Siri, Apple's sophisticated artificial intelligence system, has evolved into a crucial component present in various Apple devices since its introduction in 2011. It is found on a plethora of products, including the iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, Mac, and iPod, and its integration into upcoming Apple inventions is a strong possibility. A unique set of users appreciate personalization and would like the option to change Siri's name or voice. Keep reading to find out more!
Similar to its voice assistant rival from Amazon and Google, Siri can be awakened by simply uttering wake words. In her case … “Hey, Siri.”
Can you change Siri's name?
Unfortunately No, it's not possible to change Siri's name. However you can change the gender of Siri's voice to male, give her a British, South African, Irish, Indian or Australian accent. She can even speak to you in a different language!
How can I change Siri to have a male voice?
Apple Homepod
The Homepod is Apple’s answer to the Amazon Echo; a smart speaker to assist you within your home environment. Siri is your means of communicating with Homepod and she comes with some default preferences.
For instance, it has its gender, language, and accent. However, users can change these preferences anytime they wish. They can change Siri’s female voice to a male one. The steps to do so are very simple.
- Launch the Home app.
- Locate the HomePod option from your Favorite Accessories list.
- Press and hold the HomePod you wish to make changes to.
- Scroll down until you see the Details option, tap on it.
- Scroll down until you see the Siri tab. From here you can change Siri’s language and access Siri’s voice menu.
- Tap on the Siri Voice option.
- Select the gender and accent you want your Siri to have.
- Once done, exit the app.
Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod
If users change the gender for Siri on their iPhone, iPad, or iPod, it will change on all connected devices as well. For instance, if they have connected their Apple Watch with their iPhone, and they change the default gender for Siri there, the changes will also be updated on their Apple Watch.
- Take out your device and navigate to Settings >> Siri & Search.
- Select the Siri voice option.
- From there, pick the voice and accent you want your Siri to have.
- You will find American, Australian, Irish, British, and South African accents among others.
- To make sure the accent has been changed to your preference, tap on the Accent or Gender option.
- Siri will now say “I’m Siri, your virtual assistant.”
- Exit the settings if you are happy with the newly set accent for Siri.
Apple macOS
Users can easily change the gender for Siri on their Mac OS. Before they do so, know the gender, as well as the dialect, depend on the language they’re changed into. Sadly, some languages only have one gender version. However, Apple users who wish to continue using the English language have both the male and female gender options available to them.
- Make sure you are running Mac OS Sierra, or later.
- Navigate to Apple Menu >> System Preferences >> Siri.
- From here you can change the voice and language for your Siri.
- Tap on the Language option and select the one you prefer.
- Once you change your Language preference, Siri will use it when responding to requests.
- Tap on the Siri Voice option.
- From here you can change the gender and accent/dialect you want you Siri to have.
Apple Watch
Siri is a big part of every Apple user’s life. Although at the beginning stages, it only offered a handful of features, it has now incorporated many advanced ones. For example, if you are using watchOS 6 or above, you can ask Siri to identify a song just by listening to it and find a Shazam result. If you want to change the female voice to male for your Apple Watch, you will have to do it from your iPhone.
- Make sure you are using Apple Watch Series 3 or later.
- Now navigate to Settings >> General >> Siri.
- From here you can enable/disable Siri spoken responses, toggle on/off Siri silence mode, among others.
- From the Siri Speaks Responses section, toggle on the Always On option to make Siri always read out responses even when your Apple Watch is on Silent Mode.
- Keep this option off if you want Siri to only display notifications and responses when your Apple Watch is on Silent Mode.
- Select the Headphones Only option to make Siri on your Apple Watch speak out responses only when your Apple Watch is connected to headphones.
How can I make Siri speak with an British, South African, Irish, Indian or Australian accent?
Apple Homepod
The accent is a big issue for many Apple users. For instance, not everyone is accustomed to people talking in a British accent. Similarly, some might find the Australian accent hard to understand. If you are one of them and want to change the default accent for your Siri, you can do it in less than a minute.
- Take out your phone.
- Launch the Home app.
- Find the HomePod option from your Favorites List.
- If you have multiple HomePods, press and hold the one you wish to make changes to.
- Scroll down and tap on the Details option.
- Scroll down to the Siri Tab.
- From here you can change both accent and language for your Siri.
- To change Siri’s accent, tap on Siri Voice and choose an accent. Pick your preferred one and exit the window.
Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod
Before you change the default accent on Siri to something you prefer, make sure your Siri supports that accent for the language you prefer. For instance, if your default language is English, you can set Siri to American, Australian, or British accent. However, if you set a different language other than English for your Siri, you might face some limitations in terms of available accents/dialects.
- From your device navigate to Settings >> Siri & Search.
- Scroll down until you see the Siri Voice option.
- From the Dialect section, you can change the default accent to your preferred one.
Apple macOS
To ensure enhanced user experience, Siri supports different languages as well as male/female voices. Moreover, it also supports many popular dialects/accents for your preferred language. For instance, for English, French, and Spanish, Siri offers different dialects. Before you go ahead and change the dialect on Siri, make sure that dialect is supported.
- You have to be using Mac OS Sierra or later versions.
- From your device navigate to Apple Menu >> System Preferences >> Siri.
- To change the dialect, scroll down until you see the Dialect section.
- Pick your preferred accent.
- Exit Settings.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch is probably one of the most popular wearable gadgets on the market. Making a call, downloading an app, listening to the news, syncing your music library, setting up heart rate alerts, and so on, these can all be done with this watch. It only takes a minute to change Siri’s default accent..
- Your Apple Watch will speak in the same dialect that is set on your iPhone.
- To change the accent on your Apple Watch, take out your iPhone.
- Navigate to Settings >> Siri & Search.
- Scroll down to the Siri Voice section.
- From the Dialect area, you can change the default accent to your preferred one.
Voice Commands on all Apple devices have made our lives simpler. The core idea behind all voice assistants is to let users engage with their smart devices in their natural language. And Siri is no exception.
Can I change what Siri calls me?
To ensure enhanced user experience, Apple lets its uses decide what name Siri will call them by. Users can stick to their real names or have fun by using an alias of a fictional name e.g. Tyler Durden.
- From your device launch the Settings app.
- Select the Mail, Contacts, and Calendars option.
- Scroll down until you see the My Info option, tap on it.
- From there you can create your personal contact information.
- Siri will now use the name listed on your Personal Contact information.
- You can also use voice command to change the name Siri calls you by.
- Press and hold the Home button.
- Simply say “From now on, call me John Snow.” Exit the window after Siri confirms your new name.
How to stop Siri mispronouncing your name!
Many people have complained about Siri mispronouncing their names, so that does question how smart Siri is for some.
However, know that even humans face trouble pronouncing names from completely different regions than their native country. For instance, if you have lived all your life in America and suddenly decide one day to visit an Asian country, the very first problem you will face is pronouncing people’s names.
Unlike humans, Siri can be easily taught how to pronounce your name properly!
- From your device open the Mail, Contacts, and Calendars app.
- Pick the contact that you wish to fix pronunciation for.
- Tap on the Edit button.
- Tap on the Add Field option.
- You will be shown three options among others that will help you fix the pronunciation issue.
- Select the “Phonetic First Name” if you wish to fix pronunciation for the first name.
- Select the “Phonetic Middle Name” if you wish to fix pronunciation for the middle name.
- Select the “Phonetic Last Name” if you wish to fix pronunciation for the last name.
Conclusion
Siri is a popular voice assistant. If you use it daily, you can benefit from the step-by-step guides listed above. Starting from changing Siri's default language, altering its voice, and making it speak in a different accent/dialect, these guides will help you increase the efficiency in which you interact with Siri.