AirPods are arguably the most successful product from Apple since the iPhone, and the company appears to have plans to make them even more indispensable. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is set to introduce a live-translate feature to AirPods later this year as part of an upcoming software update.

This feature is expected to work similarly to the translation feature on the Pixel Buds, but without the need to activate Google Assistant or Siri to start listening for a specific language. Instead, Apple’s feature would automatically detect when a language other than the user’s native language is being spoken and translate it in real-time.

The Pixel Buds have offered live translation since 2020, making them superior to AirPods in this regard. However, with the introduction of the Translate app in iOS 14, Apple took a significant step towards bridging this gap, although it hasn’t made any further developments in this area until now.

Assuming the update is released, it will follow another significant upgrade to the AirPods: Apple’s Hearing Health features. In 2024, the company enabled the AirPods Pro to perform hearing tests and function as over-the-counter hearing aids. The addition of translation capabilities could give users even more reason to wear their AirPods constantly. Furthermore, with rumors suggesting that Apple may add heart-rate tracking to the AirPods, similar to the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, it’s easy to envision the headphones becoming an essential, always-worn accessory like the Apple Watch.