Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Your iPhone will soon be able to speak with your voice

Apple has announced a slew of new accessibility features coming to the iPhone and its other devices later this year.

They include Personal Voice, which uses a synthesized version of your voice for spoken conversations, offering a more meaningful way to communicate with loved ones for those who have lost the ability to talk.

Apple's preview of new accessibility features for its devices.
Apple

Personal Voice will be easy to set up, too, as it only requires you to read a randomized set of text prompts for around 15 minutes so the system can learn your voice.

Then, with another feature called Live Speech for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, you can type what you want to say and have it spoken out loud in your own voice during phone and FaceTime calls and also in-person conversations. If a person’s ability to speak is already impaired, Live Speech will speak for you using a preloaded voice.

To save you from typing out each and every word, you can also save commonly used phrases that can be activated in a split second.

Of course, you need a functioning voice to set up the system, but for those with a condition that means they could lose their ability to speak in the future, Personal Voice will be a welcome addition to Apple’s growing collection of accessibility tools.

“At the end of the day, the most important thing is being able to communicate with friends and family,” Philip Green, board member and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) advocate at the Team Gleason nonprofit, who has experienced significant changes to his voice since receiving his ALS diagnosis in 2018. “If you can tell them you love them, in a voice that sounds like you, it makes all the difference in the world.”

Apple also previewed software features for cognitive, vision, hearing, and mobility accessibility.

Assistive Access, for example, distills apps and experiences to their essential features to make them easier to use. Focusing on apps such as Phone, FaceTime, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music, Assistive Access offers a distinct interface with high-contrast buttons and large text labels.

Another useful addition is Point and Speak for the Magnifier app, which is designed to make it easier for users with vision disabilities to interact with physical objects that have several text labels.

Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, said the new features were “designed with feedback from members of disability communities every step of the way, to support a diverse set of users and help people connect in new ways.”

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
5 things the iPhone 15 Pro Max needs to fix before I’ll buy it
iPhone 14 Pro Max in hand.

I’ve been using the top-of-the-line big iPhone for two years now. I shifted to the iPhone 13 Pro Max due to its amazing battery life – which inspired my favorite phone of 2022 article. I tried getting back to the non-Max iPhone 14 Pro, but I couldn’t stay long due to the weak battery life. Since then, I've shifted to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

After using the Pro Max iPhones for over 18 months, here’s what I think the next big Pro iPhone — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — must improve on to deserve the best phone of the year tag again.
The design needs a lot of work
Flat edges make the iPhone 14 Pro Max uncomfortable to hold. Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends

Read more
Your iPhone could steal this Pixel Tablet feature when it gets iOS 17
iPhone 14 Pro with always on display no wallpaper or notifications

With iOS 17 coming in hot for its expected June reveal during Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, iPhone owners are anxious to hear about any big features coming with the update. According to Bloomberg, a major change is coming in the form of a complete interface overhaul for locked devices that effectively turns your iPhone into a smart display.

The new interface will supposedly display a plethora of information like the weather, push notifications, upcoming significant calendar dates, and more. Per the report, this new interface displays automatically when your iPhone is locked and laying horizontally with its screen facing up.

Read more
iMessage was down today, but it’s now back to normal
Apple Messages opened on iPhone 13 Pro Max

Apple's iMessage — one of the biggest reasons to use an iPhone — was having some trouble today.

Apple's official System Status website confirmed that an iMessage issue began at 11:50 a.m. ET. The issue was listed as "ongoing" for multiple hours, with Apple noting that "users may be unable to send or download attachments in iMessage."

Read more