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This is why that mic icon in your status bar is so important
Yes, someone is always trying to listen.
Most people dismiss this idea, the companies that make the things assure us this isn't the case, but it looks true after all. In the meantime, a years-old blog post from Meta specifically states how the company does not use your phone's mic to target ads. All devices using Alexa and Google Assistant/Gemini have a microphone that's always active but programmed to initiate any sort of connection only when a specific keyword is identified.
Or read this on Android Central