A buttload of new iPhone 17 glass slabs and Apple Watches aren’t the only new products Apple is expected to debut at its annual fall launch next month. The latest iOS 26 developer beta 6 that just dropped yesterday has references for a real-time translation feature that will almost certainly be announced for AirPods. Basically, instead of pulling open the Google Translate or Apple Translate app on your phone, you could simply talk to a person normally, and the AirPods in your ears will be able to translate another language directly into your native tongue.
The Apple fanatics at 9to5Mac shared an image within the developer beta depicting AirPods with several different languages—specifically English, French, German, and Portuguese. These may be the first languages that the live translation feature for AirPods launches with. Typically, whenever Apple (and other tech companies) releases features with non-English language translation or support, the rollout is limited to a few languages, with more added at a later date.
9to5Mac says the live translation feature is confirmed for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. Older AirPods and potentially even AirPods Max may not be supported, but that’s up in the air until Apple makes any official announcement. We also don’t know if Apple will limit any live translation feature to the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C or the AirPods 4 with ANC, leaving the Lightning version for AirPods Pro 2 and the non-ANC model for AirPods 4 to eat dust.
Real-time translation in wireless earbuds is nothing new, but if Apple does announce such a feature in September, it would tout it as some kind of AI breakthrough. Google has had in-buds translation since the original wireless Pixel Buds. Remember those? The ones that came with a cable connecting the two buds together? Google’s latest Pixel Buds Pro and Pro 2 support live translation, though not the budget Buds A-series. Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro also have their own version of real-time translation. Each pair of wireless earbuds uses its own companion translation app, and Apple would, too, with AirPods.
The big difference between releasing a feature as useful as real-time translation on AirPods versus Pixel Buds or Galaxy Buds is sheer reach. AirPods are everywhere—dominating the “true wireless stereo” (TWS) space by a significant amount. According to technology market analyst research firm Canalys, Apple’s wireless earbuds and headphones (including its Beats products) commanded 23% of the global TWS market share as of Q1 2025, with Xiaomi in second place with 11.5%, Samsung in third place with 7%, Huawei grabbing 6%, and boAt taking in 5%. With so many Apple wireless earbuds and headphones out there in use, new features like translation could become mainstream faster just because of wider ownership.
Live Translation would expand on the same feature that Apple is launching within the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps with the latest “26” software updates. It would also mark one of the more practical AI features that users may actually find useful compared to the gimmicky Genmoji or Image Playground app. AI as a compelling reason to buy new hardware hasn’t exactly taken off yet. “AI PCs” emphasizing the usefulness of Microsoft’s Copilot or Pixel devices loaded with Gemini have largely been met with a collective “meh.” Maybe AI in earbuds will break through the tepid interest.
Don’t be surprised if Apple also announces new, more powerful AirPods (Pro 3?) to handle language processing. Translation would also make for easy marketing that tugs at the heartstrings for the holidays.
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