Apple may equip AirPods with a live translation feature this year.

      Recently, Apple has shifted its focus towards marketing the AirPods with a wellness-oriented approach rather than simply promoting them as standard wireless earbuds. Towards the end of last year, the AirPods Pro 2 introduced a Loud Sound Reduction feature, in addition to a hearing test system and hearing aid functionality.

      Now, the company is reportedly planning to enhance the AirPods with a conversational feature. As per Bloomberg, Apple aims to introduce real-time translation capabilities to the AirPods later this year, with the goal of eliminating language barriers during face-to-face interactions.

      This feature is currently in active development and may be released through a software update later this year, in conjunction with the iOS 19 bundle. It will be a two-way translation system, where both the AirPods and the iPhone will have active roles.

      The iPhone will act as the central translation device, converting audio from one language to another. It will translate language A into language B and send the audio to the person wearing the Apple earbuds. At the same time, it will translate language B back to language A, with the audio played through the iPhone's speaker for the other person.

      Details regarding the translation engine Apple will utilize remain unclear, and the report does not specify whether the approach will involve AI assistance or how many languages the system will cover. Nonetheless, this capability is significant, although Apple will not be the first to introduce it.

      Apple is entering a competitive arena where Google’s Pixel-branded wireless earbuds have already provided this convenience for some time, leveraging the Google Translate system to facilitate translations in nearly forty different languages. Users can opt for the live Conversation Mode for immediate voice interactions or use the Transcribe Mode.

      In addition to Google, many other brands have embraced the “translation earbuds” trend. The Earfun AirPro 4+ earbuds, launched earlier this year, also feature an AI-powered real-time translation capability. The Mymanu Click and Mars earbuds have been providing this benefit since 2017.

      There exists a niche market for “translation earbuds,” with products like the Timekettle X1 catering to business and enterprise customers. Additionally, AI chatbots such as Google’s Gemini offer translation functionalities as well.

      For Apple, there are multiple avenues to explore. The company has an existing partnership with OpenAI, which allows ChatGPT to assist in scenarios where Siri might not be sufficient. Neural machine translation has advanced significantly, along with various open-source models available for use.

      For instance, Meta open-sourced its AI-assisted translation tool capable of supporting nearly 200 languages in 2022. However, given Apple's focus on privacy, the company is likely to either collaborate with a reliable partner or implement its own technology stack to enable on-device translations, which would offer both enhanced security and faster performance compared to a cloud-reliant approach.