Apple has officially announced the release of its highly anticipated AirPods Pro 3, which boasts a groundbreaking feature that translates incoming audio in real time. Future users in the European Union are set up for disappointment as well. This live translation feature will not be ready in time for launch.
The new AirPods Pro 3, powered by advanced Apple Intelligence, is set to enhance how users interact with audio content by providing instant translations. This new feature holds the potential to build understanding in multicultural, multilingual settings. Apple has indicated this real-time translation capability will come to the next generation of AirPods, i.e. AirPods 4. It’ll be supported on the current generation AirPods Pro 2, in addition to the new AirPods Pro 3.
Even with all the excitement about these new capabilities, EU residents are going to be limited in what they can do. Apple’s iOS 26 feature availability page confirms that the live translation function is not accessible to users with EU Apple ID. What’s more, it won’t be available to people based in the European Union. This key restriction presents oddities in Apple’s purpose and possible regulatory intentions in the area.
Apple’s new live translation feature isn’t exclusive to its AirPods. In fact, Apple has been working to implement this technology directly into the iPhone and its FaceTime app. This groundbreaking innovation allows users to have richer, natural conversations in any language, on any device.
Besides its translation abilities, the AirPods Pro 3 comes with a cutting-edge heart-rate sensing feature. This new addition is significant and further demonstrates Apple’s deep commitment to advancing health and wellness technology. It provides consumers with more actionable information about their health.
Apple has neither confirmed nor denied whether political reasons underlie the feature’s initial EU exclusion. The startup is already striding through mature but often treacherous regulatory paths. These challenges may place a significant burden on the availability of these features across different areas.
