Apple’s new Live Translation lets AirPods translate in real time during face-to-face chats and even phone calls. It rolled out mid-September alongside iOS 26 and Apple Intelligence, with language support starting small and expanding later in 2025.
Which AirPods support Live Translation
- AirPods Pro 3
- AirPods Pro 2
- AirPods 4 (ANC version only)
AirPods Max, older AirPods, and AirPods 4 without ANC aren’t supported right now.
What you need
- An iPhone 15 Pro or later running iOS 26
- Apple Intelligence turned on
- The Translate app installed
- Latest AirPods firmware
How it works in practice
Press and hold both stems, say “Siri, start Live Translation,” tap the Translate control in Control Center, or assign the Action button to Translate. You’ll hear the other person in your preferred language through your AirPods, then speak your reply; your iPhone can display a transcript or play your translated response aloud. If both people wear supported AirPods and have iPhones, each hears the conversation in their own language.
Languages at launch
English (US/UK), French (France), German (Germany), Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain). Apple says Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, and Italian are due later this year.
A note for EU readers
Apple currently withholds Live Translation on AirPods for EU-based accounts and devices located in the EU. If your Apple Account region is outside the EU, you can use it while traveling.
Core facts
- Release/version/build: iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence; AirPods firmware update; support doc dated September 17, 2025; feature announced September 9, 2025.
- Features/changes: Real-time two-way translation on AirPods; new “press both stems” gesture; works in person and on calls; ANC lowers the speaker’s voice to focus on translated audio.
- Availability/regions/devices: AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 (ANC); iPhone 15 Pro or later; iOS 26; Apple Intelligence on. EU availability restricted at launch.
- Price/requirements/rollout: Included with iOS 26 and AirPods firmware; language set starts with five, expands later in 2025; labeled beta.
- Source signal: per Apple support docs and newsroom materials.
Apple’s putting the heavy lifting on the iPhone, which lets recent AirPods jump into translation without new hardware. The early language set is narrow and the EU carve-out will frustrate travelers, but the on-call translation and stem-press trigger feel thoughtfully designed. If Apple widens language support and loosens region limits, this becomes a killer everyday feature.
