iOS 18 Introduces Personal Voice Feature for VoiceOver and Text-to-Speech Accessibility

Important Information about Personal Voice on iOS 18

• Your Personal Voice can now be utilized as a voice option for VoiceOver and Spoken Content in iOS 18.
• These accessibility features now allow you to select one of your own created voices for a more personalized experience.
• To create your Personal Voice, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Personal Voice > Create a Personal Voice.
• You can access your created voices for both VoiceOver and Spoken Content through Settings > Accessibility.

Apple devices empower users by allowing them to record their voices and generate a synthesized version for communication purposes. This feature, called Personal Voice, was introduced in iOS 17.

In iOS 18, support for Personal Voice has expanded to encompass the VoiceOver and Spoken Content features—both vital accessibility tools that read aloud on-screen items and selected text, respectively.

This enhancement means you can now opt for a personalized voice instead of default options when using these accessibility functions.

If you have not yet created a Personal Voice, you can easily do so by going to the ‘Settings app > Accessibility > Personal Voice > Create a Personal Voice’. This feature is also available on an iPad or Mac, with syncing capabilities to your iPhone via iCloud.

Once your synthesized voice is ready, it becomes selectable for both VoiceOver and Spoken Content, accessible through the ‘Accessibility’ settings in the Settings app.

Utilizing your own voice with VoiceOver and Spoken Content can be an enjoyable experience. However, you are not limited to just your voice; you can also record a partner’s or family member’s voice to use with these accessibility features.

Personal Voice particularly enhances the experience of ‘Spoken Content’, allowing you to highlight text and hear it read aloud in your chosen voice. However, it’s important to note that this feature may not provide a natural-sounding option for listening to e-books as an alternative to audiobooks. With advancements in technology, there may be potential for such capabilities in the future. Who knows, you might even be able to use your Personal Voice as Siri’s voice someday—possibly as soon as next year.

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