AirPods Pro and AirPods 4: Live Translation Coming to Europe

With the AirPods Pro 3 and iOS 26, Apple had introduced a function called Live Translation, which translates spoken language in real-time. Users in the European Union have so far been denied this function – Apple justifies this with increased development effort to comply with the provisions of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU. This will change in December: Apple will then make Live Translation available in the EU as well.

Adjustments for the EU

With Live Translation, the headphones pick up what the other person is saying and play it back in the wearer's language. The actual speech processing does not take place on the AirPods, but on the paired iPhone with iOS 26. The translation also appears as a transcription on the iPhone display. This also helps the other person, who may not own an iPhone, to communicate. Currently, Chinese, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish are supported.

When activated, users download the desired language models once, after which the translation is performed entirely locally. The iPhone therefore does not require an internet connection. This is how Apple wants to ensure greater privacy and prevent data leakage. Apple notes in the settings that it is a beta. The company is therefore still constantly revising the function.

In the past, Apple had emphasized that Live Translation should come to the EU soon. The company justifies the delay with "considerable additional development effort" that Apple wants to undertake to meet the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) of the EU Commission to meet interoperability.

For example, the interface for audio routing had to be revised for the EU so that third-party apps and devices can also handle multiple audio paths in the same way as the Live Translation function is allowed to. This is intended to ensure that other manufacturers do not have disadvantages compared to Apple's own function. With its interpretation of the DMA, the company also wants to ensure that security and data protection are not compromised.

Update coming in December

While Live Translation generally works the same everywhere in the world, the adjustments mean that EU iPhones require an iOS software update. Apple plans to release this for end customers next month. An additional firmware update for the AirPods, on the other hand, should not be necessary. Developers participating in Apple's beta software program can test Live Translation from November 4th via Apple's Developer Program. A public beta is expected to follow shortly. Users were able to activate Live Translation in this country via a workaround, but this required a US Apple account.

Live Translation works with AirPods models equipped with Apple's H2 chip. In addition to the AirPods Pro 3 introduced in 2025, these also include the AirPods Pro 2 with Lightning or USB-C and the AirPods 4 with ANC. The Powerbeats Pro 2 from Apple's subsidiary Beats will not receive Live Translation, even though they are equipped with the H2 chip. Other headphones, like the AirPods Max, have to forgo the function due to their older chips. Live Translation is also only available on iPhones that support Apple Intelligence. Currently, these include the iPhone 15 Pro (Max), the 16e, as well as all iPhones in the 16 and 17 series. There is no Live Translation with AirPods on Macs or iPads. Apple has also integrated Live Translation into the video chat app FaceTime, the phone app, or the Messages app.

(hze)