iOS 26 made one of the iPhone’s wildest, most unique features even better
Did you know that your iPhone can repeat your voice, allowing you to enter text information spoken out loud in a voice that sounds an awful lot like you? The feature is called Personal Voice, and in iOS 26 it got even better.
Personal Voice allows you to save a digital version of your voice for future use
Earlier this week, YouTuber MKBHD reposted an old video he made after the launch of iOS 17. He highlighted the ‘Personal Voice’ feature that was new to the iPhone at the time.
His video reminded me that Personal Voice got a big upgrade in iOS 26.
For Apple’s official list of all the new features of iOS 26:
Creating a Personal Voice
For users at risk of losing their ability to speak, Personal Voice uses on-device intelligence to create a smooth, highly natural-sounding voice in less than a minute, using only 10 recorded phrases.
Personal Voice is an accessibility feature that you can find within Settings ⇾ Accessibility ⇾ Personal Voice. It’s aimed at users who are at risk of losing their voice, but its versatility makes it fun to play with no matter who you are.
In iOS 17, Personal Voice was the biggest problem to set up. As you can see in the MKBHD video below, it used to be a 15-minute process that required you to read 150 text commands out loud.
But with iOS 26, Personal Voice is easier to set up and sounds better too.
iOS 26 improves Personal Voice in two main ways
In iOS 26, the first personal voice setting is greatly improved. Now you only need to read 10 prompts, not 150. This makes the whole process take no more than a minute or two.
The improvements don’t stop at the setup though. The original feature works better than ever too.
As Apple’s release notes say, Personal Voice is now “softer” and “more natural sounding” than before.
Apple says this is due to “intelligence in the device.” If you look at the embedded footnote, however, it reveals that Apple Intelligence is to thank. Advanced Personal Voice requires an iPhone with AI support.
Once your Personal Voice is set up, you can use it in several ways. According to apple:
- You can choose your personal Voice as the voice to use in built-in features like Live Speech, Read & Speak, and VoiceOver. Each of these is configurable in your device’s accessibility settings.
- You can also allow third-party apps, such as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps, to request your personal voice. They can use your Personal Voice to speak out loud through your device’s speaker or during calls, but they can’t capture speech in Personal Voice.
The fastest way to start using Personal Voice is after setting up with Live Speech. Open Settings ⇾ Accessibility ⇾ Live Talk, turn on Live Talk, and then triple-click the iPhone’s Side Button to enter your text message.
Note: Personal Voice is currently supported in: English (United States), Spanish (Mexico), and Chinese (Mandarin – China mainland).
Have you tried Personal Voice in iOS 26? How did it work for you? Let us know in the comments.
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