Apple planning feature for real-time translations with release of new AirPods

Apple is planning a new AirPods feature that allows the earbuds to live-translate an in-person conversation into another language.

People familiar with the new feature tell Bloomberg News that the new translation tool will be tied to iOS 19, the coming update to Apple’s mobile-operating system.

It will work like this: if an English speaker is hearing someone talk in Spanish, the iPhone will translate the speech and relay it to the user’s AirPods in English.

Meanwhile, the English speaker’s words will be translated into Spanish and played back by the iPhone.

Rival earbuds have had the option for years.

Bloomberg News contributed to this story.