While the live translation tool introduced by Apple for its recently announced AirPods 3 Pro has made waves around the globe, people living in the European Union won’t be able to access this feature for some time. In a recent update, the technology giants revealed that they will be withholding the live translation feature from EU residents in order to comply with the region’s strict digital rules.
Here are the regions where AirPods 3 live translation won’t work
On September 10, Apple unveiled the new AirPods 3 Pro to the general public for the first time, which generated a lot of buzz due to their live translation feature. The unique addition in Apple’s latest line of earphones automatically translates conversations by leveraging artificial intelligence software, allowing users to interpret what is being said in their preferred language in real-time. The tool can also help AirPods 3 Pro users in translating their own speech into a different language.
However, Apple has since confirmed that customers in the European Union won’t be able to access this feature for an indefinite period. In accordance, Apple released an official statement on its website that reads, “Live Translation with AirPods is not available if you are in the EU and your Apple account country or region is also in the EU.” (via The Telegraph)
As such, potential buyers from all the 32 countries that fall under the EU bracket, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, and more, won’t be able to enjoy the translation tool, even if they get their hands on the latest AirPods range.
Notably, Apple faced a similar issue when it launched a horde of new AI-powered features in iPhones last year. The EU’s Digital Markets Act, which has prevented the Tim Cook-led organization from enabling its live translation feature in the AirPods 3 Pro, also forced Apple to delay its aforementioned AI-centric update to March 2025.
With Apple still figuring out a way to comply with the EU’s digital policies, non-compliance of which could result in a multi-billion euro fine, it remains unclear when the live translation feature will become accessible to the EU market.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on Mandatory.
