Live Translation Coming to AirPods

An in-person Live Translation feature could soon be available on the AirPods, according to imagery found in iOS 26 beta 6.

There's a picture of the AirPods with Hello in several different languages, along with a suggestion that the feature will be activated with a double press. The file itself is named "Translate," which certainly seems to imply that there will be a gesture to activate a Live Translation option.

9to5Mac reported on the image first, but we can confirm that it is tucked away in the files for the Translate app in the latest beta.

Prior to the launch of ‌iOS 26‌, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the AirPods would get a translate feature for translating in-person conversations, and it looks like Apple is working on introducing it soon. Live Translation for AirPods could come either in the launch version of ‌iOS 26‌, or in an update to ‌iOS 26‌.

‌iOS 26‌ already offers Live Translation for the Phone app, Messages app, and FaceTime, so an in-person option through the AirPods makes sense.

Based on the images, the feature will work on the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4. Existing Live Translation features are linked to Apple Intelligence, which means the AirPods feature could also require an iPhone that supports ‌Apple Intelligence‌.