For years, Apple’s virtual assistant, Siri, was synonymous with a single, recognizable female voice. However, as AI technology has advanced, Apple has introduced a wide variety of incredibly natural-sounding voices for Siri, encompassing different accents, genders, and tonal qualities. If you use Siri frequently to set timers, send texts, or ask for directions, you don’t have to settle for the default voice. Customizing how Siri sounds is a great way to personalize your iPhone experience.
How to Select a New Siri Voice
Apple includes the voice options directly within the main Siri settings menu.
- Unlock your iPhone and open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap on Siri & Search.
- Look for the section labelled “Ask Siri” and tap on Siri Voice.
On this screen, you will see two main sections: Variety and Voice.
Step 1: Choose a Variety (Accent)
The “Variety” section determines the accent of the voice. Depending on your region, you will typically see several options such as:
- American
- Australian
- British
- Indian
- Irish
- South African
Tap through the different varieties. Every time you tap one, a small checkmark will appear next to it, and the voice below it will automatically change.
Step 2: Choose a Specific Voice
Once you have selected an accent (for example, “British”), look at the numbered list under the Voice heading (e.g., Voice 1, Voice 2, Voice 3, Voice 4).
- Tap on a voice number.
- Siri will instantly play a sample phrase (usually, “Hi, I’m Siri. Choose the voice you’d like me to use.”) so you can hear exactly what it sounds like.
- The voices alternate between traditionally male-sounding and female-sounding options, though Apple no longer explicitly labels them by gender to promote inclusivity.
- Continue tapping the different numbers until you find the tone, pitch, and cadence you like best.
Downloading the High-Quality Voice File
When you select a new voice, you might notice a small spinning loading circle next to it, or a subtle message at the bottom of the screen saying “Downloading.”
Because these new Siri voices use advanced neural text-to-speech technology to sound natural rather than robotic, the audio files are quite large. Your iPhone must download the high-quality voice package from Apple’s servers.
You can leave the Settings app while this happens in the background. Once the download is complete, Siri will automatically start using your newly chosen voice for all future interactions.