How to change Siri’s voice
Siri and I have a love-hate relationship. We get along at times until it decides to have a mind of its own and shows me that it really never earned my trust. I’m joking of course. But changing Siri’s voice can make the virtual assistant more palatable, not to mention more amusing.
Granted, Siri has come a long way in becoming a reasonably reliable voice assistant. Asking him to do things works more than half the time now, and it’s always fun to try.
But changing Siri’s voice goes beyond giving her a fun, new accent. With a variety of voices to choose from, including accents, genders, and a gender-neutral option, Siri can now sound more like your own voice. As one of many immigrants in this country, this little bit of inclusivity is a big step for me in a world of growing divisions.
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How to change Siri’s voice
One of the first things I do when I get a new one iPhone is to change Siri’s voice. I like it when my devices are tailored to my personal preferences. So when I have something new, I like to go through all the available customizations and familiarize myself with all the settings, and Siri is no exception.
You can find Siri’s settings and customization options in your iPhone’s Settings application.
Go to your iPhone’s settings. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Scroll down through your settings until you find Siri & Search in the available options.
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When you tap Siri & Search, you’ll see a menu of options for customizing your Siri experience. This includes language, which lets you choose the language Siri speaks and understands, and whether your iPhone constantly waits for the “Hey, Siri” wake-up phrase. Other options include things like Siri lock screen settings and whether you can activate it by pressing the side button.
Choose the new voice for Siri to use. As a fan of foreign accents, I find it funnier when Siri uses an Australian male’s voice, I don’t know why. At least it makes Siri’s wrong answers sound smoother.
You have multiple accents to choose from, as well as different voices for each. Maria Diaz/ZDNET
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FAQ
How can I revert Siri’s voice back to the original?
The process to reset Siri’s voice to the original is the same: go to your iPhone’s settings and select Siri & Search; Then select Siri Voice. Right now, Siri’s original voice is called American, Voice 4.
Who is Siri’s voice?
Atlanta, Georgia voice actress Susan Bennett is the voice of the Siri we’ve come to know and love in the US (or not). Although Apple has not officially confirmed this information, Bennett has said that she began working on Siri’s voice with Apple in July 2005, several years before Siri’s October 2011 launch.
Which celebrities can I change Siri’s voice to?
Unfortunately, Siri doesn’t currently support alternate voices to those available in iPhone settings. While it would be cool if Morgan Freeman, Darth Vader, or Yoda read your memories and let you know the weather, Apple hasn’t announced any plans to permanently add celebrity voices to Siri.
If you still want to hear a celebrity give you commands, Amazon’s Alexa offers some. Waze has also been known for using various celebrity voices in the past, although sadly Morgan Freeman and Snoop Dogg are currently unavailable. You can also play around with real-time AI voice changing software like Voicemod.
How do I get more voices for Siri?
The only voices available for Siri are those found in iPhone settings under Siri & Search. There is no way to get more voices for Siri through a third party.
Can you customize “Hey, Siri”?
Although you can change Siri’s accent and the tone of his voice, you can’t customize Siri’s signature “Hey, Siri” wake-up phrase. However, you can bypass the wake phrase by turning off the switch that keeps your phone waiting for “Hey, Siri” and simply using the side button to wake the voice assistant.
Is Siri bilingual?
Siri is not yet bilingual; However, Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, is. One area where Alexa definitely excels at Siri in my house is the ability to understand and speak two languages at the same time with an English/Spanish attitude. Alexa can seamlessly switch between languages on the fly and understands everyone from my 3 year old to my mother-in-law, no matter which of the two languages they ask in.