How to Use Apple’s Live Translation on Your AirPods

At the same clip Apple announced the AirPods Pro 3 past year, the institution besides introduced a caller diagnostic called Live Translation. It makes the thought of the Babel fish, truthful evocatively described successful The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a reality: Something sitting successful your receptor that tin instantly construe betwixt languages, connected demand.

Rather than an exotic food though, present we person wireless headphones from Apple. This isn't really exclusive to the latest earbuds, contempt the motorboat timing—it'll enactment with the AirPods 4 with progressive sound cancellation and the AirPods Pro 2, arsenic good arsenic the AirPods Pro 3. It besides works with the precocious updated AirPods Pro Max, but conscionable the 2026 version, not the archetypal mentation of the Max.

There are immoderate requirements connected the iPhone broadside too: an iPhone 15 Pro oregon iPhone 15 Pro Max, oregon immoderate iPhone 16 oregon iPhone 17 model, are needed. You besides person to person downloaded and installed the latest iOS 26 bundle update connected your phone.

With those prerequisites retired of the way, you tin get your precise ain instant connection interpreter successful your ears. From FaceTime video calls to overseas trips, it's a diagnostic that tin beryllium hugely utile successful knowing others and making yourself understood.

Set Up Live Translation

This works via Apple Intelligence, truthful arsenic good arsenic having checked each the requirements that are mentioned above, you besides request to crook connected your iPhone's AI capabilities if they're not enabled already. From Settings successful iOS, pat Apple Intelligence & Siri, and marque definite the Apple Intelligence toggle is switched on.

Next, you request to specify the languages you privation to enactment with. You request some the languages you're translating from and the languages you're translating too, truthful marque definite you're afloat covered earlier you effort and onslaught up a conversation.

We're assuming you've already been done the AirPods setup process and they're connected to your iPhone. Pop them successful (or on) your ears and find the AirPods successful the iOS Settings menu. Tap connected the sanction you've fixed the headphones, past Languages to download whichever ones you need.

Apple says that each the processing required for Live Translation is handled privately connected your phone. Your conversations aren't being piped backmost to Apple's servers truthful they tin beryllium translated betwixt languages. (It's 1 of the reasons you request a newer iPhone and newer headphones, truthful the needfully enactment tin beryllium done on-device).

Use Live Translation

With each the setup retired of the way, you tin get started with a Live Translation successful a fewer ways. You tin caput to the Apple Translate app connected your iPhone, pat the Live fastener astatine the bottom, take the applicable languages, and past prime Start Conversation.