Access Over 70 Languages on Your iPhone with Google’s Live Translate Feature

Apple has introduced a new Live Translation feature in iOS 26, which, although impressive, comes with certain limitations. To utilize this feature, users must have H2-equipped AirPods and an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. Additionally, the feature is only compatible with nine languages.

For individuals who do not meet the specific requirements set by Apple, Google has stepped in to expand its own Live Translate functionality to iOS through the Google Translate app. The rollout is still in progress and will initially be available in select countries. Google recently announced the official introduction of its advanced Live translate with headphones feature to iOS, extending its reach to more countries across all platforms, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and the UK. Previously, this feature was limited to the US, India, and Mexico.

Google has always maintained a significant advantage in terms of language support compared to Apple’s native Translate app. The tech giant also beat Apple to the punch by offering Live Translation on Android through its Pixel phones and buds, subsequently expanding compatibility to include nearly all third-party Bluetooth headphones. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Google is leading the way on the iPhone platform as well.

Apple Translate currently supports only 19 languages, which increases to 21 when considering variations such as US and UK English, as well as Traditional and Simplified Mandarin Chinese. In contrast, Google Translate boasts a staggering number of over 249 languages, dialects, and language varieties, underscoring the significant disparity between the two platforms.

Despite Apple’s commendable translation capabilities and on-device processing, the company’s stringent focus on privacy has resulted in a considerable lag behind Google’s more expansive language offerings. This disparity is particularly evident in the case of Filipino iPhone users, who have long been awaiting Tagalog translation support promised by Apple but yet to materialize.

Google’s Live translate feature supports over 70 languages, including Filipino/Tagalog, demonstrating the vast difference in language coverage when compared to Apple. Users can refer to Google’s support article for a comprehensive list of supported languages, although the use of two-letter language codes may necessitate cross-referencing on external sources like Wikipedia.

While Google’s cloud-based processing for Live translate may raise privacy concerns for some users and require a data connection, it remains a viable option for individuals seeking language translation capabilities beyond what Apple currently offers.

Notably, Google’s Live translate with headphones functionality is compatible with any set of headphones, not limited to AirPods, and can be utilized on any iPhone capable of running iOS 16 or later, including models like the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and newer releases. This stands in stark contrast to Apple’s Live Translation, which necessitates at least an iPhone 15 Pro for operation.

The Live translate with headphones feature is integrated into the standard Google Translate app, accessible by tapping “Live translate” and connecting headphones. Furthermore, users can set Google Translate as the default translation app on iPhones running iOS 18.4 or higher, enabling seamless access to translation services over Apple’s native Translate app.