Apple introduces voice accessibility: you can use your iPhone to keep your own voice

IT Home reported on December 1 that Apple issued a press release today to introduce the two new auxiliary features of "real-time voice" and "personal voice" from the perspective of Tristram Ingham, a physician and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.

Real-time voice is another language accessibility feature introduced by Apple this fall that helps users type what they want to say and say it out loud with their personal voice or built-in voice. Users with physical, mobility, and speech impairments can combine real-time voice with features such as switch control and assistive touch to communicate in the most natural and comfortable way.

Note: Personal Voice is a new feature introduced by Apple in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma this fall.

Users at risk of aphasia can use the Personal Voice feature to record 15 minutes of audio following a series of text prompts to create a voice similar to their voice. Apple has long been a leader in neural text-to-speech technology. With Personal Voice, Apple is able to train neural networks entirely on the device, improving language accessibility while protecting user privacy.

Ingham created his personal voice for Apple's Lost Voices, using his iPhone to read aloud a new children's book of the same name for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. When he first tried this feature, Ingham was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to create his own voice, and that the effect sounded very similar to his.

Sarah Herrlinger, Apple's senior director for global accessibility policy and action, said:

At Apple, we design products for everyone, including people with disabilities.

Communication is an important part of human life, and we are committed to supporting users with aphasia and those at risk of aphasia.