Heading on a big trip this year and worried that Duolingo just won't teach you enough Japanese or French or whatever to get you through? Apple is planning to improve its AirPods wireless Bluetooth earbuds with a live-translate language feature, according to a Bloomberg report Thursday.
Bloomberg credits "people with knowledge of the matter" for the AirPods news. A representative for Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google has done this for years
According to Bloomberg, the feature will be offered as part of an AirPods software upgrade coming later in 2025, tied to iOS 19, the upcoming update to Apple's mobile device operating system.
It should work exactly like you think it will. If someone is speaking Japanese or another language, your iPhone will translate what they're saying and send it to your AirPods in English and vice versa -- if you then speak to the person in English, your phone will translate what you're saying and play it in the language they're speaking. Star Trek universal translator, here we come.
Bloomberg points out that Apple has offered an app called Translate on iPhone since 2020. CNET editor Bridget Carey wrote in 2024 about using the app on a trip to Spain. She used the Apple Translate app to help with conversations, speaking or typing in what she wanted to be translated. She also pointed her iPhone camera at text in museums to get a real-time translation.
Competing earbuds, including Google Pixel Buds, might be translating, "It's about time," since they've had the feature for years.
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