Apple’s iOS 26 has officially landed, bringing a suite of “Apple Intelligence” features to the masses. One of the most anticipated new tricks is Live Translation for AirPods Pro 2, a feature that promises to turn your earbuds into a personal, real-time interpreter. But as many early adopters are discovering, getting this futuristic function to work isn’t always as simple as installing the new OS. Users have been flocking to online forums like Reddit and Apple’s support pages, confused as to why the feature isn’t working.
The common complaint is that after updating both their iPhone and AirPods, squeezing the stems does nothing, or it prompts a message to download languages that are already installed on the device. One user, mattjmatthias, described the frustrating loop, saying the feature “takes me to the language download page, where English, French and Portuguese are indeed already downloaded.” This has left many wondering if the feature is simply broken or if they’re missing a critical step.
Thankfully, the user community has pieced together a solution that seems to be working for most. The primary culprit appears to be the AirPods Pro 2 firmware. While many users believe they are on the latest version, the Live Translation feature requires firmware version 8A356, which was released alongside iOS 26.
The trick to getting it installed, as user Jake0874 discovered and shared on Reddit, is to perform a full reset of your AirPods. After resetting them, place them back in their case, plug it into a power source, and leave them be for about 30 minutes. This process should force the new firmware to install.
There are a couple of other potential roadblocks. Some users, like Redpaul1970, found they needed to download the English (US) language pack in the Translate app, even if they were in another English-speaking region like the UK. It also turns out that you must have Apple’s own Translate app installed on your iPhone for the feature to initialize. It’s an easy thing to overlook if you’ve previously uninstalled it.
Of course, this comes with the usual caveats for a new feature. It requires an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence and, as pointed out on Apple’s forums, is not available for users in the European Union.
That said, this isn’t the only thing in the spotlight with iOS 26. As I covered on our sister site, many users dislike the new Liquid Glass aesthetic entirely. So it seems Apple has some housekeeping to do before it can convince users that the new design language is not all that bad.
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Dwayne Cubbins
1327 Posts
For nearly a decade, I've been deciphering the complexities of the tech world, with a particular passion for helping users navigate the ever-changing tech landscape. From crafting in-depth guides that unlock your phone's hidden potential to uncovering and explaining the latest bugs and glitches, I make sure you get the most out of your devices. And yes, you might occasionally find me ranting about some truly frustrating tech mishaps.
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