You can now customize Siri’s pace and expressivity in the latest iOS 27 beta

Apple has expanded Siri’s voice settings in the newest iOS 27 developer beta, giving testers earlier access to a feature aimed at making the assistant sound more tailored and lifelike. In beta 3, released today, the previously inactive controls for Pace and Expressivity are now available after earlier builds had marked them as “Coming soon.”

The change fits into Apple’s larger push to reshape Siri around generative AI and make interactions feel less robotic. As voice-based AI assistants become more central to everyday device use, giving people more control over how an assistant sounds has become an important part of the overall experience.

Apple is not alone in moving in this direction. Competing AI assistants, including ChatGPT, have also introduced deeper voice personalization. OpenAI, for example, previously added options that let users fine-tune qualities such as warmth and enthusiasm, alongside broader choices for tone and style. Those settings affect not just the sound of the assistant’s voice, but also the way it communicates information.

What’s changing in Siri’s voice settings

Apple first previewed these Siri customization tools during WWDC 26 in June. The idea is to go beyond the traditional choice of simply picking a voice that sounds more male or female.

With iOS 27 beta 3, testers can now select from multiple Siri voices with different accents and then further refine the experience using two sliders. One adjusts how fast or slow Siri speaks, while the other changes how expressive or emotionally natural the delivery feels.

To help users hear the difference in real time, Siri speaks sample phrases as settings are changed. One example Apple uses is a familiar message such as “You have one new message”, making it easier to compare pacing and vocal style before settling on a preference.

Siri’s broader role in iOS 27

These voice updates arrive as Apple positions the new AI-powered Siri as a more deeply embedded part of iOS 27. The assistant is designed to be accessed in several ways across the system, including by speaking directly, swiping down from the Dynamic Island to type, pressing the iPhone’s side button, or opening Apple’s new dedicated Siri app.

That broader integration signals how central Siri is becoming to Apple’s next phase of AI features, with the company aiming to make the assistant feel both more capable and more personal in day-to-day use.

Other beta 3 changes and early user reports

Beyond Siri, iOS 27 beta 3 also introduces a few smaller tweaks, including a refreshed icon for the Reminders app.

At the same time, some users on X have reported issues after updating. According to those posts, a number of testers appear to have temporarily lost access to the new Siri experience, while others noticed their iPhones beginning to re-index local data again. That process is typically associated with preparing Siri’s AI features for improved search and contextual functionality.

For now, the headline change in this beta is clear: Apple is finally turning on the long-promised controls that let users decide not just which Siri voice they want, but how that voice actually sounds.