The last time the English language for Siri received new voices was in iOS 14.5, and there was one new male and one new female selection, bringing the total to four available options. In the iOS 15.4 update, there's a fifth one, and it may work better as a gender-neutral middle ground between the low-pitched male voices and high-pitched female ones.
It's not surprising that Apple has included a gender-neutral Siri voice in iOS 15.4. After all, it continues to update its emoji database with gender-neutral options and other representations for transgender, nonbinary, LGBTQ, and other gender groups. Siri's new gender-neutral American voice is yet another step by Apple to eliminate the unfair gender stereotypes digital assistants have historically been confined to.
To hear and use the new voice on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings –> Siri & Search –> Siri Voice. Then, ensure "American" is selected under Variety and "Voice 5" below the Voice header. If you haven't upgraded to iOS 15.4 yet, which was released on March 14, 2022, you can listen to the new voice in the video below.
The name of Siri's new gender-neutral voice is "Quinn," which developer Steve Mosser discovered in the code of iOS 15.4 beta. Voice names are not shown in the iOS interface itself, only on the voice filenames themselves.
According to TechCrunch, Quinn is "a name with Irish origins ... a well-known gender-neutral name that has been used over the years for both boys and girls."
Cover photo by Justin Meyers/Gadget Hacks
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