Apple plans to bring Live Translation to AirPods users in the European Union by the end of 2025 after earlier delays tied to the Digital Markets Act.
Apple is preparing to roll out Live Translation on AirPods to users in the European Union before the end of 2025, as learned by Germany-based Apple Blog Macerkopf. The release will likely be a part of the iOS 26.2 update, which is expected to release in mid-December.
Apple had planned to launch the feature in the European Union at the same time as other regions but faced delays. The rollout was held up by compliance issues related to the Digital Markets Act.
Apple's Live Translation on AirPods was first announced at the September Apple Event. When activated, the feature automatically translates from a set language to the users' preferred language.
The feature requires users to have an iPhone capable of running Apple Intelligence — so anything from the iPhone 15 Pro and newer. For most users, iOS 26 will suffice, but European users will need to update their devices to iOS 26.2.
Users will also need AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation or newer. AirPods Max users, unfortunately, are out of luck.
Currently, the feature supports a small number of languages, including Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.
