Apple Watch Series 12 is gaining a new set of Audio Intelligence features designed to help users remember conversations, catch missed information and stay aware of important sounds around them.
The new tools are powered by the S11 chip, Apple Intelligence models on iPhone and Private Cloud Compute, with Apple placing a strong emphasis on privacy and user control.
Live Rewind is one of the headline additions. A double press of the Digital Crown can show the previous 15 seconds of a conversation as a text snippet, giving users a way to quickly revisit something they may have missed.
The Apple Post reported earlier today that Apple was preparing a privacy-focused recap feature for Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple has now confirmed the final implementation.
Siri Recap can create high-level summaries of conversations that users can review later in the new Siri app. Apple says the feature is designed to generate key points rather than a transcript.
Sound Recognition is also coming to Apple Watch, allowing the device to alert users to sounds such as sirens, alarms, doorbells or a baby crying, even when an iPhone is not nearby.
Apple says Audio Intelligence does not create or store conventional audio recordings. Processing is handled using a Secure Exclave on the S11 chip, with raw audio isolated and deleted after processing.
Live Rewind also plays an audible chime and displays a visible microphone indicator when activated, while Siri Recap and Live Rewind content can be end-to-end encrypted when synced through iCloud.