Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple will add real-time language translation capabilities to its AirPods earbuds in a coming software update.
The report cites multiple sources and claims that the software update will be tied to iOS 19, which is expected in September. As with RCS support, however, Apple isn’t exactly on the leading edge when it comes to language translation: Google has offered this capability in its Pixel Buds earbuds for years, as has Samsung with its Galaxy Buds earbuds.
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Still, AirPods are incredibly popular, thanks to the success of the iPhone, and it’s at least somewhat surprising that Apple (apparently) isn’t requiring customers to upgrade to a new product version to gain this capability. Apple similarly announced new features for its AirPods Pro 2 last September, instead of launching a third-generation version of those earbuds. That said, it’s not clear if this feature will require specific AirPods models.
Gurman doesn’t put it this way, but his description of how this works reminds me of the Babel fish from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
“If an English speaker is hearing someone talk in Spanish, the iPhone will translate the speech and relay it to the user’s AirPods in English,” he writes. “The English speaker’s words, meanwhile, will be translated into Spanish and played back by the iPhone.”
Gurman claims that this update is tied to the broader user experience changes Apple is making across iPhone, iPad, and the Mac that he previously outed. And, yes, Apple is still working on an AirPods Pro 3, plus a coming version with built-in cameras that will be tied in some way to Apple Intelligence.
