Apple will stop Siri defaulting to a "male" or "female" voice, and instead give users the choice of how their voice assistant sounds.Until now, iPhones and other devices with Siri have defaulted to a certain voice. That varies depending on countries – in the US it is a higher-pitched, "female" voice, while in the UK it is a lower, "male" one – and people have been given the option to change it through the settings, but the choice has always been made on behalf of users. With a new update, users will be prompted to pick between the various different pitches and accents, and the new update includes new options to choose from. Apple said the decision had been made with a view to more diversity and being more inclusive, presumably to reflect criticism that defaulting to a "female" voice carried with it problematic assumptions about gender. "We're excited to introduce two new Siri voices for English speakers and the option for Siri users to select the voice they want when they set up their device," the company said in a statement.