iOS 26 code suggests you won’t need the iPhone 17 to use AirPods’ live translation feature.
Apple’s AirPods have been getting a lot of extra features in recent years, including the ability to use the AirPods Pro as hearing aids in iOS 18. We’re already getting a few new features in iOS 26, and now the latest beta has added one more: live translation gestures.
This new live translation capability is likely to join other translation features that have been added to the iOS 26 beta, such as messages and calls. And the good news is, Macworld has found evidence that live translation on AirPods will also work on older iPhones, too.Live translation coming to AirPods
The live translation feature for AirPods was first reported by Bloomberg back in March, long before Apple announced iOS 26 at WWDC. According to Mark Gurman’s report, the feature would be offered as part of a software update for certain AirPods models. However, Apple made no mention of the feature at WWDC despite a lengthy section on live translation.
