Private by design

Portal was created with privacy, safety and security in mind. And it has clear and simple settings, so you always stay in control.

For more information, see:

How do I turn the camera and microphone off on Portal?

How do I set up a passcode for my Portal?

How do I use Portal safely with kids in my home?

How do I access and delete my Portal voice recordings?

On Portal TV, Portal+, and Portal (1st Gen), you can completely disable the camera and microphone with a single tap. On the redesigned Portal and Portal Mini, a sliding switch allows you to disable the camera or physically disconnect both the camera and microphone, and they cannot be turned back on without moving the sliding switch back. A red light next to the lens indicates the camera and microphone are off.

Use the integrated camera shutter or included camera cover if you’d like to physically block the camera lens, but still want to receive incoming calls and notifications, and use voice interactions.

For more information, see:

How do I turn the camera and microphone off on Portal?

Whether you’re moving around the kitchen or chasing the kids through the living room, Portal’s Smart Camera adjusts to follow the action. Smart Camera automatically widens to keep everyone in the frame.

We designed Portal with industry leading processing capabilities. For added security, Smart Camera uses AI technology that runs locally on Portal, not on Facebook servers. Portal’s camera does not use facial recognition and does not identify who you are — it uses AI technology to frame a scene. To do this, it determines whether something in the room is or isn’t a person.

For more information, see:

How do I control the camera during a call on Portal?

My Portal’s smart camera is having problems automatically following my movement

AI Under the Hood: Portal’s Smart Camera

Facebook doesn’t listen to, view or keep the contents of your Portal video calls. If “Hey Portal” is available in your language, Portal does, however, listen for the “Hey Portal” wake word, including during calls. If the wake word is detected, Portal sends a short transcript and recording of the voice interaction to Facebook. For more information on how “Hey Portal” works and what information it collects, see here.

“Hey Portal” is a wake word that lets you use your Portal hands-free. If available in your language and country, simply say “Hey Portal” when you want Portal to start a video call, check the weather or respond to other commands. Portal activates when it hears “Hey Portal” and gives you a visual confirmation at the bottom of the screen. When your Portal hears the wake word, it will start to record your voice interaction and send it to Facebook servers in real-time to respond to your request.

A trained team may review a sample to make our voice services smarter and more accurate. You can view, hear, and delete any of your “Hey Portal” voice interactions in your Facebook Activity Log. You can also turn off storage in Settings anytime.

When you turn Portal’s microphone off, Portal won’t listen for the wake word, and voice control will be disabled. You can view, hear, and delete your Portal’s voice interactions in Portal Settings or in your Facebook Activity Log, and you can manage whether Facebook stores your voice interactions in Portal Settings. For more information about “Hey Portal” voice interactions, see here. If you have Alexa enabled on Portal, you can manage your Alexa voice history in the Alexa app.

When you use Portal, we collect information in a similar way to other Facebook products. Some of this information, including the fact that you logged into your account, made a call, or how often you use a feature or app, may be used to inform the ads you see across Facebook. For example, if you make lots of video calls, you might see some ads related to video calling.

Facebook does not listen to, view or keep the contents of your video or audio calls on Portal, so nothing you say on a Portal call is used for advertising.

Portal does not show ads from Facebook. Some third-party services on Portal (e.g., music partners) may embed ads in their content in the same way they do when providing their services on other devices. Facebook does not use anything you say on a Portal video call or any of your voice interactions for advertising.

Portal is designed to help you connect more often with your loved ones. With Portal, you can call, and be called by, your Facebook friends, as well as WhatsApp contacts (if you log in with WhatsApp). You can also save Facebook or Whatsapp contacts as favorites on the Portal home screen for quick access. If you share your device with another owner, that owner’s Facebook or Whatsapp contacts can also call your Portal and be called from your Portal.

For more information, see:

Who can I call or receive calls from on Portal?

How does calling work on Portal?

Your Portal video calls do not show up in your Facebook News Feed, but can be seen in your Messenger or WhatsApp conversation history. The Facebook News Feed is not available on Portal and Portal can only display certain information from your friends’ Facebook profiles, like birthdays and photos your chosen favorites post or are tagged in if you choose to enable these features.

Stored “Hey Portal” voice interactions are kept on Facebook servers for up to 3 years. We delete “false wakes” within 90 days of detection. When we delete voice interactions, they will no longer appear in your Portal Settings or Facebook Activity Log and will be deleted from our systems. You can always delete your “Hey Portal” voice interactions in Portal Settings or your Facebook Activity Log. Alternatively, you can turn off storage of your “Hey Portal” voice interactions in Portal Settings.