How to Create and Use Your Personal Voice on iPhone

ByJim Miller

Apple has introduced a new feature called Personal Voice for iPhones with the new iOS 17 update. This feature allows you to create a synthesized voice that sounds like your own, which you can use to communicate with your friends and family. In this guide, we will explore everything you need to know about Personal Voice and how to set it up on your iPhone.

What Is Personal Voice?

Personal Voice is a cognitive accessibility feature that arrived with the latest iOS 17 update. It allows you to record your own voice and create a synthesized version that sounds just like you. This feature is especially useful for people who may be at risk of losing their voice due to conditions like ALS or other disabilities. Using machine learning, iOS 17 can synthesize your voice while keeping your information private.

You can use Personal Voice during FaceTime or voice calls, with assistive communication apps, and even in-person conversations. The idea is to preserve your voice so that you can continue to communicate effectively when needed. Additionally, with the upcoming macOS Sonoma update, Personal Voice will also be available on MacBooks.

Prerequisites to Create Personal Voice on iPhone

Before creating a digital replica of your voice using Personal Voice, there are a few prerequisites you need to meet:

  1. Operating System: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma or later.
  2. Devices: iPhone 12 or later, iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation) or later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) or later, and Mac with Apple silicon.
  3. Make sure you have set up Face ID, Touch ID, or a Passcode on your device.

How to Create Personal Voice on iOS 17

Now that we understand how Personal Voice works and the prerequisites, let's look at the steps to create your own Personal Voice on iPhone and iPad:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and go to Accessibility.
  3. Under the Speech section, tap on Personal Voice.
  4. Open Create a Personal Voice.
  5. Tap on Continue twice.
  6. Give a name to your voice.

Follow the on-screen instructions to record your voice. You will be given 150 phrases to record, so speak them clearly when you see “Listening” at the bottom of the screen. Once you finish recording, it may take some time to fully prepare your Personal Voice. Keep your smartphone charged and locked during the process, preferably overnight.

How to Resume Personal Voice Recording

If you were unable to complete the entire process of creating a Personal Voice, you can resume it by following these steps:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and go to Accessibility.
  3. Under the Speech section, tap on Personal Voice.
  4. Tap on the Personal Voice Name to resume recording.
  5. Choose Continue Recording to proceed.

How to Use Personal Voice on iPhone

Once you have successfully created your Personal Voice, it's time to put it to use. Before using Personal Voice, you need to activate Live Speech:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap on Accessibility.
  3. Scroll down and open Live Speech.
  4. Enable Live Speech.

Now, let's see how to use Personal Voice:

  1. Turn on Live Speech using the steps mentioned above.
  2. Triple-click the right-side lock/wake button.
  3. Choose Live Speech if multiple options are shown.
  4. Tap on Phrases to select from your favorite phrases.
  5. You can also type a phrase if you prefer.

Your iPhone will then say the selected phrase out loud in your digital voice. Although it may sound a bit robotic, it closely resembles your original voice.

How to Add or Remove Favorite Phrases

You can customize the phrases you use with your Personal Voice. Here's how you can add or remove your favorite phrases:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap on Accessibility.
  3. Scroll down and open Live Speech.
  4. Choose Favorite Phrases.
  5. Tap on the + icon to add a phrase.
  6. Enter the desired phrase.
  7. To remove a phrase, tap on Edit and select the red (-) button next to the phrase.

You can add and remove phrases as needed.

How to Delete Personal Voice

If you wish to delete your Personal Voice, follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
  3. Tap on Personal Voice.
  4. Choose the voice you want to delete.
  5. Tap on Delete.

Please note that deleting your Personal Voice is permanent, and you will need to go through the entire creation process again if you decide to create a new one.

Keep It Personal

Creating your Personal Voice is a unique and exciting feature offered by Apple. Although the voice may sound robotic, it closely resembles your original voice. You can even create multiple instances of your Personal Voice in different languages if you are multilingual. This feature is not only helpful for those who have lost their voice but also enhances FaceTime and voice calls. Share your experience with this new feature and let us know how it has improved your communication.