Imagine being in Lisbon or Porto, talking with someone who speaks only Spanish, French, German, or Portuguese, and understanding every sentence without needing to ask them to repeat, slow down, or translate themselves. That is the promise of Apple’s latest AirPods Pro 3 with Live Translation (available from September 19, 2025 for €249), a feature that uses artificial intelligence to translate spoken language in real time, directly through your earbuds.
Here’s what this means, why it matters in Portugal, and what you should know before trying it yourself.
What is Live Translation on AirPods
Apple has recently introduced a feature called Live Translation, part of its Apple Intelligence tools, that allows AirPods wearers to hear translations of speech as it happens. The earbuds pick up speech through their microphones, process it with the help of the iPhone running iOS 26 or later, and deliver the translation to the listener. At launch, the available languages are English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Additional languages like Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Korean are expected later this year.
Why This Matters in Portugal
Portugal is a crossroads of languages and cultures, with millions of tourists arriving each year, large immigrant communities, and frequent business exchanges with Spain, France, Germany, and Portuguese speaking communities around the world. In this context, being able to understand people in real time without reaching for your phone could transform daily communication.
For those working in tourism, from hotels to restaurants and shops, Live Translation can create smoother and more personal interactions with visitors. In service industries such as construction, deliveries, or home repairs, the ability to bridge gaps between Portuguese and English or Spanish speakers will be able to help reduce misunderstandings. Students, teachers, and professionals will also benefit in classrooms or workplaces where multiple languages are spoken, granted the schools allow the use of smart phones. Even in casual conversations with neighbors or friends, the technology will be able to help make connections stronger by reducing the language barriers between them.
How Do These New AirPods Work?
To use Live Translation with AirPods, you need compatible hardware and software. That means AirPods Pro 2 or later, or AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, paired with an iPhone that supports iOS 26. The languages you want to use must be downloaded in advance through the Translate app. While Apple plans to expand coverage, some features are not immediately available in every country or account region. It is also important to remember that this technology is still evolving. Although the translations are impressively accurate, the system can miss cultural context or emotional nuance that goes beyond words. Like any AI program, expect hiccups and delays at the beginning.
Getting started is straightforward. Open the AirPods case next to your iPhone and tap to pair. Update the iPhone to iOS 26 and turn on Apple Intelligence. Open the new Translate app and download the languages you want to use. Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and English are available now, with more coming soon. Select the language being spoken and the language you want to hear. To activate the interpreter, press and hold both stems of the AirPods for a few seconds until you hear a tone, and then both people can begin talking. A transcript of the conversation appears in the Translate app while a voice reads the translation in your earbuds.
A recent iPhone such as the iPhone 15 Pro or a device from the 16 series is still required for Apple Intelligence. For the smoothest two-way experience, it helps when both people are wearing AirPods, although the feature can still be useful when only one person has earbuds, since many speakers are comfortable talking in their own language while understanding replies in English.
Apple in Portugal
One important point for people in Portugal is that there is no official Apple Store in the country. Instead, Apple products are sold and serviced through authorized retailers and premium resellers. These stores provide warranty and support, but they are not directly operated by Apple. Prices may vary slightly compared to other countries, and the newest models are not always available as quickly as in markets with official Apple Stores. The closest Apple Store is in Madrid, Spain. For many Portuguese consumers, this means relying on online orders or authorized resellers for the latest technology, including the new AirPods with Live Translation.
Conclusion
The arrival of real-time translation in AirPods marks a major step in making artificial intelligence useful in everyday life. For people in Portugal, this has the potential to change how both locals and visitors communicate in a country where multiple languages constantly intersect. Whether for tourism, education, business, or casual conversation, Live Translation offers a new level of accessibility and ease. Even though Portugal does not yet have an official Apple Store, the technology is within reach through authorized resellers, and it promises to make communication simpler and faster. Are you excited to try these new AirPods in Portugal? Let us know in the comments!
