Apple’s AirPods will receive a software update that will introduce a new conversation translation feature, according to a Bloomberg report. The company’s truly wireless stereo (TWS) headset will use a connected iPhone’s processor to translate in-person conversations in real-time. This feature is currently available on Google’s Pixel Buds headsets, when paired with the company’s Pixel phones. Apple previously added support for using AirPods as a hearing aid, and a recent report suggests it is also working on AirPods equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence features.
Citing people aware of the company’s plans, Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to introduce a new in-person conversation translation feature for AirPods that will arrive in the form of a software update later this year. This means that users should be able to access the functionality on existing AirPods models. It will reportedly be available alongside Apple’s next major iPhone operating system update — iOS 19.
The real-time conversation translation feature will rely on a connected iPhone, according to the report. It is said to use the smartphone’s processor to translate audio received from the AirPods. As a result, a user listening to a non-English speaker would hear a translated version of their message (via the AirPods) while the speaker would hear responses translated from English to their language, via the iPhone’s speaker.
It’s worth noting that Apple wouldn’t be the first company to introduce such a feature — Google brought real-time conversation translation to its Pixel Buds TWS headset in 2017. The feature requires the wireless headset to be connected to a Google Pixel smartphone.
Last year, the iPhone maker introduced a feature that allows users to connect their AirPods to an iPhone and use them as over-the-counter hearing aids. Compatible AirPods can also be used to perform a hearing test to check for hearing loss using the wireless headset.
The company is reportedly working on a successor to the AirPods Pro (2nd generation), and it is also said to be developing a pair of AirPods that features a camera and AI. Apple’s subsidiary Beats recently released the Powerbeats Pro 2, with a heart rate monitoring sensor, and upcoming AirPods and Beats models could arrive with new hardware features.
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