then you’ll have no idea that someone is trying to spy on you.

Switching notifications back on won’t stop someone from trying to use Drop In to spy on you, but it will alert you when it’s happening.

1. Open the Alexa app and tap More (or the three lines) at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Settings, then tap Notifications.
3. Tap Communication and toggle on Drop In Calls to be alerted when a contact starts listening in to your Alexa.

4. Mute the microphone when you’re not using Alexa

If you’re concerned about someone listening in without your knowledge, consider muting the microphone:

1. Press the microphone button on the device.
2. When the light turns red, Alexa is no longer listening.

Again, this won’t revoke permissions, but it’s a useful short-term safeguard.

5. Don’t have sensitive conversations near Alexa

Alexa-enabled devices have limited range. If you suspect someone is using your Alexa to spy on you, then you could simply go to another room to have sensitive conversations.

Once again, this won’t stop or block someone from spying on you, but it might discourage them if they never hear anything.

It’s one thing to worry about someone you know misusing Alexa. But what about outsiders like hackers? Could someone remotely break into your smart speaker and use it to listen to your conversations?

In short: it’s possible, but not common. Hacking Alexa requires a higher level of technical skill, but it has happened. And when it does, the consequences can go far beyond simple eavesdropping.

How a hacker could exploit Alexa

There are a few key ways a hacker could potentially access your Alexa device:

• Compromising your Wi-Fi network: If your home network isn’t secure, attackers may be able to gain access to any connected device, including your Echo.
• Installing spyware on your smartphone or tablet: Alexa devices are controlled through the Alexa app. If a hacker installs spyware on your phone, they might be able to access your Alexa settings, recordings or even enable Drop In remotely.
• Exploiting third-party skills: Alexa “skills” are apps created by Amazon or third parties with voice-based features. Researchers have found that malicious skills can be submitted and approved, opening the door to eavesdropping or phishing attempts. A Trend Micro study showed that both Alexa and Google Home could be tricked into silently listening or stealing sensitive data.

How a compromised Alexa could expose you

Hackers don’t necessarily need to be within range of your Echo to pose a threat. If they gain access to your Amazon account or another linked device, they can manipulate settings or tap into stored voice recordings.

In rare cases, they may even be able to imitate your voice using AI-generated audio to trigger commands or gain access to information.

And because Alexa collects a significant amount of personal data—location, contacts, shopping habits, and voice recordings—a breach can expose far more than just what’s said in your living room.

How to Stop Hackers from Accessing Your Alexa

While the chances of your Alexa being hacked are relatively low, it’s still important to take steps to protect your device, especially because of how much personal information it holds.

Here are the most effective ways to reduce the risk:

1. Secure your Wi-Fi network

Your Alexa device relies on your home Wi-Fi. If your network is weak or unsecured, hackers could gain access to your smart home system. Make sure to:

• Use a strong, unique Wi-Fi password.
• Enable WPA3 encryption if your router supports it.
• Avoid using default router names and logins.

This protects not just Alexa, but every other device connected to your network.

2. Avoid suspicious Alexa skills

As mentioned above, not all skills are trustworthy and downloading a malicious app gives hackers direct access to your Alexa..

To stay safe:

• Only install skills from well-known developers.
• Read reviews and check what permissions a skill requests.
• Regularly review and remove unused skills from the Alexa app.

3. Don’t give unknown devices access

If someone connects their phone or tablet to your Alexa account, they could access your settings and recordings or even control your smart home devices. Only allow trusted devices, and sign out of any you no longer use.

4. Be wary of phishing and malware

If someone installs spyware on your phone or tablet, they could access the Alexa app and settings. Avoid tapping links in unsolicited texts, emails or social media messages, even if they appear to come from Amazon.

5. Scan for Spyware

If you suspect your phone has been compromised, use a dedicated spyware detection tool like Certo AntiSpy for iPhone or Android. It helps uncover and remove threats that other antivirus apps miss, including those that could be used to spy on your Alexa activity.

Fig 3. Scanning for spyware with Certo AntiSpy for Android.

Does Amazon Listen to Your Conversations?

Other people spying on you using Alexa is one thing, but is Amazon also recording what you say through your smart speaker?

The short answer is no. Alexa does not constantly record your conversations, but it does record your voice commands.

As mentioned earlier, once the device hears the wake word, it starts recording your voice command. That recording is then sent to Amazon’s servers.

What Alexa records

Alexa only records what it hears after the wake word is detected. However, these recordings are often stored in your account by default. They may include:

• Voice commands (for example, “Alexa, what’s the weather?”).
• Follow-up questions or replies.
• Accidental activations, when something that sounds like the wake word is spoken.

These accidental recordings are surprisingly common. Saying something like “a lecture” or “Alex, uh” can trigger Alexa without you realizing, leading to snippets of unrelated conversations being captured.

What Amazon does with your recordings

According to the Alexa FAQs Amazon uses your voice recordings to:

• Improve the accuracy of Alexa’s responses.
• Train its voice recognition systems.
• Track your preferences, similar to how cookies track your preferences online.

Unless you change your settings, these recordings are stored and linked to your account.

While Amazon says it uses this data to improve user experience, privacy experts and even the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have raised concerns about how much data Alexa collects and how long it keeps it.

In 2023, the FTC reported that Amazon had retained users’ voice and geolocation data despite promises to delete it, potentially violating privacy protections.

Amazon’s data collection policies—what’s changed

Until recently, Alexa users could opt out of letting the voice assistant send voice recordings to Amazon. However, this option was removed in March 2025.

This means that all voice commands are now processed in the cloud, even if you choose not to save them to your voice history.

Amazon says this change was made to support newer features powered by generative AI. By processing every interaction, Alexa can better understand context and deliver more advanced responses.

However, for privacy-conscious users, this also means you can no longer prevent Amazon from temporarily storing or analyzing your voice recordings, even if you previously opted out.

What this means for you

• You can still delete your voice history manually or set it to auto-delete after a period of time.
• However, you can no longer prevent Alexa from sending your voice data to Amazon’s servers.
• This shift has raised concerns among privacy advocates, who warn that even short-term storage carries risks—especially if accounts are compromised or if data is used beyond what users expect.

How to Review and Delete Your Alexa Voice Recordings

While you can no longer stop Amazon from processing your voice commands in the cloud, you can manage the recordings Alexa saves, and delete anything you don’t want stored.

Here’s how to take control of your Alexa voice history.

1. View your voice history in the Alexa app

You can listen to everything Alexa has recorded from your account. To do this:

1. Open the Alexa app and tap More (or the three lines) at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Alexa Privacy.
3. Select Review Voice History.

Here, you’ll see a list of past voice interactions, along with timestamps. You can play them back or delete them individually.

Fig 4. Reviewing Voice History in the Alexa app.

2. Delete specific or all recordings

To delete recordings:

1. From the Review Voice History screen, choose a time range (e.g., today, this week, all time)
2. Tap Delete all recordings for that period, or remove items one by one

Fig 5. Deleting Voice History in the Alexa app.

You can also say:

• “Alexa, delete what I just said”
• “Alexa, delete everything I said today”

These commands only work if voice deletion is enabled in your settings.

3. Set up automatic deletion

For better long-term privacy, set Alexa to auto-delete your recordings:

1. Go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Alexa Data.
2. Under Voice Recordings, select Choose how long to save recordings.
3. Select 3 months or 18 months.

This ensures that older recordings are regularly wiped without you thinking about it.

Fig 6. Auto-deleting Voice History via the Alexa app.

4. Opt out of voice training (optional)

While you can’t stop Amazon from processing your voice commands anymore, you can opt out of having your recordings used to improve Alexa’s speech recognition systems:

• In the same Alexa Privacy menu, disable Use of voice recordings for product development.

This limits how your data is used, even if it’s only temporarily stored.

How to Stay in Control of Your Alexa

Alexa can be a helpful addition to your home, but like any always-on device, it comes with privacy risks.

Whether it’s a former partner misusing Drop In, a hacker targeting your network, or Amazon collecting more data than you’d like, staying in control means staying informed.

Here’s a quick summary of what you can do to protect yourself:

• Remove unused permissions: Check who has Drop In access and revoke it for anyone you no longer trust.
• Secure your network and devices: Use strong Wi-Fi passwords, be cautious with Alexa skills, and never tap unknown links.
• Review your privacy settings: Explore the Alexa app to manage what’s recorded, delete voice history, and limit how your data is used.
• Make sure Alexa can’t hear you: If you’re concerned about eavesdropping, mute the microphone or move away from Alexa when having private conversations.
• Scan for spyware: If you suspect your phone or tablet has been compromised, use a trusted tool like the Certo app to check for hidden spyware that could give someone indirect access to your Alexa.

Your smart speaker should work for you, not against you. With a few quick checks, you can make sure Alexa stays helpful without becoming a privacy headache.