Live Translation on iPhone: Which iPhones Support It (and What to Do If Yours Doesn’t)

You want your iPhone to translate a conversation as it happens. Maybe you saw Apple’s Live Translation with AirPods and wondered if your phone can do it. The answer depends on one thing more than anything else: whether your iPhone supports Apple Intelligence.

This guide lists every iPhone from iPhone XS to the newest models, shows which ones get Apple’s built-in Live Translation, and explains how to turn it on. If your iPhone is not on Apple’s list, you still have good options, and we cover those too.

Does iPhone have Live Translate?

Yes, if your iPhone supports Apple Intelligence. Apple added Live Translation in iOS 26. It shows up in four places:

• With AirPods: someone speaks to you, and you hear the translation in your AirPods. You start it from the Translate app.
• Phone calls: the other person hears a spoken translation of what you say, and you see a written transcript.
• FaceTime: translated live captions appear on screen while both of you talk.
• Messages: your texts are translated as you type, and the other person gets both the translation and your original words.

Each of these has its own language list. For the full details on the AirPods version, see our guide to Apple Live Translation.

Apple’s Translate app has been on iPhone for years and also runs on older models. Its Conversation mode translates out loud through the iPhone speaker, turn by turn. That is useful, but it is not the same as hearing a live translation in your ears.

Which iPhones support Live Translation?

Apple says Live Translation with AirPods needs an “iPhone 15 Pro or later” with iOS 26 or later and Apple Intelligence on. Apple’s Apple Intelligence page lists the iPhones that qualify: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone Air, and iPhone 16 models or later. The table below puts every recent iPhone in one place.

Not sure which iPhone you have? Go to Settings > General > About and look at Model Name.

The phone is only half of it for AirPods. Apple’s feature also needs AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods Max 2. Our AirPods live translation guide covers every AirPods model.

Live translation on iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 (including 14 Pro)

iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models can update to iOS 26. But they do not support Apple Intelligence, so Apple’s Live Translation does not appear. This includes iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. There is no setting that adds it, and a newer iOS version will not change that, because the limit is the iPhone itself.

What you can do on iPhone 13 or 14:

• Use Apple’s Translate app in Conversation mode. It speaks each translation through the speaker after each person finishes.
• Use a third-party app that translates live into your headphones. These use the iPhone’s own speech and translation tools, which work without Apple Intelligence.

The same is true for iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE.

If you own an iPhone 13 mini, 13, 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max, our Live Translation on iPhone 13 post covers each model and every AirPods pairing.

Live translation on iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Pro

This is the model people mix up most. iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support Apple Intelligence, so they get Apple’s Live Translation with iOS 26 or later. The regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus do not. They run iOS 26 fine, but Live Translation, Messages translation and the other Apple Intelligence features are not available on them.

If you have an iPhone 15 or 15 Plus and searched for “live translation iphone 15,” that is why you can’t find the feature.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 live translation

Every iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 model supports Apple’s Live Translation. That includes the lower-priced iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air. The newest iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo also qualify. On these phones you only need to update iOS, turn on Apple Intelligence and download your languages.

Two things can still stop it from working on a new iPhone:

• Your AirPods. AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods 4 without noise cancellation, the original AirPods Pro and the original AirPods Max are not supported, even on an iPhone 17.
• Your language. Apple’s AirPods feature covers 11 languages. Turkish, Arabic and Mexican Spanish are not among them. See the full list on our languages page.

Live Translate on iPhone with iOS 26 (and iOS 27)

Live Translation arrived with iOS 26 in September 2025. At launch, the AirPods version worked with English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. iOS 26.1 added Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Italian, Japanese and Korean. In the EU it became available with iOS 26.2 in December 2025.

Apple has since released iOS 27, and its Apple Intelligence features run on the same group of iPhones. So the rule stays simple: iOS 26 or later, plus an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. iPhone XS, XS Max and XR cannot install iOS 26 at all. Their latest version is iOS 18.

How to turn on Live Translation on iPhone

There is no single Live Translation switch. You turn on the pieces it depends on:

If you don’t see Apple Intelligence & Siri in Settings, your iPhone does not support it. Check the table above.

How to use iPhone Live Translation with AirPods

1. Put in your AirPods and connect them to your iPhone.
2. Open the Translate app and tap Live.
3. Choose the language the other person speaks and the language you want to hear.
4. Tap Start Translation. You can also press and hold the stems of both AirPods (AirPods 4 with ANC, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 2 or later), press and hold the listening mode button on AirPods Max 2, or say “Siri, start Live Translation.”

Apple says all processing happens on your iPhone. If something goes wrong, our guide to AirPods Live Translation not working walks through the usual fixes.

iPhone live translation on phone calls

On an iPhone with Apple Intelligence, you can translate a regular call in the Phone app. During the call, tap More, then Live Translation. Pick the language you are translating from, then tap Start Translation. Both people are told the call is being translated. The other person hears a spoken translation of what you say, and you can read a transcript. If you are not on speaker or headphones, the call switches to speaker.

FaceTime works in a similar way, but shows translated live captions. Apple lists its own languages for Phone and FaceTime, and availability can vary by region. Older iPhones do not get this feature. Third-party apps, including ours, are made for talking to someone in person, not for translating phone calls.

Live translation app for iPhone

If your iPhone can’t run Apple’s Live Translation, an app can fill most of the gap for face-to-face talks. Here is how Apple’s feature compares with Live Translation on Headphones, the app this site is about. It is made by Little Tough LLC and is not made by or affiliated with Apple.

In the app’s Listen tab, the other person speaks and you hear the translation in your headphones about a second later, while they keep talking. It keeps going with the screen locked, and shows each phrase with its translation on screen. In the Speak tab, you say your reply and the iPhone speaks it out loud in their language.

Best live translation app for iPhone

The honest answer depends on what you have:

• Supported iPhone, supported AirPods, one of Apple’s 11 languages: use Apple’s Translate app and its Live mode. It is built in. You don’t need another app.
• Older iPhone, older AirPods or other headphones: Apple’s feature won’t run, so a third-party app is the way to get translation in your ears. That is the case our app is built for.
• Turkish, Arabic or Mexican Spanish: Apple’s AirPods feature does not cover these. Our app does.
• Just need a quick phrase on the speaker: Apple’s Translate app in Conversation mode works on older iPhones too.

Other translation apps exist, and some may suit you better, for example if you need a language outside our 14. Check the language list and the iPhone requirement before you download any app. If you use AirPods 4, our post on AirPods 4 live translation explains which model you have.

Quick answers

Does iPhone 13 have Live Translation? No. iPhone 13 models can run iOS 26 but do not support Apple Intelligence, so Apple’s Live Translation is not available. A third-party app can translate live into your headphones instead.

Does iPhone 14 Pro have Live Translation? No. Like all iPhone 14 models, iPhone 14 Pro does not support Apple Intelligence. Apple’s feature starts with iPhone 15 Pro.

Does iPhone 15 have Live Translation? Only the Pro models. iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max support it. iPhone 15 and 15 Plus do not.

Which iPhones support Live Translation? iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 model (including 16e and 17e), iPhone Air, and newer models, running iOS 26 or later with Apple Intelligence on.

How do I activate Live Translation on iPhone? Update to iOS 26 or later, turn on Apple Intelligence in Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri, connect supported AirPods, download your languages, then open the Translate app and tap Live.

Is iPhone Live Translation free? Yes. Apple’s Live Translation is built into iOS at no cost on supported iPhones.

Sources: Apple Support: Use Live Translation with your AirPods, Apple Support: How to get Apple Intelligence, Apple Support: Use Live Translation on iPhone, Apple: iOS feature availability, Apple: iPhone models compatible with iOS 27, Apple Newsroom: New Apple Intelligence features are available today, Apple Newsroom: Live Translation on AirPods expands to the EU, Apple Newsroom: iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Newsroom: iPhone Duo, 9to5Mac: iOS 26 drops iPhone XS, XS Max and XR.