Apple on Wednesday apologized to its users for employing third-party contractors to listen to audio recordings picked up by its Siri voice assistant, including when the voice assistant program was accidentally triggered by muffled background noise.

The practice — in which Apple had contractors listened to recordings to grade Siri's performance — made waves after a whistleblower said the voice assistant routinely recorded people having sex, as well as making drug deals and discussing confidential medical information.

"We realize we haven't been fully living up to our high ideals, and for that we apologize," Apple said Wednesday.

Apple suspended the recordings after the whistleblower, a former Apple contractor, exposed Apple's eavesdropping practice to The Guardian newspaper in June.