Real-time translation for AirPods is now available in the European Union.
Science Desk, December 15 (EFE)
Real-time translation for AirPods is now available in the European Union with iOS 26.2, a feature that, according to Apple, makes face-to-face communication “easier” even if users don’t speak the same language.
It can be used in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional Mandarin), Japanese, and Korean, the company announced on Monday.
AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, paired with an iPhone running Apple Intelligence (Apple’s artificial intelligence) and updated to iOS 26.2, can use the Translate app to get live translations in these languages.
According to Apple, if both people are using AirPods with the feature enabled on their iPhones, “real-time translation offers a seamless experience.”
Active noise cancellation lowers the volume of the other user’s voice, making it easier to follow the translation while still speaking naturally.
In conversations where one person doesn’t have AirPods, users can display a real-time transcript of their conversation on their iPhone in the other person’s language.
“This useful feature, powered by advanced computational audio and Apple Intelligence, helps people communicate easily and hands-free, whether traveling abroad, collaborating at work or in class, or simply chatting with loved ones,” the company explains, adding that user privacy is also protected because the feature runs on the device.
On November 5th, Apple explained that this feature has been delayed in its availability to users in the European Union due to additional engineering work required to comply with the Digital Markets Regulation.
