Apple just dropped a new AirPods Pro 3 feature so impressive people can’t shut up about it

It’s that time of year again when Apple unveil their latest iPhones and accessories. And let’s be honest, in recent years, the updates have often felt fairly underwhelming, with only small tweaks setting the new models apart from the old.

But this time, there’s something different.

The upcoming AirPods Pro 3 boast a feature people can’t stop talking about – and with good reason.

It’s not just another minor upgrade; it’s a tool that could genuinely change day-to-day life, particularly for frequent travellers or anyone trying to learn a new language.

Enter: Live translation.

On Tuesday (9 September), Apple unveiled the AirPods Pro 3, featuring built-in live translation for in-person conversations across languages, including English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

By the end of the year, support will expand to Italian, Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese.

Live Translation lets you speak naturally through your AirPods while hearing instant translations. If the other person doesn’t have the feature, your iPhone can display your words in their language and translate their reply back into yours.

It didn't take long for the feature to spread across social media, with one joking: "All of those Duolingo hours for nothing."

Another humoured: "I'm about to lie on my resume and say I understand every language."

Meanwhile, a third chimed in: "This feels like a Black Mirror episode for some reason."

Speaking about the new launch in a statement, John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, shared: "With AirPods Pro 3, the most popular headphones take a massive leap forward, providing fantastic sound quality and the world’s best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones.

"Combined with an improved fit that provides greater stability for even more people, heart rate sensing, extended battery life, and Live Translation enabled by Apple Intelligence, AirPods Pro 3 take personal audio to the next level."

AirPods Pro 3 can be pre-ordered, with availability from Friday 19 September.

You may also like...

• Apple's iPhone 17 Air may be its thinnest phone yet - but there's one detail people are missing
• iPhone’s orange and green screen dots spark TikTok panic – but what do they actually mean?

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.