Apple’s Siri Will Get A Gender-Neutral Voice In Upcoming iOS Update

Reports have emerged that Apple will be introducing a gender-neutral voice for English speakers on Siri, as the latest beta version of iOS 15.4 was released this week.

As per Axios, the voice—option number five—will be less explicitly male- or female-sounding.

This inclusion comes as the company moves to include more diverse options for Siri, as with the two Black voice actors it added to the virtual assistant’s repertoire last year.

While Apple confirmed that the gender-neutral recording was voiced by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it did not offer additional details on the person’s background.

“We’re excited to introduce a new Siri voice for English speakers, giving users more options to choose a voice that speaks to them,” the firm said in a statement.

“Millions of people around the world rely on Siri every day to help get things done, so we work to make the experience feel as personalized as possible.” 

Alongside the new voice option, iOS 15.4 will come with new emojis, security fixes, an update to Face ID, and Universal Control.

According to CNET, the new voice will likely be rolled out to all Apple devices sometime this Spring.

[via Axios and CNET, cover image via Wachiwit | Dreamstime.com]