# Live Translation in the EU: Is It Still Blocked on AirPods, and Which European Languages Work?

URL: https://livetranslation.org/blog/live-translation-eu/
Published: 2026-10-30
Publisher: Little Tough LLC, maker of Live Translation on Headphones (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/live-translation-on-headphones/id6811201454)

Live Translation in the EU: Apple’s AirPods feature is no longer blocked. See when it arrived, which EU languages it covers, and what to do if yours is missing.

Live Translation in the EU has a confusing history. When Apple launched it in September 2025, headlines said it was blocked in Europe. Many of those articles are still the first thing people find, so a lot of EU AirPods owners think they can’t use it.

That block is over. Apple brought Live Translation on AirPods to the EU with iOS 26.2 in December 2025. The catch today is not where you live. It’s your iPhone, your AirPods and, above all, your language.

**Short answer:** Yes, Apple’s Live Translation with AirPods works in the EU. It was held back at launch because of the Digital Markets Act and arrived with iOS 26.2 in December 2025. You need an iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence, supported AirPods and one of 11 languages. Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Greek, European Portuguese and most other EU languages are still not supported.

## Is Live Translation available in the EU now?

Yes. In November 2025 Apple’s Newsroom announced that Live Translation on AirPods would expand to the EU the next month. It shipped with the iOS 26.2 updates in December 2025, and it is part of iOS 27 today.

Apple’s [feature availability page](https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/#apple-intelligence-live-translation-airpods) no longer lists an EU exception for Live Translation with AirPods. It only adds Apple’s usual line that some features may not be available in all regions or languages.

### Why was Live Translation blocked in the EU?

At launch, Apple said the feature was not available if you were in the EU and your Apple Account Country or Region was also in the EU. Both had to be true. A US account traveling in Paris could use it. A French account at home could not.

Apple’s reason, in its own words, was “additional engineering work needed to comply with” the Digital Markets Act. That rule is gone now, but the old wording still shows up in some places, including older copies of Apple’s iPhone User Guide. Trust the newer support page and Newsroom post.

## EU timeline at a glance

| Date | What changed in the EU |
| --- | --- |
| September 2025 (iOS 26) | Live Translation launches, but not for people in the EU with an EU Apple Account |
| November 2025 (iOS 26.1) | Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese added worldwide; Apple announces the EU expansion |
| December 2025 (iOS 26.2) | Live Translation on AirPods reaches EU users |
| September 2026 (iOS 27) | Still available in the EU, same 11 languages |

## What you need to use it in Europe

The requirements are the same in Berlin as in Boston:

- **iPhone:** iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16, 17 or 18 Pro model, iPhone Air or iPhone Duo, with Apple Intelligence turned on.

- **Software:** iOS 26.2 or later in the EU (iOS 27 is current), plus the Translate app.

- **AirPods:** AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods Max 2, with the latest firmware.

- **Languages:** both languages downloaded in Settings > [your AirPods name] > Live Translation (Beta).

Then open the Translate app, tap Live, and choose the two languages. The full steps are in our [guide to turning on Live Translation](https://livetranslation.org/blog/how-to-turn-on-live-translation-airpods/).

## Which EU languages does Live Translation support?

This is where most Europeans get stuck. The EU has 24 official languages. Apple’s AirPods feature covers only a handful of them, plus English. Here is how the main languages spoken in the EU stand.

| Language | Apple’s AirPods feature | Our app |
| --- | --- | --- |
| German, French, Italian | Yes | Yes |
| Spanish (Spain) | Yes | Yes |
| English (UK and US) | Yes | Yes |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | No, only Brazil | No, only Brazil |
| Turkish | No | Yes |
| Arabic | No | Yes |
| Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Danish, Finnish | No | No |
| Greek, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian and other EU languages | No | No |

So if you speak Dutch in Amsterdam or Polish in Warsaw, neither Apple’s AirPods feature nor our app can translate your language today. Apple Intelligence itself does run in Dutch, Danish and Swedish, but that is not the same as Live Translation support.

Turkish and Arabic are different. Millions of people in Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium speak them every day, and Apple’s AirPods feature leaves them out. That’s the gap our app fills.

> Live Translation on Headphones translates Turkish and Arabic live in your AirPods, the two big languages of Europe that Apple’s AirPods feature skips. [Get it on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/live-translation-on-headphones/id6811201454)

## Live Translation not showing in the EU? Check these

If you are in the EU and the Live Translation option is missing, it is almost never the old block. Work through this list:

- **Update iOS.** Anything before iOS 26.2 still has the EU restriction. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

- **Update your AirPods.** Check the firmware in Settings > Bluetooth > (i) next to your AirPods > About. Keep them in the case, charging, near the iPhone to update.

- **Turn on Apple Intelligence.** Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri. Your Siri and device language must be one Apple Intelligence supports.

- **Install the Translate app.** If you deleted it, get it back from the App Store.

- **Check your model.** AirPods 4 without ANC, AirPods 3, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are not supported, in the EU or anywhere.

Still stuck? Our [Live Translation not working](https://livetranslation.org/blog/airpods-live-translation-not-working/) checklist has 11 fixes in order.

### Don’t mix it up with Siri AI

Some of the EU confusion in 2026 comes from a different feature. Apple’s page says the new Siri AI in iOS 27 will not be available in the EU at first. That is about Siri. Live Translation with AirPods is a separate feature, and it works in the EU.

## Traveling or living in Europe

**Travelers:** If you’re visiting Spain, France, Germany or Italy, Apple’s feature covers the local language. Download it before you fly, since Live Translation runs on the iPhone and can work offline once the languages are on your phone.

**The UK:** The UK left the EU, so the old block never applied there. English (UK) is supported.

**Living in the EU with an older iPhone:** Here the location doesn’t matter. An iPhone 13, iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 can’t run Apple’s feature anywhere. Our [Apple Live Translation guide](https://livetranslation.org/apple-live-translation/) explains why, and what still works.

## When an app is the better choice

If you have a supported iPhone and AirPods and you speak one of Apple’s 11 languages, use Apple’s feature. It is built into iOS and works well.

Our app, [Live Translation on Headphones](https://livetranslation.org/), is for everyone else in Europe who speaks one of its 14 languages. It works on any iPhone with iOS 18, with any AirPods, Beats or Bluetooth headphones. You hear the translation about a second after the other person speaks, and the speech recognition, translation and voice run on the iPhone, with nothing uploaded.

> Live Translation on Headphones gives you live translation on an iPhone 11 to 14 or AirPods 2, 3 or 4 without ANC, anywhere in Europe. [Get it on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/live-translation-on-headphones/id6811201454)

The app is made by Little Tough LLC, not Apple.

## Quick answers

**Is Live Translation available in the EU?** Yes. Apple’s Live Translation with AirPods came to the EU with iOS 26.2 in December 2025 and works on iOS 27.

**Why was AirPods Live Translation blocked in the EU?** Apple said it needed extra engineering work to comply with the Digital Markets Act. The block applied only if you were in the EU and your Apple Account region was also in the EU.

**Can I use Live Translation in Europe with a US Apple Account?** Yes. Even at launch, a non-EU account could use it while traveling in the EU. Today any account works.

**Does Live Translation support Dutch or Polish?** No. Apple’s AirPods feature supports 11 languages, and Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Greek and European Portuguese are not among them.

**Is Apple Live Translation free in the EU?** Yes. It is built into iOS on supported iPhones and AirPods, with no extra charge.

**Does Live Translation work in the UK?** Yes. The UK is not in the EU, so the launch restriction never applied there.

Sources: [Apple Newsroom: Live Translation on AirPods expands to the EU](https://www.apple.com/ie/newsroom/2025/11/live-translation-on-airpods-expands-to-the-eu/), [Apple Support: Use Live Translation with your AirPods](https://support.apple.com/en-us/123185), [Apple: iOS Feature Availability](https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/#apple-intelligence-live-translation-airpods), [Apple Support: iPhone models that support Apple Intelligence](https://support.apple.com/en-us/121115), [MacRumors: AirPods Live Translation blocked for EU users with EU Apple Accounts](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/11/airpods-live-translation-eu-restricted/), [App Store: Live Translation on Headphones](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/live-translation-on-headphones/id6811201454).