With the new iOS 27 developer beta, Apple is offering testers an initial glimpse of one of the forthcoming enhancements to its AI-driven Siri: the capability to modify how swiftly and expressively the AI assistant communicates. In iOS 27 beta 3, released today, Apple has activated the voice control features for “Pace” and “Expressivity,” which were previously marked as “Coming soon” in earlier developer beta versions.
This update is part of Apple’s larger initiative to make Siri more natural and personalized, as it restructures the assistant around generative AI. Similar to ChatGPT and other voice AI assistants, allowing users to tailor how the AI sounds is crucial in bridging connections between people and the new technology.
Nevertheless, ChatGPT’s voice-customization features enable users to go even beyond that, as the option to modify the AI’s warmth and enthusiasm was introduced in December 2025, accompanied by options to set the underlying style and tone. This allows users to adjust OpenAI’s assistant to be more friendly, professional, candid, or quirky, among various styles. Such customization is evident not just in ChatGPT’s speech but also in how it conveys information to the user.
Firstly announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 26) in June, Siri’s voice controls enable users to tailor their Siri experience beyond merely selecting a male or female voice. Now beta testers can switch among a variety of voices with differing accents, and use sliders to alter the speed at which Siri speaks and the degree of human-like emotion conveyed in its voice.
As you make these adjustments, Siri will demonstrate saying some common phrases, such as “You have one new message,” allowing you to experience the differences in voice sounds.
The AI iteration of Siri is deeply embedded throughout the updated iOS, enabling iPhone users to initiate conversations either by speaking, swiping down from the Dynamic Island at the top of the display, typing, tapping the side button on the phone, or even utilizing the entirely new stand-alone Siri app.
Additional, less significant updates are also being released with iOS 27 beta 3, including a refreshed Reminders app icon. (It’s worth mentioning that some users on X are reporting issues with accessing the new Siri after the update, or noticing their phones reinitiating data indexing — typically, the initial step in refining Siri AI for search.)