Imagine losing the ability to speak and communicate with your loved ones. It sounds scary, right? What if you could preserve your unique voice and continue expressing yourself, even when speaking becomes challenging?
Apple’s Personal Voice and Live Speech features are groundbreaking accessibility tools designed to do exactly that. These innovative technologies allow you to create a synthesized voice that sounds just like you, giving individuals at risk of losing their speech a powerful way to maintain their personal communication style. Whether you’re dealing with a progressive medical condition, recovering from an injury, or simply want a backup communication method, Personal Voice and Live Speech offer an incredible solution.
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How does Personal Voice work?
Personal Voice lets you create a digital version of your own voice by recording a series of phrases. Here’s how it works:
- Personalized voice synthesis: Record your voice using your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
- Privacy-focused: Voices are encrypted and stored securely on your device
- Compatibility: Works across Apple devices running iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS Sonoma or later
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Setting up Personal Voice
Personal Voice allows you to create a synthesized voice that sounds like your own. But first, ensure you have a compatible device running iOS 17, iPadOS 17, or macOS Sonoma or later. Choose a quiet room with minimal echo or background noise. You can pause and resume the recording session as needed. Now, here’s how to set it up:
On iPhone or iPad:
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- Open the Settings app
- Go to Accessibility
- Click Personal Voice
- Tap “Create a Personal Voice”
- Authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode.
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- Click Continue
- Click the record button at the bottom of the screen
- Follow the on-screen instructions, which require you to “Read the Phrase” on the screen to record 150 randomly chosen phrases
- It will tell you once you are done recording. Then click Continue
On Mac:
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- Go to Apple menu
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- Click System Settings
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- Then, select Accessibility
- Click Personal Voice on the left of the screen
- Then, click “Create a Personal Voice”
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- Authenticate using Touch ID, or your device passcode.
- Then tap, Continue, and then Continue again.
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- Click Continue one more time.
- Click “Continue with Default Phrases”
- Click the record button at the bottom of the screen to check the sound quality.
- Then tap Done.
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- Follow the on-screen instructions, which require you to “Read the Phrase” on the screen to record 150 randomly chosen phrases. In this example, you’d say, “Does he know how to speak Spanish?”.
- Make sure it’s set to Continuous recording so that you can go from reading one phrase to the next without stopping.
- It will tell you once you are done recording. Then click Continue.
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Note: The device will generate your personal voice after you complete the 150-phrase recording process, which typically takes a few hours to days to fully process. It will process your speech securely on your device overnight while it is charging and connected to Wi-Fi. You can create multiple voices on each device, and the voice generation occurs only when your device is locked and charging.
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Using Live Speech
Live Speech allows you to type what you want to say and have it spoken aloud using your Personal Voice or other system voices. Here’s how to set it up and use Live Speech:
On iPhone/iPad:
- Click Settings
- Tap Accessibility
- Click Live Speech
- Toggle on Live Speech
On Mac:
- Tap Apple menu
- Click System Settings
- Select Accessibility
- Click Live Speech
On Apple Watch:
- Go to the Settings app
- Tap Accessibility
- Click Live Speech
- Toggle on Live Speech
- Then scroll down and select a voice to use, including your created Personal Voice if available.
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How to use Live Speech
On iPhone/iPad:
- Triple-click the side or top button.
- Tap “Live Speech.”
- Type your message.
- Tap “Send” to have it spoken aloud.
On Mac:
- Click the Type to Speak text field in the Live Speech window
- Type your message
- Tap the play button to have it spoken aloud
On Apple Watch:
- Triple-click the Digital Crown.
- Tap Live Speech
- Tap where it says “Type to Speak”
- Type your message using the letters below it
- Tap “Send” to have it spoken aloud.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Personal Voice and Live Speech provide a means of communication for those who may lose their ability to speak and offer a deeply personal touch by allowing users to maintain their own voice. The ability to use these features across multiple Apple devices ensures continuity and accessibility in various situations, from phone calls to in-person conversations. It’s important to note that Apple has designed these features with privacy and security in mind. Personal Voice data is encrypted and stored securely on the device, and when shared across devices, it uses end-to-end encryption in iCloud.
Can you share a personal experience where advanced accessibility tools made a significant difference in your or someone else’s life? Let us know in the comments below.
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