During Apple’s September event, Apple introduced Live Translate for AirPods, allowing users to translate languages in real-time and converse hands-free with other AirPods users. The company has now broadened the feature’s support with the release of iOS 26.2.
Initially, Live Translation was limited to regions outside the European Union (EU). With the latest iOS 26.2 update, users within the EU can also utilize this functionality with their AirPods.
The Live Translation feature currently supports various languages, including English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional Mandarin), Japanese, and Korean.
While the Live Translation feature is accessible in India, it does not yet accommodate Indian languages, even after the iOS 26.2 update. Apple has not specified a timeline for the addition of Indian languages.
Live Translation functions by capturing the speaker’s voice and translating it into the preferred language in real-time through AirPods. If the speaker also uses AirPods supporting Live Translation, your responses will be translated into their chosen language. In the absence of the other party’s AirPods, you can display the translation of your message via your iPhone.
The feature is compatible with AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4 with ANC. Users need an iPhone 15 Pro or later, running on iOS 26 or higher. Additionally, downloading the Translate app and enabling Apple Intelligence is necessary. Users should download the desired languages before utilizing Live Translation, such as downloading Spanish before a trip to Spain.