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Apple Details AirPods Live Translation Rollout as EU Block Comes Into Focus

The feature requires an Apple Intelligence iPhone on iOS 26 with updated AirPods firmware.

Overview

  • Apple says Live Translation with AirPods is unavailable when a user is physically in the EU and their Apple Account region is also set to an EU country, and it has not provided a reason.
  • Coverage attributes the block to likely EU privacy and AI rules such as the GDPR and the AI Act, though this has not been confirmed by Apple.
  • Users can activate the feature outside that EU–account overlap and keep using it while traveling, but switching an Apple ID to a non‑EU region to bypass the block can disrupt billing, subscriptions, and app access.
  • Live Translation launches with AirPods Pro 3 and is coming to AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC; it requires an iPhone 15 Pro or newer running iOS 26, with AirPods firmware expected alongside the iOS 26 release on September 15.
  • At launch the feature supports English, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and simplified Chinese planned later in 2025, and it can show live on‑screen transcriptions for conversations with people not wearing AirPods.