Your AirPods Are About to Become the Ultimate Travel Companion
Apple's AirPods are getting smarter in iOS 26, and if you're traveling abroad anytime soon, they could well make the trip a whole lot easier.
Imagery has been discovered in the iOS 26 beta of AirPods displaying "Hello" in multiple languages, tucked away in the Translate app files. The image suggests activation through a press gesture, and the file is literally named "Translate." It's pretty clear what Apple has in mind.
Prior to Apple's preview of iOS 26 and the release of the beta versions, Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on live translation features for AirPods. The functionality should transform your earbuds into personal interpreters, breaking down language barriers in real-time conversations.
Here's how it might work. If you're talking to someone who speaks Spanish, your iPhone will detect the audio, translate their speech, and relay it back to you in English through your AirPods. You can then respond in English, and your iPhone will translate your response to Spanish and speak it aloud.
Apple's iPhone Translate app can already handle conversations like this, but having the function built into AirPods will streamline the entire exchange. Existing Live Translation features are linked to Apple Intelligence, which means the AirPods feature could also require an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. Early beta code suggests AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 will be supported.
The functionality builds on iOS 26's existing live translation capabilities for Phone, Messages, and FaceTime calls. If it doesn't arrive in September when iOS 26 drops, expect it in another update sometime later this year.
Popular Stories
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
It has been a slow start to 2026 for Apple product launches, with only a new AirTag and a special Apple Watch band released so far. We are still waiting for MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the iPhone 17e, a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip, long-rumored updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and much more.
Apple is expected to release/update the following products...
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
