As part of their ‘Awe Dropping’ event on Tuesday, September 9th, Apple released the AirPods Pro 3. AirPods are the world’s most popular headphones, Apple says. The new version will feature a heart rate sensor, improved sound quality, water resistance, and, Apple claims, the “world’s best” in-ear Active Noise Cancellation. The new AirPods will have AI features, too, even though Apple did not make them the focus of the marketing pitch as many other companies do.
“We’re bringing the magic of AirPods to the way you communicate across languages,” Kate Bergeron, VP of Hardware Engineering at Apple said. “With Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence, now, when you are together with someone who speaks a different language, like exploring a market abroad, AirPods Pro will help you understand them in your preferred languages.”
This Live Translation plays out dramatically in Apple’s latest promotional video for AirPods. In the video, two colleagues are having an enthusiastic conversation in entirely different languages. One man speaks Portuguese, and the other speaks English. Previously, the men would have been unable to communicate or had to rely on clunky translation apps on their phones. With Live Translation, the men converse effortlessly in their native languages.
What Live Translation Does
Live Translation instantly converts other languages to the user’s native one. It lowers the speaker’s volume and overlays it with a machine-generated translation that is spoken aloud. This translation feature is coming to FaceTime, texts, and phone calls in the latest iOS as well. Early testers have found that, while it sometimes makes mistakes, Live Translation is a powerful communication tool.
“It doesn’t just translate individual words,” said Bergeron. “The meaning of each phrase is translated for you.”
Understanding phrases, not just words, will make for more natural interactions. Google Translate, one of the world’s most widely used translation tools, is often too literal. With Live Translation, Apple claims this too-literal understanding will be fixed by smarter AI. The feature launched on September 15th, 2025, with the release of the newest version of iOS – iOS 26.
Apple itself calls Live Translation “magic.” If the feature truly works as expected, the ability to communicate with speakers in native languages will have far-reaching effects on the way people communicate. Live Translation runs without cell reception, too, so it will work for nearly everyone with an iPhone.
The Academic Implications
A student sits in Spanish class with their AirPods in, largely ignoring their teacher. While this scene does not happen at Aspen High School, where AirPods and all Bluetooth headphones are banned, those AirPods may no longer be playing music. With Live Translation, students will be able to understand their teachers as if they were speaking English.
Students may use the feature to cheat on tests. Listening exams, such as the IB Spanish exam many AHS students will take, might be rendered useless by the AirPods. With instant translation, some students might not feel the need to learn a second language at all.
The feature may also help many students whose first language is not English. For these non-native English speakers, the AirPods’ ability to immerse them in their native language in any class may help them overcome linguistic barriers.
The AirPods will translate the user’s speech back to a foreign language, too. This interaction is not seamless. The promotional video shows a user awkwardly sticking their iPhone in the face of a merchant so that they can read the translation. Still, Live Translate’s ability to break down language barriers and connect people will – if the feature works as advertised – be powerful.
