On September 15, 2025, Apple released brand new features for its Apple Intelligence suite.
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The updates cover a range of high-tech and futuristic updates for Apple devices, like personalized fitness workouts and enhancements to the ‘Genmoji and Image Playground’.
But the main star of the show is Live Translation, which is now available for all smartphones running on iOS 26. (This feature is also available on iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, and other 26-gen devices.)
The update comes after years of expectation. Apple was one of the first tech companies to promise live, reliable translations, which was first formally introduced during the WWDC 2025. Fast forward one year, and Live Translation is now live for any Apple users who have AirPods and an iOS 26-enabled smartphone.
But does it actually translate conversations live? And how many languages can it handle? Let’s dive in.
A closer look at Live Translation capabilities from Apple
Though the original hype surrounding Live Translation revolved around AirPods and the ability to live-translate conversations, the feature is more robust. The feature can translate messages, along with real-time translations for FaceTime calls and phone calls—in addition to AirPods Pro 3, of course.
Apple fans and travelers are more focused on Live Translation for the AirPods Pro 3 because it can translate in-person conversations. That means that you can converse with locals at your next destination face-to-face—without double-checking translations using an app.
To enable this feature on the AirPods Pro 3, press both stems at once, then say, “Siri, start Live Translation.” You can also use the Action button on the iPhone, where you can set it to your preferred language.
On FaceTime, Live Translation is done using caption boxes. On phone calls, translations are spoken aloud.
All translations occur on the user’s device, meaning there’s no ‘Cloud’ involved. Instead, all conversations and translations stay on your device alongside the rest of your data.
At the moment, English is the only available language for Live Translation. However, Apple plans to roll out eight additional languages (and their alphabets) in the coming months, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Mandarin), and Vietnamese.
