With the first iOS 17 beta, Apple has introduced a new accessibility feature called Personal Voice. First highlighted earlier this year, Personal Voice is designed to allow you to use artificial intelligence to create a replica of your voice.
The feature is aimed at those who are at risk of losing their ability to speak, with Personal Voice offering these individuals the chance to "create a voice that sounds like them" for communication purposes.
Personal Voice is available in the initial iOS 17 beta, so developers can begin testing it right away. It can be found under Accessibility > Personal Voice. Creating a Personal Voice is process that takes around an hour. Recording requires a quiet place with little to no background noise, with Apple instructing users to speak naturally at a consistent volume while holding the iPhone approximately six inches from the face.
If there is too much background noise in your location, Apple will warn you that you need to find a quieter place to record.
Personal Voice requires you to read a series of sentences aloud, after which your iPhone will generate and store your Personal Voice. The Personal Voice can then be used with the Live Speech feature, which allows users to type-to-speak in FaceTime, the Phone app, and other communication apps.
Personal Voice will be available to the general public when Apple releases the first public beta of iOS 17. Apple has said that iOS 17 will be available to public beta testers next month.
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself.
Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed.
Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles."
If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues.
We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!
iPhone 17 ...
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update.
Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September.
Below, we recap the key...
sorry for anyone willing to goof on this, let me share a story-
my mother suffered from dysphonia for multiple decades. up until I was about 14 or 15, I hadn’t heard what her real voice sounded like, then she got botox injected into her vocal cords (which absolutely terrified me, lmao)—the result was life-changing.
she then passed just before I turned 17.
I would give literally anything for this feature to have existed in her time. my recordings of her voice are scant—those with her true voice, nonexistent. if I could have had a model of her voice created, just to hear her say “I love you” one more time…
no, I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m telling this story to point out how incredible of a feature this is. someone’s voice is something you only remember for so long after they’re gone, unless it’s particularly distinct. had this been around, I could possibly still have an iPhone with her voice model to this day.
my 89yo grandmother is certainly not at risk of losing her voice any time soon, but I will be sitting her down to do this when iOS 17 comes out. this is an incredible step forward, and I continue to laud Apple for their strides in health-related issues.
Technology isn’t evil. Only the people who use it. And whilst this piece of technology is going to be put to some incredibly good and positive uses, it sure as hell is going to be put to some evil ones, too, sadly.
