AirPods Pro 3: No AI-based live translations for Apple users in the EU

Apple introduced a new feature called “Live Translation” with the AirPods Pro 3, enabling real-time translation for personal conversations. The technology uses computational audio and Apple Intelligence to overcome language barriers and facilitate communication between people of different language groups. Other AirPod models are expected to receive the feature via a software update. Live Translation is one of the very few AI features Apple demonstrated with the new iPhones and AirPods.

This function naturally reminds science fiction fans of the “Babel fish.” The Babel fish is a small, yellowish, leech-like creature from Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” that is inserted into the ear and enables its host to understand all spoken languages ​​by “filtering” brain waves and outputting them as intelligible speech.

Functionality and availability

Live Translation is currently available as a beta version and works with the following devices:

• AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation
• AirPods Pro 2 and newer models (with the latest firmware)
• AirPods Pro 3

The feature requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone running iOS 26 or later. Users can speak naturally while the AirPods deliver the translation directly to their ears.

Supported languages

At launch, Live Translation supports the following languages:

• English (UK, USA)
• French (France)
• German
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Spanish (Spain)

Apple plans to add four more languages ​​by the end of the year: Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.

Not for EU users

A significant limitation applies to users in the European Union. According to Apple, 

“Live Translation with AirPods is not available if you are in the EU and your Apple Account Country or Region is also in the EU.”

This restriction means that EU citizens with an EU Apple Account cannot use the feature, even if they have the appropriate hardware. Apple has not provided any specific reasons for this regional restriction. Apple has not yet responded to Trending Topics’s request for comment.

Now, one can, of course, speculate as to why Apple cannot or will not offer live translations in the EU. Possible reasons include the AI ​​Act or data protection. Key languages ​​such as Spanish, German, French, and English would, in principle, be available. Previously, AI services from companies like Meta or Google have not been made available in the EU, or have not been made available immediately.

The fact that Apple doesn’t want to discuss live translation in German-speaking countries is evident in the press releases. While the press release for Great Britain, for example, covers the topic of “live translation” in a separate paragraph, it is not featured in the press release for Germany.

This video shows how live translations should work on the go:

Usage scenarios

The function is generally aimed at various application areas:

• Traveling to foreign countries
• Business and school cooperation
• Personal communication

For longer conversations, this feature is especially effective when both conversation partners are using AirPods with Live Translation enabled. In this case, Active Noise Cancellation automatically reduces the other person’s volume to make it easier to concentrate on the translation.