Apple activates Siri voice customization controls in iOS 27 beta 3 for personalized AI experience

You can now customize Siri's pace and expressivity in the latest iOS 27 beta

With the latest iOS 27 developer beta, Apple is giving testers an early look at one of the upcoming improvements to its AI-powered Siri: the ability to adjust how quickly and expressively the AI assistant speaks. In iOS 27 beta 3, out today, Apple has enabled the voice controls for "Pace" and "Expressivity" that were previously labeled as "Coming soon" in the first developer beta releases. The update is part of Apple's broader effort to make Siri feel more natural and personal, as it rebuilds the assistant around generative AI. Like ChatGPT and others offering voice AI assistants, letting users customize how the AI sounds is an important aspect in helping connect people with the new technology. However, ChatGPT's voice customization options allow users to go even further, as the ability to adjust the AI's warmth and enthusiasm was rolled out in December 2025, alongside options to configure the base style and tone. The latter lets users adjust OpenAI's assistant to be more friendly, professional, candid, or quirky, among other styles. This is reflected not only in how ChatGPT speaks, but also how it presents information to the user. First introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 26) in June, Siri's voice controls let users personalize their Siri experience beyond just choosing a male or female-sounding assistant. Now, beta testers will be able to switch between a range of voices with different accents, and then use sliders to change how slowly or quickly Siri speaks and how much human-like emotion its voice conveys. As you make the adjustments, Siri will practice saying some common things, like "You have one new message," so you can get a sense of how the different voices sound. The AI version of Siri is deeply integrated across the updated version of iOS, where it will allow iPhone owners to start conversations by speaking, swiping down from the Dynamic Island at the top of the screen and typing, tapping on the phone's side button, or even by using the brand-new standalone Siri app. Other, more minor updates are also rolling out with iOS 27 beta 3, including an updated Reminders app icon. (We should note some people on X are also reporting losing access to the new Siri after updating, or seeing their phone again begin indexing their data -- typically, the first step in optimizing Siri AI for search.)

Apple finally lets you make Siri sound like you want

During the WWDC 2026 event, Apple demonstrated that users will finally be able to customize how Siri sounds. While this feature has been available in the Settings app since the first iOS 27 developer beta, the sliders for adjusting Siri's voice were greyed out. With the third developer beta Apple released today, these sliders are finally operational. Here's everything you need to know about Siri's new voice customization features. How do the new Siri voice controls work? Apple offers two levels of customization for Siri AI's voice: Pace and Expressivity. Pace changes how fast Siri AI speaks while the expressivity slider adjusts the tone and intonation, making Siri AI sound more human. You can access this setting by heading over to Settings → Siri → Expressive Voice Preview. Here, you'll find both sliders active with five adjustment levels each for all currently available voices. So whether you want Siri sounding flat and businesslike or full of personality, you get a decent range to play with. The best part is how Apple lets you preview your changes. The moment you start dragging a slider, Siri plays a continuous audio sample that updates in real time. This live feedback makes it much easier to fine-tune the Siri voice to your liking. And once you land on something you like, just tap the checkmark in the top-right corner to lock it in. One setting, several apps Here's a nice touch. Your custom pace and expressivity choices don't just stay limited to Siri. Apple says these settings will carry over to Apple Maps and Safari too, so your chosen voice personality follows you across the experience instead of resetting every time you switch apps. Recommended Videos I've been playing around with these new Siri voice controls, and honestly, everyone should give them a shot. It's such a small tweak, but it makes a real difference in how much you actually enjoy using Siri.