Apple equips its AirPods with live translation in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German thanks to its new operating system, iOS 26, which launches this Monday, September 15 to compatible devices.
Users of the new AirPods Pro 3, which go on sale this Friday, September 19, will also be able to enjoy this pioneering feature.
English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, French and German
AirPods Pro 3, the new Apple Watch lineup, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and the all-new iPhone Air-here’s everything we just announced! pic.twitter.com/EDPNjpoUW8
– Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 9, 2025
As EFE was able to verify, the translation has a delay, which is normal for this type of technology, and makes some errors.
Only one default voice – the same as Siri – can be chosen for translation, even if you are looking to translate what more than one person says, which can be confusing.
Other real-time translators, such as Google Pixel, can use a voice similar to the speaker.
From a technology perspective, the AirPods listen to what the other person says to you, that audio is sent to the iPhone, where AI models translate each phrase on the device and send the audio back to the AirPods.
In addition, at no time is the conversation saved on the device.
It is not necessary to have an Internet connection to use this tool, as long as the user has previously downloaded the languages he/she wants to use.
Ideally, both parties to the conversation should have AirPods, but this is not necessary, as the new app displays the real-time transcript in both languages on the iPhone screen.
Other languages such as Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Italian will be available later this year.
The new AirPods Pro 3 with heart rate sensors.
On September 19, the new AirPods Pro 3 will go on sale for $249, a device that features improved noise cancellation, longer battery life, and better water and sweat resistance.
This new model has been able to improve its noise cancellation thanks to a new “multi-port acoustic architecture” and by offering consumers five different sized silicone and foam ear cushions to fit different ear shapes.
The batteries of the new Pro can last for eight hours of music playback with noise cancellation enabled, compared to six hours for the Pro 2 model.
However, the new Pro charging case only offers 24 hours of listening, compared to the previous 30 hours.
Other new features include a small sensor in each earpiece that emits an invisible infrared light to measure the pulse while the user is playing sports, which together with the Fitness app (plus a new feature in iOS 26) allows users to see their performance metrics in real time, such as heart rate or calories burned.
Meanwhile, this new function offers information similar to that of a smartwatch and the two devices can be used at the same time to monitor a sports activity.
AirPods will have live translation in 5 languages.
Desde una perspectiva tecnológica, los AirPods escuchan lo que la otra persona te dice, ese audio se envía al iPhone, donde modelos de IA traducen cada frase en el dispositivo y envían el audio de vuelta a los AirPods
Agencia EFE
With information from EFE
