A system asset has been spotted in the iOS 26 developer beta hinting at a live translation feature for AirPods.
The feature is thought to be an extension on the live translation features already announced for iOS 26, but it's not known what hardware you will need for it.
When Apple held its Worldwide Developer Conference in June, it announced a number of new features across its iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch devices.
Alongside a more translucent design that spans the entire portfolio of Apple products, there were features like the ability to change the snooze duration in the Clock app, as well as the option of using an iPad more like a Mac.
A number of features were also revealed for AirPods, including the option of a pressing and holding the stem of AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 to start video recording in the Camera app. It seems that won't be the only new trick AirPods will get with the new software however, with 9to5Mac spotting hints of a live translation feature for real-world use.
What could Live Translation look like with AirPods?
According to the report, the iOS 26 developer beta 6 has a system asset that shows the gesture of pressing both AirPods stems at once to trigger different languages. The image shows English, Portuguese, French, and German in text around the AirPods, but it's not currently known if the feature will be restricted to those languages only.
It is thought that the feature will allow for real-world translation however – something Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on earlier this year. This would presumably be an extension of the Live Translation features Apple did announce at WWDC25, which included real-time translation within the FaceTime, Messages and Phone apps.
The report on 9to5Mac says the feature is associated with AirPods Pro (2nd generation) and AirPods (4th generation) but it's not currently clear which iPhone model you might need alongside those AirPods models. Presumably a compatible iPhone will be required to run the live translation rather than it running on AirPods themselves, but that's something the asset doesn't detail.
Before you get too excited, it could be that only the new iPhone models due to be announced in September will offer the feature given Apple itself hasn't publicised it yet, so this is a bit of a wait and see situation for now. It could be very handy though.
