Apple’s Siri Pace and Expressivity Sliders Land in iOS 27 Beta 3

Apple enabled Siri’s voice customization in iOS 27 beta 3 on July 6, 2026, giving testers two new sliders that control how fast the AI assistant speaks and how much human-like emotion its voice carries. The Pace and Expressivity controls had been labeled “Coming soon” in earlier developer betas and went live for the first time in the third build. TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez reported the change the same day.

The feature is Apple’s answer to a category ChatGPT has been shaping since December 2025, when OpenAI shipped warmth and enthusiasm toggles alongside base style presets like Friendly, Professional, Candid, and Quirky. Apple’s two sliders cover a narrower slice of the same space.

What Just Landed in iOS 27 Beta 3

Apple pushed iOS 27 beta 3 to developers on Monday, July 6, 2026. The build flips on two Siri voice controls that had been sitting dormant in earlier betas under a “Coming soon” label. TechCrunch flagged the change the same day.

The two controls, Pace and Expressivity, are sliders that adjust how quickly Siri speaks and how much human-like emotion its voice carries. They sit inside the Siri AI settings on supported iPhones and iPads, reachable from the new standalone Siri app Apple introduced at WWDC 26 in June. As testers drag each slider, Siri practices saying common phrases like “You have one new message” so users can hear the difference. The build is the third developer beta of iOS 27 and follows two earlier releases that left the sliders disabled.

Tuning Siri’s Voice with Pace and Expressivity

Pace shifts the tempo of Siri’s voice up or down, slow and deliberate at one end, faster at the other. Expressivity changes how much emotion the assistant pours into the same words, ranging from flat and neutral to more theatrical delivery.

The two sliders are independent, so users can hold the pace fast and the tone calm, or stretch the speech out and crank up the emotion. TechCrunch frames the controls as Apple’s way of letting testers tune the voice until it feels right, the same approach OpenAI has taken with its voice sliders. Apple did not list the new sliders in its iOS 27 beta 3 release notes, a gap that has prompted follow-on coverage from 9to5Mac and Gadgets 360.

The sliders sit inside the Siri AI settings menu, reachable from the standalone Siri app that ships with iOS 27. They also appear to shape how Siri narrates within Maps and Safari, per Gadgets 360. As testers drag each slider, Siri practices a few common phrases out loud so the change is audible in real time. The controls preview the kind of personalization Apple first showed at WWDC 26 in June, when the company’s WWDC keynote positioned Siri’s voice overhaul as part of its broader AI push.

• Siri AI settings menu (Pace and Expressivity sliders)
• Standalone Siri app on supported devices
• Maps, within Siri narration
• Safari, within Siri narration

Siri’s Voice Controls Stacked Against ChatGPT

Apple’s two sliders cover a small slice of a category ChatGPT has been filling out since late 2025. According to TechCrunch, ChatGPT lets users adjust warmth and enthusiasm in addition to choosing from a base style like Friendly, Professional, Candid, or Quirky, among others. That gives OpenAI’s assistant at least four levers for voice alone, against Apple’s two.

The contrast sharpens once the rest of ChatGPT’s customization comes into view. OpenAI’s settings let users shape how ChatGPT structures its answers too, including the use of headers, lists, and emoji frequency, not just how the assistant speaks. Apple has shown no equivalent for text formatting inside Siri. Per TechCrunch’s reporting, ChatGPT’s changes affect “how ChatGPT speaks, but also in how it presents information to the user,” while Apple’s Pace and Expressivity only touch speech. Both companies frame voice customization as a way to help users connect with the new technology, but OpenAI shipped its levers first.

The timing gap matters. ChatGPT shipped warmth and enthusiasm as separate toggles in December 2025, alongside its existing style presets. Apple previewed Pace and Expressivity at WWDC 26 in June 2026 and enabled them in iOS 27 beta 3 on July 6, 2026, roughly half a year behind OpenAI’s equivalent controls. OpenAI has continued to expand its personality toolkit through 2026, per multiple trackers of ChatGPT settings changes. Apple has yet to announce any Siri personality presets that would compete with ChatGPT’s Friendly or Candid modes.

The Hardware Gate Behind Siri AI

The Pace and Expressivity sliders only land on hardware Apple deems capable of running the new Siri AI. That list begins with iPhone 16 models or later, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, per Apple’s June 8, 2026 newsroom release. The full roster runs deeper than that, covering iPad mini with the A17 Pro, any iPad with M1 or later, MacBook Neo with the A18 Pro, Mac with M1 or later, Apple Vision Pro, Apple Watch Series 9 or later, Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, and Apple Watch SE 3 when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. Inside that group, the most advanced on-device model that powers the new expressive voices is restricted further still, to iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPad (M4) or later with at least 12GB of unified memory, Mac (M3) or later with at least 12GB, and Apple Vision Pro (M5). Older iPhones and iPads get none of the new voice work, regardless of which iOS build they install.

Region is another gate. Apple told WWDC 26 attendees that Siri AI will not ship to the European Union at launch, after the Commission asked for changes that Apple said would compromise user privacy. China is also absent from the launch list while Apple works through regulatory requirements.

• Supported iPhones at launch: iPhone 16 or later, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max
• Expressive voice models limited to: iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, M4 iPad, M3 Mac, M5 Vision Pro
• Memory floor for expressive voices: at least 12GB of unified memory on iPad and Mac
• Siri AI launch languages: English only, with more languages promised
• Siri AI launch regions: excludes the European Union and China at launch

Beta 3 Is Already Showing Its Own Rough Edges

iOS 27 beta 3 has not been a smooth ride for every tester. TechCrunch notes that some users have reported losing access to the new Siri after installing the build, a regression that pulls the assistant offline just as Apple tries to expand its reach. Others have seen their phones re-enter a data-indexing step that Apple describes as the first move in optimizing Siri AI for search. The status text inside Settings reportedly reads “Optimizing Search and Siri” while the indexing runs.

Beta software routinely breaks, and Apple’s release notes for iOS 27 beta 3 list a separate Siri bug for CarPlay, where the assistant responds “notably slower than expected” under high device temperatures and poor network conditions. Apple has published workarounds for the issues it has identified. The company did not include a release note covering the new Pace and Expressivity sliders themselves, a gap some coverage has flagged.

The minor Reminders app icon update that ships with iOS 27 beta 3 has drawn more coverage than the voice controls in some places. Camera users also reportedly need to switch to the revamped Siri to use Siri Mode in Camera, a small friction point for early adopters.

Apple’s Voice Push From WWDC 26 to Beta 3

Apple introduced the rebuilt Siri at WWDC 26 in June, marketing it as a more conversational and context-aware assistant built on a new generation of Apple Intelligence. The keynote included a dedicated Siri app for revisiting conversations and a slate of voice improvements that executives framed as the first major Siri overhaul in years. Voice customization was part of the package from the start, with Pace and Expressivity specifically singled out as features users could adjust until the voice felt right. The feature shipped to developers as part of iOS 27 beta 3 in early July, days after the WWDC keynote.

Siri AI can help users find what they need in the moment, from answering questions from the web on virtually any topic, to surfacing relevant information from a user’s personal messages, emails, photos, and more.

That phrasing comes from Apple’s June 8, 2026 Siri AI press release from WWDC 26. It captures how Apple wants users to think about the assistant, less as a voice on a phone and more as a personal concierge across the company’s platforms.

Underneath the new Siri sits an unusual architecture. Apple confirmed at WWDC 26 that its foundation models are being blended with Google Gemini to create the new heart of Apple Intelligence, per coverage from Sixcolors. Siri AI processes requests on-device when it can, with the rest handled through Private Cloud Compute, and Apple says user interactions stay private even from the company itself. The voice work is one visible piece of a broader package that includes Visual Intelligence inside the Camera app, AI-powered writing tools, and a contextual search bar that expands from the iPhone’s Dynamic Island. Pace and Expressivity are the controls users will actually touch, while the broader Siri AI rebuild includes more pieces that surfaced in Siri in iOS 27 and the Google Gemini catch. On the regulatory side, Apple has not set a timeline for Apple’s Siri AI delay in the EU, with the EU launch still unresolved as of the beta 3 release.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change Siri’s pace and expressivity in iOS 27 beta 3?

Open the standalone Siri app on a supported device running iOS 27 beta 3. Inside the Siri AI settings menu, drag the Pace slider to change how fast Siri speaks and the Expressivity slider to change how much emotion the voice carries.

Which iPhones support the new Siri voice controls?

The full Siri AI rollout requires an iPhone 16 or later, an iPhone 15 Pro, or an iPhone 15 Pro Max, per Apple’s June 8, 2026 newsroom release. The expressive voice model itself, including Pace and Expressivity, is restricted further to iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and similar recent iPads and Macs with at least 12GB of RAM. Older iPhones, including the base iPhone 15 and earlier, do not get the new voice work.

Will Siri AI be available in the EU?

Not at launch. Apple told WWDC 26 attendees that Siri AI will not ship to the European Union alongside the rest of iOS 27 this fall, citing EU demands that Apple says would compromise user privacy. The company has not published a timeline for EU availability.

Can Siri sound warmer or more enthusiastic like ChatGPT?

Siri’s Expressivity slider shifts how much emotion lands in the assistant’s voice, which gets partway to ChatGPT’s warmth and enthusiasm controls. ChatGPT separates warmth and enthusiasm into two independent toggles, an option Apple has not matched. ChatGPT also offers base style presets including Friendly, Professional, Candid, and Quirky, while Siri currently offers different accents and male or female voices instead.

When will the final iOS 27 release ship?

Apple previewed iOS 27 at WWDC 26 in June 2026. Public betas are scheduled for July 2026, per coverage of the keynote. The full release is expected in the fall, alongside Apple’s usual iPhone launch window.