iOS 26 and AirPods Bring Live Audio Translation to Televised Content

A new live audio translation feature, enabled by iOS 26 and compatible AirPods, is allowing users to experience real-time language conversion for various audio sources, including live television. Joe Patterson, a user of the new technology, recently shared his experience watching Univision, a Spanish-language network, with the audio translated into English directly in his AirPods.

"The new iOS, when paired with newish AirPods, has a live translate feature. I tried watching @Univision today. Put my phone by the TV and listened to the show in English in my ear. Pretty legit. It’s not perfect but it is pretty good," Patterson stated in a social media post. This highlights a practical application beyond in-person conversations.

The feature, which requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later running iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence enabled, works with AirPods 4 (with Active Noise Cancellation), AirPods Pro 2, and the newly released AirPods Pro 3. Users must download the desired language packs, and all processing occurs on the iPhone, ensuring privacy. At launch, the beta feature supports English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with more languages expected by year-end.

While primarily designed for in-person conversations, where AirPods can translate spoken words between individuals, Patterson's experience demonstrates its versatility for media consumption. The system allows users to listen to foreign language content, such as TV broadcasts, and hear a real-time translation in their preferred language through their earbuds. Apple cautions that the feature, which uses generative models, may produce "inaccurate, unexpected, or offensive" outputs as it is still in beta.

The introduction of Live Translation positions AirPods as a powerful tool for breaking down language barriers, extending beyond typical audio functions. This development could significantly enhance accessibility for multilingual content and improve communication for travelers and international collaborations. However, the feature is currently unavailable for EU residents due to regulatory considerations.