Amazon is mandating cloud-based processing for Echo voice commands, removing local storage and disabling Alexa’s voice ID to expand its generative AI capabilities.

An opt-in Alexa feature called "Do Not Send Voice Records" stops requests from being sent to the company. It will soon be removed.

The good news is there are a couple of major alternatives you can use that have better privacy settings. The settings aren't necessarily ideal in every case, as you're still talking into a microphone that's connected to the internet. But they're still better than what Amazon is doing. Here are your options.