Apple announced that your iPhone or iPad will soon be able to replicate your voice within 15 minutes of training. The new feature, called Personal Voice, will be available with a software update coming later this year — thus, no need to download or buy any apps or programs to do it.
“At Apple, we’ve always believed that the best technology is technology built for everyone,” Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said in a blog post. “Today, we’re excited to share incredible new features that build on our long history of making technology accessible, so that everyone has the opportunity to create, communicate, and do what they love.”
Who was Apple’s Personal Voice created for?
The feature was created “for those who can no longer speak with the clarity or confidence they once did,” allowing them to “interact with the world, and the people in it, a little more easily,” The Washington Post reported.
It wasn’t clear on how exactly the technology will work, but more information about Apple tech rollouts typically come in the fall.
The feature is “part of a larger suite of accessibility improvements for iOS devices, including a new Assistive Access feature that helps users with cognitive disabilities, and their caretakers, more easily take advantage of iOS devices,” according to CNBC.
Will Apple’s Personal Voice be secure?
While some have expressed concerns about possible impersonations or scams, Apple wrote in a blog post that “this speech accessibility feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure.”