Apple is reportedly developing real-time translation capabilities for AirPods that would be triggered by pressing both AirPod stems simultaneously, according to system assets discovered in the iOS 26 developer beta 6. The feature, first predicted by Bloomberg, would support English, French, German, and Portuguese translation through the connected iPhone rather than processing directly on the AirPods themselves. This development represents a significant step forward from existing translation tools like Google Translate, which require awkward phone-passing or speaking into devices that can disrupt natural conversation flow. The translation functionality is expected to arrive with iOS 26 this fall and will be compatible with AirPods Pro 2 and both active noise cancellation and standard versions of AirPods 4, potentially making in-ear translation accessible to mainstream consumers for the first time since affordable options like the discontinued Waverly Labs Ambassador.