Your Phone Is Listening? How Microphone Permissions Really Work
Posted on March 12, 2026 by Parker Bennett
Your phone does not passively stream microphone audio to advertisers. Both iOS and Android require explicit user permission for mic access and block most background listening. However, voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant do use on-device wake-word detection, and certain app permissions can be broader than you realize. The belief that smartphones constantly eavesdrop is […]