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Who Is the Voice of Siri?
More than one voice have been used
By Jennifer Allen Jennifer Allen Writer Swansea University, Staffordshire University Jennifer Allen has been writing about technology since 2010. Her work has appeared in Mashable, TechRadar, and many more publications. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 25, 2021 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android When you're speaking to Apple's Siri and asking it questions, have you ever wondered who the voice of Siri is? We certainly have. It turns out the answer to that question isn't so simple. Even if you ask Siri itself, it'll tell you that it's a riddle designed in California. We've tracked down some information that will help you understand the voice behind Siri, however. Who Is Siri
Siri is Apple's voice assistant that works across all Apple devices, including Macs and iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads. It was first introduced in 2010 and integrated into the iPhone 4S. Although reports have emerged about who it might have been in the past, the voice's identity is a secret. Since iOS 11, Apple has used new voices and recorded several hours of speech, encompassing different personalities and expressions to make it sound more human and natural with its responses. While there was never any confirmation from Apple regarding the source of earlier voices, we knew from interviews with voiceover artists. Right now, there's no indication as to who the voices are at this time. What Does Siri Stand For
Siri stands for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface, but it also has some extra meaning. The name Siri in Norse means "beautiful woman who leads you to victory," while in Swahili, it means "secret." Having a few different meanings captures the spirit of Siri quite well, demonstrating how it's both speech interpretation and an attempt at a form of AI within your phone. What Happened to the Original Siri Voice
Susan Bennett, a voiceover artist and former backing singer for Roy Orbison and Burt Bacharach, is thought to be the original American voice of Siri. According to Bennett, she recorded the voice in 2005 without knowing that she would one day become a massively popular voice assistant. Apple has never confirmed the story but nor has it denied it. All we do know is that if Bennett was the voice of Siri, this ceased to be the case when Apple released iOS 7 in September 2013. The Guardian interviewed Jon Briggs, a former technology journalist who was the original British male voice. The first Australian voice was voiceover artist Karen Jacobsen. There's no information on their possible identities of other voices provided for other countries and regions. How Much Does Siri Get Paid
According to Bennett, she had no contract with Apple and no idea the company would use her recordings for Siri. That's because Siri was developed based on recording sessions she did with another company. Because she had no contract, that meant she didn't get paid by Apple directly for the work, although the original company would have paid her. Supposedly, she's not alone either, with Bennett believing that Apple didn't pay any of the original Siris for the usage. It's unknown if Apple pays the current Siri voices in any way. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use Siri on iPhone 12 How to Use Siri to Play Music How to Make Siri Mad How to Get Siri to Read Text on iOS and macOS What Is Siri and How Can Siri Help Me? How to Use Apple Watch With Siri How to Change Siri's Voice and Accent How to Show Battery Percentage on an iPhone XR How to Reset Siri Can You Get Siri for Android? The 8 Best Voice-to-Text Apps of 2022 Siri vs. Google: Which Assistant Fits Your Needs? Can You Change Siri's Name? No, But Here's What You Can Do How to Use Siri on iPhone 11 How to Use Siri on iPhone 13 Apple Watch Dictation Not Working? How to Fix the Problem Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies