Apple AirPods / Depositphotos
It seems that Apple is planning to turn headphones into a «Babel fish». A well-known insider source says we won’t have long to wait.
According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, this feature will be offered as part of an AirPods software update planned for later this year. It will be associated with the release of the new iOS 19. It should be noted that competitors like Google Pixel Buds have had this option for years. Since 2020, Apple has been offering its own Translate app for the iPhone.
However, this move promises to provide AirPods users with an experience similar to Star Trek or «Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy», which is where the fish’s name comes from. The feature will work like this: if an English-speaker hears someone speaking in Spanish, the iPhone will translate and transmit what they say to the AirPods in English. The translation will also work in the opposite direction.
The AirPods update will be part of a wider software update this year. As ITC.ua reported earlier, Apple is planning the most radical modernization of iOS for all time, as well as a redesign of macOS. In addition to adding conversation translation, Apple will also improve the overall translation technology in iOS 19.
Importantly, users won’t need to buy new headphones to take advantage of these improvements. Last year Apple has introduced the second generation of AirPods Pro hearing aid options and related functions that do not require a visit to a doctor. They are wildly popular even in places where they are not officially allowed and require hardware modification for use.
The company is also working on hardware updates to AirPods, including the third-generation AirPods Pro. In particular, according to Mark Gurman, Apple is developing a model with built-in cameras that use artificial intelligence to analyze the environment.