Apple adds new Siri voice controls in iOS 27 beta 3

In short: Apple’s latest iOS 27 developer beta adds settings that let testers change Siri’s speaking speed and how emotional it sounds.

The details

Apple has turned on two new Siri voice controls in iOS 27 developer beta 3, released July 6, 2026. The settings are called “Pace” and “Expressivity.” Pace changes how quickly Siri talks. Expressivity changes how much the voice sounds like it has human emotion.

These controls were shown earlier but were labeled “Coming soon” in the first iOS 27 developer betas. Now, people testing the beta can also choose from multiple Siri voices with different accents, then use sliders to fine tune the voice. As you move the sliders, Siri will read example lines like “You have one new message,” so you can hear the effect right away.

This update is part of Apple’s larger plan to rebuild Siri around “generative AI,” which is a type of AI that can produce new text and speech on the fly, like a conversational helper. Apple is trying to make Siri feel more natural and more personal.

TechCrunch notes that ChatGPT already offers more voice style controls, including options like warmth, enthusiasm, and overall tone, such as friendly or professional. TechCrunch also reports that some people say they lost access to the new Siri after updating to beta 3, or saw their phone start “indexing” again, which is when the device re-checks and organizes your data so Siri can search and respond better (like re-shelving books so they are easier to find).

Source: TechCrunch AI