News: 0179165440

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AirPods Live Translation Feature Won't Launch in EU Markets (macrumors.com)

(Thursday September 11, 2025 @05:30PM (msmash) from the regulatory-silence dept.)


Apple's [1]Live Translation feature for AirPods [2]won't reach European Union users when it launches next week. The restriction applies to users physically located in the EU who also have EU-registered Apple Accounts. Apple hasn't specified reasons for the limitation, though the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act and GDPR impose requirements on speech processing and translation services.

The feature enables real-time translation between English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish on AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and the newly announced AirPods Pro 3. Translation requires iOS 26 on iPhone 15 Pro or newer models.



[1] https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/09/09/2043237/airpods-pro-3-arrive-with-heart-rate-sensing-live-translation-using-apple-intelligence

[2] https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/11/airpods-live-translation-eu-restricted/


Compliance risks? (Score:2)

by Elektroschock ( 659467 )

If these compliance risks were real, the use of these tools would be strongly advised against.

Of course they aren't-

Re:Compliance risks? (Score:4, Insightful)

by Charlotte ( 16886 )

Precisely.

When anyone pulls the GDPR card it's almost always cause they're marketing your private data to everyone and their uncle.

Re: (Score:2, Informative)

by Anonymous Coward

Not even remotely true. I work for a software company that has both a global SaaS and software business. We don't sell any data, private or not, about our customers or their software usage to anyone whatsoever. That's just not our business model. We make money selling software and services, not selling your data or data about you.

Despite this, we spend an extraordinary amount of time and energy on GDPR compliance. GDPR is about much more than how you can or can't sell data. It's also about how you manage an

Re: (Score:3)

by Savage-Rabbit ( 308260 )

> Not even remotely true. I work for a software company that has both a global SaaS and software business. We don't sell any data, private or not, about our customers or their software usage to anyone whatsoever. That's just not our business model. We make money selling software and services, not selling your data or data about you.

> Despite this, we spend an extraordinary amount of time and energy on GDPR compliance. GDPR is about much more than how you can or can't sell data. It's also about how you manage and store that data even if only ever the owning customer (and us as the vendor) have access to it.

Unfortunately for every one of you there are at least ten others that behave the exact opposite way.

Re: (Score:3)

by Junta ( 36770 )

Well, not necessarily that far. If you might possibly ever have any sort of personal data even with no intent to actually do anything sketchy with the data, GPDR compliance is a pain.

But still for good reason, you are making yourself a steward of the data which, by any sane measure, should be a responsibility taken very seriously. If you don't like it, good, you have a strong motivator to actually implement the feature at the edge and do everything to avoid ever collecting the information and avoid retaini

Re: (Score:3)

by Registered Coward v2 ( 447531 )

> Precisely.

> When anyone pulls the GDPR card it's almost always cause they're marketing your private data to everyone and their uncle.

It's more than just GDPR compliance, which can be substantial and why some companies block their websites from access by EU IP addresses. Apple, as a gatekeeper, is in the EU's crosshairs and on issue is interoperability. Apple sees this translation feature as a selling point, and if the EU were to require Apple to allow other manufacturers to access and offer it, they lose what they think I an important feature unique to AirPods. As a result, no soup for the EU.

Re: (Score:2)

by timeOday ( 582209 )

I was going to say that translation must require uploading everything to a server which would inherently trigger endless concerns. But the iPhone can do translation on-device with no upload, which surprises me:

> You can translate text, voice, and conversations into any supported language. You can also download languages to translate entirely on a device, even without an internet connection.

[1]https://support.apple.com/guid... [apple.com]

[1] https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/translate-text-voice-and-conversations-iphd74cb450f/ios

iOS 26??? Iâ(TM)m only on 18.6.2 (Score:1)

by ca_sauce ( 10473246 )

How long will it be before that version is released?

Re:iOS 26??? I'm only on 18.6.2 (Score:2)

by msmash ( 4491995 )

Starting this year, Apple has switched to year-based numbering system (corresponding to the calendar year) across its operating systems. iOS 26 follows iOS 18.x.x and will release in a few days.

Re: (Score:2)

by MerlynEmrys67 ( 583469 )

Checks Calendar

Yup, definitely Sept 26 so time to release it... I love version numbering schemes that aren't quite accurate

Re: (Score:2)

by Gilmoure ( 18428 )

Wonder if they'll use an Earth, Wind, And Fire song for the release?

Re: (Score:2)

by berj ( 754323 )

You've never bought a car before? The year x+1 model is always released toward the middle or end of the x year. The majority (ie. 3/4) of iOS 26's usage lifetime will be in 2026. 26 is a perfectly apt version number for the version released now.

Re: (Score:2)

by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

> I love version numbering schemes that aren't quite accurate

With things having yearly releases, it can be a bit of work trying to figure out what version came out when.

So switching to a yearly identifier helps a lot. It's hard enough to track say, which Ubuntu release goes to which animal name because the release name is used in some places. So having to identify which release this animal is can be an annoying experience.

Re: (Score:2)

by registrations_suck ( 1075251 )

Think of it as the year the OS will be replaced.

So, in this case, iOS26 will be replaced in 2026.

Off topic is there a cheap alternative to airpods? (Score:2)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

In particular ones that aren't in ear but that hang on the ear. The in-ear ones don't really work for me. And I can't imagine the call quality is any good...

I used to use ones from a company called Taotronics but they stopped making them and the ones I have are just wearing out as far as the batteries go.

I tried to set from Anker but the volume was way too low. I also try to set from Lenovo and those were fine except the batteries went to crap after a few months...

Samsung makes some decent stuf

Re: Off topic is there a cheap alternative to airp (Score:2)

by ZERO1ZERO ( 948669 )

Only apple option for non in ear is airpods max. You could looks at some of the beats stuff there is some kind of Apple connection with beats so compatibility might be good.

Re: (Score:2)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

Yeah I just don't really want to blow the money on the Apple product when the reviews are just so so.

I miss the old Plantronics headsets the small ones. When airpods took over they stopped making them. To get one of those for 30 bucks and it would last me until I accidentally left it in my pants pocket and washed it :)

Surely... (Score:3)

by devslash0 ( 4203435 )

This should apply to anyone LOCATED in the EU, not just those who have a EU Apple account. You shouldn't be recording and processing the voice and visuals of anyone in that space because you'd still be processing European data.

Re: (Score:3)

by Zak3056 ( 69287 )

Presumably, Apple thinks that "I went to another country and my expensive translator stopped working" has a higher risk of a lawsuit than "someone with airpods may have heard me regurgitate private information in a public space" does. Knowing how the EU has been operating over the last decade or so, I don't know that I agree with that assessment.

Re: (Score:2)

by MikeMo ( 521697 )

Apple said it won't work for EU residents or those with an EU Apple ID. I interpret that to mean it will work if you are in the EU visiting and are neither a resident or have an EU ID.

Re: Surely... (Score:2)

by devslash0 ( 4203435 )

No, I cry about people pretentious enough to think that recording others with their expensive toys, without respect for privacy, is acceptable.

Re: (Score:2)

by registrations_suck ( 1075251 )

That's a lot of crying.

Re: (Score:2)

by ISayWeOnlyToBePolite ( 721679 )

> This should apply to anyone LOCATED in the EU, not just those who have a EU Apple account. You shouldn't be recording and processing the voice and visuals of anyone in that space because you'd still be processing European data.

If it concerns GDPR seemingly they'd be under the exception: [1]https://commission.europa.eu/l... [europa.eu]

> When the regulation does not apply

> Your company is service provider based outside the EU. It provides services to customers outside the EU. Its clients can use its services when they travel to other countries, including within the EU. Provided your company doesn't specifically target its services at individuals in the EU, it is not subject to the rules of the GDPR.

[1] https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/rules-business-and-organisations/application-regulation/who-does-data-protection-law-apply_en

Haha! (Score:2)

by registrations_suck ( 1075251 )

I love it!

Now watch them coming out of the woodwork crying about.

\o/ (Score:1)

by easyTree ( 1042254 )

So, without reading TFS, there's legislation to protect people from overt surveillance but none to protect them from squirting high frequency EM radiation directly within their skull via the ear canal?

Who'd have thunk?

Christ was born in 4 B.C.