Apple’s upcoming iOS 17 operating system will offer an extensive range of new accessibility features. Among them, the new Personal Voice feature will use on-device machine learning to analyze recorded audio clips to create a personalized voice model directly on the user’s iPhone that accurately mimics their unique voice.
Apple has stated that the feature can provide valuable assistance to people facing challenges with speech due to conditions like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or similar ailments and will allow them to preserve their unique voice and communicate more effortlessly.
To set up Personal Voice in iOS 17, you’ll need to record approximately 15 minutes of your voice, although Apple warns that it could take up to an hour. Then, your iPhone will use this recorded audio to generate a personalized voice model. The user is not obligated to complete the recording in one session, and can instead break this down into smaller sections and add more segments at a later time.
To create a Personal Voice in iOS 17, you’ll need to complete the following steps:
- On an iPhone running iOS 17, open Settings and tap Accessibility
- Scroll down to find Personal Voice under the Speech section
- After that, it will ask you to follow on-screen prompts like recording in a quiet environment, holding your iPhone approximately 6 inches from your mouth, and speaking naturally.
The first step is recording you saying, “I’m creating a Personal Voice with my iPhone.” It then analyzes the recording for sound quality, then you continue saying more phrases out loud after hitting the Record button.
The Personal Voice file can be shared across Apple devices and can also allow third-party apps to access it to speak through your device’s speaker or during calls. You can also export the voice recordings to share or to use as a backup and delete it anytime.
Once the initial setup process has been completed, the iPhone can generate a Personal Voice once it’s connected to power and its screen has been turned off. You’ll also receive a notification alerting you when your Personal Voice is ready for use.
If you’ve had a chance to play with this feature in the iOS 17 betas, please let us know about your experience in the comments.
Via AppleInsider