By Chinua Albert Okafor @TheRoboRai
For its Siri voice assistant, iOS 15.4 adds a fifth American voice in the latest beta. Despite the user-facing interface referring to the new voice as "Voice 5," iOS developer Steve Moser points out that this version is called Quinn.
The voice arrived a year and a half after Apple added its last two American Siri voices, and after the company discontinued defaulting to female voices.
Axios notes that the new voice sounds more gender-neutral than earlier Siri voices. A spokesperson for Apple confirmed to the publication that it was recorded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, though the company did not provide any other details about the voice actor. As part of Apple's "unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion," Black actors recorded last year's voices. “We’re excited to introduce a new Siri voice for English speakers, giving users more options to choose a voice that speaks to them,” “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.”The latest beta of iOS 15.4 also includes a new anti-stalking privacy notice when setting up AirTags.
