Everything on the phone is listening to you. I am at the point I keep my phone turned off completely when I’m not using it. I have no “alexa” or other smart devices.
The final straw was when the phone would listen to what I had on the radio (mostly AM radio) and the phone would have a dozen ads ready to go for products ‘they’ heard.
As for RUFUS. I think you’re stuck with it. It appears to be intergral to their new interface.
I use the shielded phone bag.