Terrifying new iPhone feature can clone your voice

A terrifying new iPhone feature can clone your voice, with many people saying they find the idea ‘creepy as hell’.

Earlier this year, Apple announced it was planning to roll out a new feature on iPhone and iPad devices that would allow users to clone their voices.

The service, which is called Personal Voice, sees users create a synthesised voice that supposedly sounds just like them.

They simply read through text prompts to generate 15 minutes’ worth of audio that can serve as a sample from which to base the new cloned voice on.

It is available now as part of the public beta for iOS 17, the next software update for Apple that is officially due out in September.

Apple

A press release from Apple in May outlined how it would work, while also announcing a new Live Speech function allowing users to type out what they want to say so that it can be spoken out loud by the device – a function the company said was designed to ‘support millions of people globally who are unable to speak or who have lost their speech over time’.

The press release explained: “Users can create a Personal Voice by reading along with a randomized set of text prompts to record 15 minutes of audio on iPhone or iPad.

“This speech accessibility feature uses on-device machine learning to keep users’ information private and secure, and integrates seamlessly with Live Speech so users can speak with their Personal Voice when connecting with loved ones.”

It also said Personal Voice was a 'simple and secure way' for users to create a voice that sounds like them if they are at risk of losing their ability to speak, such as those 'with a recent diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other conditions that can progressively impact speaking ability'.

Apple CEO Tim Cook added in a statement: “At Apple, we’ve always believed that the best technology is technology built for everyone.

“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.”

Apple

Responding to the news on Twitter, one person wrote: “That’s creepy lol.”

Someone else agreed: “Creepy as hell.”

But many people are already into the idea, with some having even managed to give it a go for themselves.

“Apple’s new Personal Voice thing is pretty cool,” one said.

“Robot me sounds ok, but I did the recordings at 6am hence my monotone dying sonorifics.”

Someone else said: “Personal Voice by @Apple looks interesting. It’s an accessibility tool which allows people to ‘store’ their voice. You then type out text which your iPhone then produces a text to speech response that uses ‘your voice’. A great tool for those that may have issues speaking.”