Apple AirPods to reportedly get live translation feature soon

Apple continues to improve its highest selling Airpods while adding new features and capabilities to these wireless earbuds. The Cupertino-based tech giant is currently working on a technology that allows AirPods users to live-translate an in-person conversation from one language to another.

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is likely to introduce live translation capabilities to the AirPods through a future software update, which is said to be tied to iOS 19, and expected to be demoed at the upcoming WWDC 2025.

Apple intends to release the new feature “as part of an AirPods software upgrade due later this year.” The feature will also likely coincide with the release of iOS 19.

The feature would work mostly through an app on the iPhone. For instance, if an English speaker was talking to a Spanish speaker, the phone would listen to the Spanish speaker, translate, and send the translation to the AirPods. The phone would then listen for the English speaker’s response, translate it, and play it out loud over the iPhone.

This is similar to how other companies do it. Google’s Pixel Buds have used a similar method for several years now, and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds lineup received the feature in 2024. Both competitors also use the method of translating over the phone and playing it over the earbuds.