At Apple's "awe dropping" event on Sept. 9, Apple made Live Translation the signature trick for the newly announced AirPods Pro 3.Â
How AirPods Pro 3's live translation feature works
A simple gesture on the AirPods Pro 3 starts the Live Translation session. Apple Intelligence parses what someone nearby says and plays the translation back in your preferred language, right in your ear, while your iPhone shows (and can speak) your reply.
Your iPhone displays your reply in their language and can read it aloud.
When both people wear compatible AirPods, Live Translation plays each side's translation privately in their own ears and briefly ducks ambient sound, making the exchange faster and more natural than the one-AirPod setup.
You can preorder the AirPods Pro 3 today. They'll be available Friday, Sept. 19.
Launch languages include English, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish (Spain), with more promised this year.
Apple Intelligence in the AirPods Pro 3 is a big move
Apple has been seeding translation across the platform since WWDC 2025, with the developer and beta releases of iOS 26, building it into the Phone, FaceTime and Messages apps. Today's move extends the feature to in-person conversations through AirPods, making it hands-free and discreet.
The Live Translation feature will also work on the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4.
Live translation in your earbuds pushes AirPods beyond "music and calls" into a travel and accessibility tool. For iPhone owners, it's a compelling ecosystem play that rivals earbuds from Google and Samsung that have touted similar features.