Apple to roll out EU Live Translation next month after DMA compliance

Apple will make its Live Translation feature for select AirPods available to users in the European Union next month, the company said, after the rollout was delayed while Apple adjusted the function to meet European regulatory requirements. The feature, which translates spoken conversation in real time and plays the translation through compatible AirPods, is expected to arrive for EU users with the iOS 26.2 update; that update is currently available to developers and is scheduled for a public release in December.

Live Translation works when supported AirPods are paired with an iPhone capable of running Apple Intelligence. Compatible earbuds include AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and the higher-end AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Users must have an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, Apple Intelligence enabled and Apple’s Translate app installed. Apple said the delay for EU availability was caused by “additional engineering work needed to comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act,” and the company has emphasized privacy protections and on-device processing as part of that effort.

When active, Live Translation creates a Live tab in the Translate app on the connected...