The new AirPods Live Translation feature won't be available in the EU at launch

Earlier this week, Apple introduced a new Live Translation feature for AirPods, designed to translate audio in real time across multiple languages using just the AirPods and an iPhone. However, the company recently revealed that the feature will not be available at launch for users in the European Union, citing interoperability requirements under the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

The limitation applies when both the user is physically in the EU and their Apple Account region is set to an EU country. Regulators may be reviewing issues related to privacy, consent, data flows, and user rights before granting approval. This mirrors previous delays in the rollout of Apple Intelligence AI features in the region, which arrived months later than in other markets.

Live Translation provides live transcriptions on the iPhone when speaking with non-AirPods users, while conversations between compatible AirPods benefit from Active Noise Cancellation that reduces original speech volume for clearer translations. The feature requires an Apple Intelligence enabled iPhone running iOS 26 or later and compatible AirPods, including the new AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and AirPods Pro 2. The necessary firmware update will roll out on September 15 alongside the launch of iOS 26, with initial language support covering English (UK and US), French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish, and further additions including Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese later this year, though availability in the EU remains without a defined timeline.