Live Translation not working with your AirPods? Make sure you check this setting in your iPhone

(Image credit: Apple)

Live Translation was one of the headline features of the AirPods Pro 3 launch. Start it up and translate a conversation in another language, straight out of your AirPods. Excitingly, it's come to older models of the best AirPods, like the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4.

Not that it works straight out of the box, however. There are a couple of loopholes you've got to leap through before you can hold down both stems and have a chat with someone in Spanish. It's all down to your iPhone software, and whether it's up to date.

Make sure your iPhone is up to date

If you've had any trouble getting Live Translation to work with any AirPods, it's likely because you haven't updated your phone's software, or your iPhone doesn't support Apple Intelligence.

Users who've just picked up a brand new iPhone 17 are going to be completely fine — your phone is pretty much up to date out of the factory — but users of iPhone 15 Pro models and above are going to need to hop into their settings menu.

Not using an iPhone 15 Pro or newer? You're out of luck, no Live Translation for you. Time to re-install Duolingo for that holiday to Mexico.

You'll want to make sure that you're running iOS 26 — the version with the controversial Liquid Glass refresh — and that you've got Apple Intelligence turned on in your device's settings. You'll also need the Translate app downloaded, and your AirPods need to be up to date.

Phew! That's a whole load of things to do for a feature, but once you're done, you should be able to activate Live Translate with your AirPods.

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

More from Tom's Guide

See more Audio News

TOPICS

Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom's Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore's resident audiophile, Tammy's reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom's Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you'll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that'll never see the light of day.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.