Apple announces feature allowing iPhone to “speak” in your voice after 15 minutes of training

2 years ago 2

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Apple has announced an upcoming new feature that will allow iPhones and iPads to learn and speak the natural voices of their users.

Personal Voice is one of several new accessibility-focused capabilities the US tech giant previewed on Tuesday.

Once available later this year, the feature will allow users to generate their Personal Voice by reading along with a randomised set of text prompts for 15 minutes.

Apple said the feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure.

It also supports integration with Live Speech — a feature that will let users have their typed text “spoken” out loud during phone or FaceTime calls.

While some might find the feature a novelty or amusing, Apple’s more commendable intention is to assist people with speech impairments.

Team Gleason board member Philip Green, who was diagnosed with the rare neurological disease ALS in 2018, said speaking to loved ones in a voice that sounded like you made all the difference in the world.

“Being able to create your synthetic voice on your iPhone in just 15 minutes is extraordinary,” Green added.

In addition to Personal Voice and Live Speech, another major upcoming accessibility feature is Assistive Access.

The feature uses design innovations to distil iOS and iPadOS apps and experiences to their core features to lighten users’ cognitive load.

For users with vision disabilities, Apple is adding Point and Speak for Detection Mode in Magnifier will make it easier for users with vision disabilities to interact with physical objects that have several text labels.

“For example, while using a household appliance — such as a microwave — Point and Speak combines input from the camera, the LiDAR Scanner, and on-device machine learning to announce the text on each button as users move their finger across the keypad,” Apple explained.

The screenshots below illustrate how some of the new features work.