Live translation feature coming to Apple AirPods? Here’s what rumours suggest

Airpods

Apple might soon make its AirPods even smarter with a new in-person Live Translation feature. Clues about the update were spotted in the latest iOS 26 beta, where an image shows AirPods alongside the word “Hello” in multiple languages. The file is named “Translate,” hinting that the feature could be activated with a simple double press.

The image was first reported by 9to5Mac and appears inside the Translate app files in iOS 26 beta 6. This lines up with an earlier report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who had said Apple was working on a tool to translate real-world conversations through AirPods.

Currently, iOS 26 already supports Live Translation in the Phone app, Messages, and FaceTime. Extending this to AirPods would allow users to talk to someone in another language face-to-face and hear translations directly in their ears.

According to the leaked image, the feature will be supported on AirPods Pro 2 and the upcoming AirPods 4. However, there’s a catch — most of Apple’s existing translation tools rely on Apple Intelligence, so you might need an iPhone that supports the company’s new AI features to use it.

It’s not yet clear whether Live Translation for AirPods will launch with the first public release of iOS 26 or arrive in a later update, but the signs suggest it’s coming sooner rather than later.

If this becomes official, it could make AirPods a handy travel companion — imagine being able to walk around a foreign city and talk to locals without a language barrier, all with just your earbuds in.