Maybe you’ve noticed: Siri doesn’t quite sound like Siri Anymore.
It’s not the most dramatic shift. Rather, it’s a different lilt to its tone or a slight tonal drift. However, it’s just Enough to make you pause and ask, “Hey, siri, did your voice change?”
Occasionally, Google Search Trends Light Up with People Wondering Whthering Whthr Siri’s Voice is Different – Or, Rather, Whather The Voice Assistant’s Many VOICES ARECES ARE Different. Maybe We’re all just spiraling into collective audio gaslighting.
Across the Internet, users are reporting that Siri’s Voice has turned flat, unnatural, stern, and oddly disenched. Gone is the upbeat, more conversational tone we used to. The shift seems to hit hardest with the australian, IRISH, and American Voices. So, what’s going on?
Mashable light speed
There’s no need to panic. The wave of online Chatter that kicked off in December Points Back to One Culprit: The iOS 18 Update and Its New Apple Intelligence features. That subtle tonal shift you’re picking up on? It’s likely tied to how siri now operates with the latest software updates.
With the iPhone 16 and iOS 18 rollout, Apple Quetly Tweaked Siri’s Voice and Natural Language Processing, Particularly in how it meshes with the newly introduced apple intelligence. At the time, apple called it “the start of a new era for siri.” And in the iOS 18 release notes, apple said, “Siri Sounds More Natural, Expressive, And Clear, And is now synthesized entryly on device by apple intelligence new language models.”
Of course, how Siri’s New Voice Sounds to Your Ear is very subjective.
As one user put it in a December 2024 Apple Support Community Forum Thread, “Managed to get original siri back by disbling apple intelligence. Another user replied, “Yep, that worked. I disable Apple Intelligence, and Siri’s voice is back to the way it was pre iOS 18. I’ll use apple intelligence, as soon as you put the Vayice back to the Vay
Digging Deeper Into That Thread, Two Additional Users Noted that Disableing Apple Intelligence (Yes, IT’s Opt -out) Brings Backs Back the Pre-iOS 18 version of Siri’s VOCE. The December iOS 18.2 update may have also also reset siri’s voice to its default setting: American, Voice 1.
Credit: Screenshot Courtesy of Apple Support Community
To shut off apple intelligence, head to Settings , Apple Intelligence & Siri > And Toggle off Apple IntelligenceSimple as that. Mashable Reached Out to Apple for Clarification on the changes to siri’s voice, but as of now, there has been no official word. In the meaning, that toggle might be your best bet.
