Google Translate turns any pair of headphones into a universal translator
Google launched a beta update to its Translate app on Android devices in the United States, Mexico, and India, enabling any headphones to function as real-time translation earbuds powered by Gemini. Users sync their device with headphones to receive live translations.
The feature delivers live speech translations for conversations, speeches, television shows, and movies. Gemini processes the audio to produce output that preserves the original speaker’s tone, emphasis, and cadence. This approach ensures translations sound more natural and nuanced compared to previous methods. In addition, both live translations and text translations localize idioms rather than providing literal equivalents, adapting expressions to cultural contexts familiar to the listener.
The beta supports over 70 languages. These include English, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, standard Arabic, Palestinian Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Zulu, and numerous others. Access occurs through the Google Translate app on compatible Android devices. Support for iOS devices and additional countries will arrive next year.
Separate Gemini-powered text translations became available in the United States and India. This service covers 20 languages, such as Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, and German. Users access these translations via the Android app, iOS app, and web platform.
Apple introduced a similar live translation feature with iOS 26 in June. iPhone users with devices supporting Apple Intelligence obtain live translations for both text and verbal conversations. Live audio translations require specific AirPods models and operate in only nine languages: Mandarin Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and European Spanish.
The scope of Google’s implementation exceeds Apple’s in language count and headphone compatibility. Google attributes its broader support to substantial investments in Gemini, which has rapidly expanded its user base to approach that of ChatGPT. Apple Intelligence entered the AI landscape later and depends on external models like GPT for processing. The established infrastructure of Google Translate contributes to Gemini’s extensive language coverage.
Google also enhanced the language-learning tools within the Translate app. The courses now provide improved feedback mechanisms and enable daily progress tracking, with interfaces resembling those of Duolingo. Availability expanded to nearly 20 new countries, including Germany, India, Sweden, and Taiwan.
New language courses target English speakers learning German and Portuguese. Conversely, courses teaching English now exist for speakers of Bengali, Mandarin, Dutch, German, Hindi, Italian, Romanian, and Swedish. These updates broaden the app’s educational reach across diverse linguistic groups.