Christmas came early this year, as the best headphones just got a bit more useful thanks to Google. The company announced Friday it's rolling out a beta experience that updates Google Translate with advanced Gemini capabilities, including live language translation using any headphones you want, with support for over 70 languages.
You can check it out yourself in the Google Translate mobile app by tapping the "Live translate" button with your headphones paired. Previously, live speech translations were exclusive to the Pixel Buds 2 Pro and the rest of Google's Buds line. This new capability transforms any pair of headphones (so long as they sport a microphone of some kind, presumably) into a real-time, one-way translation device.
“Whether you’re trying to have a conversation in a different language, listen to a speech or lecture while abroad, or watch a TV show or film in another language, you can now put in your headphones, open the Translate app, tap ‘Live translate’ and hear a real-time translation in your preferred language,” said Rose Yao, Google VP Product Management, Search Verticals, in Google's blog post.
The beta is already rolling out in the Translate app on Android in the U.S., Mexico, and India, with plans to bring it to the best iPhones and more countries in 2026. Using Gemini, Google Translate will also offer "smarter, more natural and accurate text translations" by preserving each speaker's tone, emphasis, and cadence and using AI to better parse idioms and slang. This update is already out in the U.S. and India with support for nearly 20 languages.
Google's also taking a page from Duolingo's book and adding a feature where you can track how many days in a row you've been learning a new language, making it easier to track your progress over time.
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