Apple’s Siri reportedly gets a new, gender neutral-sounding voice

There have been reports that Apple’s virtual assistant Siri will be getting a new more gender-neutral sounding voice.

Apple’s virtual assistant Siri is getting a new voice that sounds more gender-neutral, according to a report.

The new Siri voice, which is being tested as part of the beta version of iOS 15.4 released on Tuesday, was recorded “by a member of the LGBTQ+ community,” Apple told Axios.

The NY Post reported, 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.

An iPhone on display. Picture: Supplied

Apple launched its HomePod Mini smart speaker in new colours last year. Picture: Supplied

The company did not provide additional details. The final version of the voice is expected to be rolled out to the general public within weeks in a software update.

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.

A quick comparison of Siri’s new voice with the existing four options pic.twitter.com/A7uLQeLvQw

— jon.porter (@JonPorty) February 23, 2022

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.

The move came after a report from a United Nations agency argued that defaulting to female-sounding virtual assistants “carries a risk of spreading problematic gender stereotypes and regularising one-sided, command-based verbal exchanges with women.”

The NY Post reported that Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This story was originally published by The NY Post and has been reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Apple’s Siri reportedly gets a new, gender neutral-sounding voice