Apple is reportedly working on an in-person live translation option for AirPods that should arrive via an update to iOS 26 later this year or next year.
9to5Mac discovered an image in the latest iOS 26 beta depicting a pair of AirPods surrounded by the word “Hello” in various languages, including English, Portuguese, French and German, suggesting live translation for the AirPods is in the works.
The site discovered that you’ll activate the in-person live translate option by pressing both AirPod stems at once. The feature seems to be associated with the built-in Translate app. According to the publication, live translation will work on the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 while older models won’t support this feature.
iOS 26 will bring live translation to AirPods
MacRumors has confirmed the imagery in the file named “Translate” within the resources for the built-in Translate app in the sixth beta of iOS 26, so there’s your proof right there. It’s a safe bet to presume that live translation for AirPods will also be available in iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26.
Mark Gurman reported on Bloomberg ahead of the WWDC25 keynote that AirPods would get the option to translate in-person conversations. Apple didn’t mention real-world translation for AirPods during the WWDC25 keynote. iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 also bring live translation to the Phone, Messages and FaceTime apps to translate your phone conversations, chats and FaceTime calls.
The feature requires Apple Intelligence, so it only works on the iPhone 15 Pros and newer, iPads powered by the M1 chip or newer and Apple silicon Macs. Live translation for AirPods will likely require Apple Intelligence, as the feature doesn’t seem to run entirely on the Apple H2 chip powering the latest AirPods.
It’s also possible that in-person translation through AirPods will require one of the upcoming iPhone 17 models because translating real-world conversations requires a very low latency, without any noticeable delays.
Live translation in Phone, Messages and FaceTime
According to Apple, live translation in the Messages app is available in Chinese (Simplified), English (UK, US), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish (Spain) on a compatible iPhone, iPad or Mac, as well as on the Apple Watch Series 9 and later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 using an Apple Intelligence–compatible paired iPhone.
Live Translation in the Phone and FaceTime apps is available for one-to-one calls in English (UK, US), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish (Spain) on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, iPad or Mac.