Apple's rumored live translation feature for AirPods could be coming with iOS 26

Apple's AirPods could be getting a live translation feature in the near future as part of iOS 26, according to a report by 9to5Mac. A new beta version of the operating system dropped today and users have spotted a system asset that strongly points to the earbuds getting a language translation tool.

The asset appears to depict a gesture that's triggered by pressing both earbud stems at once. The image shows a pair of AirPods surrounded by words in various languages, like English, French, German and Portuguese.

This tracks for a couple of reasons. Apple announced a Live Translation tool at WWDC25, but AirPods weren't mentioned as a potential use case scenario. This feels like a natural extension for the feature that we already know is coming to FaceTime, Messages and phone calls. However, the AirPods software will be used for live in-person conversations. 

Also, this isn't the first time we've heard rumblings that the software would be coming to Apple's line of earbuds. Bloomberg announced it was likely coming back in March, which was well before WWDC. Wearables are the perfect place for any kind of live translation software and we've already seen it pop up in stuff like the Meta Ray-Bans smart glasses.

There are still some unknowns. We don't know if the feature will run entirely on the actual earbuds or if it'll require an iPhone. The latter is likely, given that it seems tied to iOS 26. We also don't know which iPhones will support the software, though it'll likely be on models that offer Apple Intelligence. Apple iOS 26 is due next month, so we don't have that long to wait.

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