The sixth iOS 14.5 beta has revealed a new feature in the form of additional Siri voices, as well as a setup selection for users who would want to change their preferred Siri voice rather than the female default.
Two new Siri voices in English has been added to the operating system, making it more diverse in terms of pattern and speech sound. Apple has mentioned that the new voices reinforces its commitment to inclusion and diversity.
The new audio goes through the Neural Engine so it has a more organic flow. Users can find them on the Settings portion, then ‘Siri & Search’ then ‘Siri Voice’ option. A new label called ‘Variety’ has replaced ‘Accent’, plus the ‘Gender’ option has been removed.
The beta also updates Siri in Italy, Russia and Ireland via Neural Engine text to speech. Apple’s voice assistant now appears in 36 countries and supports 21 languages.
