Apple’s Siri gets a new ‘gender-neutral’ voice option

Apple’s virtual assistant Siri will soon be getting a new “gender-neutral” voice with the public release of iOS and iPadOS 15.4.

Theo Wayt for The New York Post:

The new voice — referred to simply as “Voice 5” in the iOS beta — sounds less explicitly male or female than previous English-speaking options, according to videos posted online.
The new voice is part of a push by Apple to add more diverse options for Siri’s voice. Last April, the company added two Siri voices that were recorded by black actors.
The company also stopped using a female voice as the default for Siri, instead asking users to choose between several male and female voice options.

Ina Fired for Axios:

Apple confirmed the new voice was recorded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but did not offer further details.
“We’re excited to introduce a new Siri voice for English speakers, giving users more options to choose a voice that speaks to them,” Apple said in a statement to Axios. “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.”

MacDailyNews Note: Siri’s new “gender-neutral” voice will be available with iOS 15.4 is released to the general public sometime during the first half of March.
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