Real-time translation could be landing on your AirPods

By Patrick Hearn Published August 12, 2025

What’s happened? In a move straight out of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the latest iOS 26 beta suggests a real-time translation feature could be coming to your AirPods.

This is important because: Apple didn’t mention a real-world translation tool during the WWDC 25 conference, but a Bloomberg report from earlier this year hinted that something similar could be in the works.

Why should I care? A real-world translation feature will make it possible to understand what someone says to you in a supported language, even if you don’t speak it. If that person also has a device that offers translation features, your AirPods could function like the Babelfish technology, allowing you to hold a conversation in two different languages.