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Apple’s Siri Is No Longer a Woman by Default, It Still Won't Be Quiet in the Car

If you’ve been using Siri on your iPhone or CarPlay, you probably know that the digital assistant uses a female voice on all devices by default.
Siri launching on an iPhone 1 photo
Photo: autoevolution
In theory, that’s not necessarily a big problem given that Siri sounds like a name that’s more suitable for a woman than a man, but as it turns out, not everybody is a big fan of this approach.

So Apple is now working on changing this, with the latest beta version of iOS 14.5 introducing two new English language voices, with Siri no longer being a female by default.

Users will just have to choose what voice they want to enable when setting up Siri, and at some level, this is an approach that makes sense given everybody should use the digital assistant just the way they want.

We’re excited to introduce two new Siri voices for English speakers and the option for Siri users to select the voice they want when they set up their device,” an Apple spokesperson was quoted as saying. “This is a continuation of Apple’s long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and products and services that are designed to better reflect the diversity of the world we live in.

But other than that, Siri will continue to work just like it currently does, so no matter what voice you choose, it still won’t be any different from the female character currently enabled by default.

The good news is that Siri has actually improved lately and is now capable of doing much more in the car, including sharing the ETA with a specific contact.

iOS 14.5, the next big update for iPhones, is projected to launch later this spring, and it will also include substantial improvements for Apple Maps, as the Cupertino-based tech giant is working on adding an incident reporting feature similar to Waze.
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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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