Hey Google, do you really record everything I say? Yes.

Google says it only records interactions with connected devices like the Google Home speaker when we use the "wake word," of "Hey, Google," or "OK, Google." But when using many of the Google smartphone apps with a microphone for voice search, or even Google on the desktop with voice commands, it can actually record every word you say to it – whether you use the wake word or not. The fine print is that you have to click on the microphone in the apps to communicate with Google. Once you do that, Google will start transcribing you, word for word, and storing your commands, in text and audio, as USA TODAY discovered in tests this week. This is similar to Google's monitoring of our keystrokes.