Apple patents privacy checks for shared devices like smart speakers

1. A method comprising: receiving a command at a communal electronic device; analyzing the command using natural language processing at the communal electronic device to determine whether the command requires programmatic access to personal data that is specific to a particular user of a plurality of users of the communal electronic device and that is stored on a personal electronic device of the particular user; in response to a determination that the command requires programmatic access to the personal data: identifying, at the communal electronic device, a personal electronic device associated with the particular user; determining, at the communal electronic device, whether programmatic access to the personal data on the identified personal electronic device is restricted; in response to a determination that programmatic access is restricted, presenting, by the communal electronic device, an authorization request to the particular user via an audio prompt or a visual prompt, and upon receipt of authorization at the communal electronic device, establishing a trust verified encrypted companion link session from the communal electronic device to the identified personal electronic device and sending, from the communal electronic device, a request to the identified personal electronic device to process at least a portion of the command that accesses the personal data; and in response to a determination that programmatic access is not restricted, establishing a trust verified encrypted companion link session from the communal electronic device to the identified personal electronic device and sending, from the communal electronic device, a request to the identified personal electronic device to process at least a portion of the command that accesses the personal data; and in response to a determination that the command does not require programmatic access to the personal data, processing the command locally on the communal electronic device without sending the command to the personal electronic device.