The Transcription Engine
When you attempt to reply to a text message or an email on the Apple Watch, the primary input method is “Dictation.” You speak into the watch, and a background Siri daemon transcribes your voice into text. However, to perform this transcription accurately, Apple frequently uploads snippets of your audio directly to their cloud servers for processing. If you discuss highly confidential information, or if you simply refuse to allow a technology company to process recordings of your voice on remote servers, you must completely paralyze the dictation engine.
How to Turn Off Siri Dictation
You can permanently sever the watch’s ability to transcribe your speech via the General settings.
- Open the Settings app directly on your Apple Watch (the grey gear icon).
- Scroll down the main list and tap on General.
- Scroll down and tap on Dictation.
- Locate the master toggle switch labeled Dictation.
- Toggle this switch to the Off position.
- A warning prompt will appear stating that this will remove your audio data from Apple’s servers. Tap Turn Off Dictation to confirm the purge.
Text-Only Input
The change is instantaneous. The Apple Watch will completely terminate the background audio-transcription daemon. The microphone icon will instantly disappear from the Messages and Mail apps. You are now strictly forced to rely on the on-screen QWERTY keyboard (on supported models), the Scribble feature (drawing letters with your finger), or pre-written Smart Replies. Your voice will absolutely never again be recorded, transcribed, or uploaded to an external server when replying to a message on your wrist.