Thursday, 11 September, 2025
London, UK
Thursday, September 11, 2025 10:45 PM
broken clouds 12.2°C
Condition: Broken clouds
Humidity: 79%
Wind Speed: 18.5 km/h

Apple blocks translation AirPods in EU over regulatory concerns

Europeans won’t be able to enjoy a shiny new feature Apple presented at this week’s unveiling of a set of new iPhones and AirPods.

Apple introduced new AirPods on Tuesday, featuring real-time translation directly through the earbuds. It stated that the feature works with earbuds paired to phones that have Apple Intelligence — Apple’s version of AI.

But it doesn’t work for users in Europe.

“Live translation with AirPods is not available if you are in the EU and your Apple account country or region is also in the EU,” an Apple support page reads.

Apple is blocking the functionality due to its interpretation of its obligations under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, specifically a European Commission decision from March. The decision states that the iPhone maker is required to make certain functions interoperable with competitor devices.

Apple executives have previously threatened to block the rollout of services like Apple Intelligence due to its European regulatory obligations.

The languages currently supported for live translation through AirPods are English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, with Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese to follow by the end of the year.

POLITICO approached the European Commission with a request for comment.

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

Categories

Follow

    Newsletter

    Subscribe to receive your complimentary login credentials and unlock full access to all features and stories from Lord’s Press.

    As a journal of record, Lord’s Press remains freely accessible—thanks to the enduring support of our distinguished partners and patrons. Subscribing ensures uninterrupted access to our archives, special reports, and exclusive notices.

    LP is free thanks to our Sponsors

    Privacy Overview

    Privacy & Cookie Notice

    This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and to help us understand how our content is accessed and used. Cookies are small text files stored in your browser that allow us to recognise your device upon return, retain your preferences, and gather anonymised usage statistics to improve site performance.

    Under EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process this data based on your consent. You will be prompted to accept or customise your cookie preferences when you first visit our site.

    You may adjust or withdraw your consent at any time via the cookie settings link in the website footer. For more information on how we handle your data, please refer to our full Privacy Policy