Siri has got a new, less gendered voice

(AFP via Getty Images)

Siri has been given a new, less gendered voice, Apple has announced.

The upcoming iOS 15.4 update brings a fifth US voice, which is intended to be less male- or female-sounding.

That voice was recorded by a “member of the LGBTQ+ community”, Apple told Axios, which first reported the news. It did not give any more information about that person’s identity.

It comes shortly after Apple required that users choose which gender of voice they would prefer for the assistant when they set up their phone.

Before, Apple selected the gender of the voice – depending on countries – in a decision that some argued included unfair assumptions about those genders. In the US, the voice assistant had always defaulted to a female voice.

The new voice is named only “number 5”, in the settings. But a developer, Steve Moser, found files that seemed to indicate the voice is known as “Quinn”, at least internally.

Mr Moser also shared an example of the voice, as it guides a user through that choice.

“We’re excited to introduce a new Siri voice for English speakers, giving users more options to choose a voice that speaks to them,” Apple said in a statement to Axios.

“Millions of people around the world rely on Siri every day to help get things done, so we work to make the experience feel as personalized as possible.”