Apple's AirPods to Get Live Conversation Translation Feature With iOS 19 Update: Report

Apple is expected to introduce support for live audio translation on existing AirPods. a feature already available on the Google Pixel Buds.

Written by David Delima | Updated: 15 March 2025 14:46 IST

Apple's AirPods to Get Live Conversation Translation Feature With iOS 19 Update: Report

Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Amir Riazipour

There's no word on which AirPods models will support the live translation feature

Highlights

AirPods could be updated with a new live translation feature this year
The feature could arrive with the iOS 19 update
Apple's AirPods translation feature is said to require an iPhone

Apple's AirPods will receive a software update that will introduce a new conversation translation feature, according to a Bloomberg report. The company's truly wireless stereo (TWS) headset will use a connected iPhone's processor to translate in-person conversations in real-time. This feature is currently available on Google's Pixel Buds headsets, when paired with the company's Pixel phones. Apple previously added support for using AirPods as a hearing aid, and a recent report suggests it is also working on AirPods equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence features.

AirPods Live Translation Feature to Arrive With iOS 19 Update

Citing people aware of the company's plans, Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to introduce a new in-person conversation translation feature for AirPods that will arrive in the form of a software update later this year. This means that users should be able to access the functionality on existing AirPods models. It will reportedly be available alongside Apple's next major iPhone operating system update — iOS 19.

The real-time conversation translation feature will rely on a connected iPhone, according to the report. It is said to use the smartphone's processor to translate audio received from the AirPods. As a result, a user listening to a non-English speaker would hear a translated version of their message (via the AirPods) while the speaker would hear responses translated from English to their language, via the iPhone's speaker.

Apple Still Developing AirPods With Camera, Heart Rate Tracker: Gurman

It's worth noting that Apple wouldn't be the first company to introduce such a feature — Google brought real-time conversation translation to its Pixel Buds TWS headset in 2017. The feature requires the wireless headset to be connected to a Google Pixel smartphone.

Last year, the iPhone maker introduced a feature that allows users to connect their AirPods to an iPhone and use them as over-the-counter hearing aids. Compatible AirPods can also be used to perform a hearing test to check for hearing loss using the wireless headset.

The company is reportedly working on a successor to the AirPods Pro (2nd generation), and it is also said to be developing a pair of AirPods that features a camera and AI. Apple's subsidiary Beats recently released the Powerbeats Pro 2, with a heart rate monitoring sensor, and upcoming AirPods and Beats models could arrive with new hardware features.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Classic design with improved controls
Comfortable fit
State-of-the-art charging case
Very good battery life
Flexible, eager sound quality
Excellent ANC and transparency modes

Bad
Some features only work on Apple devices
Somewhat expensive

Read detailed Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

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Further reading: AirPods, Apple, Translation, AirPods Features, iPhone, iOS 19

David Delima

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As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via... more »