Apple has introduced a groundbreaking feature with its latest AirPods Pro 3, unveiling a new Live Translation capability that promises to revolutionize the way users communicate across languages.
The Live Translation feature, which will also be available for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation via a software update, relies heavily on the connected iPhone to function. To utilize this feature, users will need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer running iOS 18, as the translation is powered by Apple Intelligence. This means that even owners of the new AirPods Pro 3 will require a compatible iPhone to take advantage of Live Translation.
Initially, Live Translation will support a selection of languages, including English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. However, Apple has announced plans to expand its language support later this year, adding Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese to its roster. This expansion is expected to further enhance the feature’s usability and appeal to a broader audience.
Activating the translation mode is straightforward; users simply need to press the stems of both AirPods simultaneously. The AirPods’ microphones then listen for foreign-language speech, translate it in real-time, and play the translation back through the headphones. This seamless process allows for more natural and fluid conversations.
In situations where only one participant is using AirPods with the Live Translation feature, the conversation can become one-sided. To mitigate this issue, Apple has implemented a solution where a transcript of the translated speech is displayed on the iPhone screen. This allows the other person to read the response in their native language, effectively facilitating a more balanced and understandable conversation.
