Google has announced that it is expanding its Live Translate feature to iOS devices and to additional countries beyond the initial three where it launched last year: the United States, Mexico, and India.
The new countries Live Translate is expanding to include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
Live Translate was introduced last August as a significant overhaul of the app's previous "Conversations" mode. The technology is powered by Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio, a sophisticated AI model built specifically for live speech-to-speech translation. This allows the app to process conversations as they happen, identifying a speaker's unique accents, intonations, and even the natural pauses people take while talking.
For a long time, Google's best real-time translation was locked to its own hardware, like the Pixel Buds. Then, in December last year, Google updated the feature, making the Live Translation feature compatible with virtually any pair of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds you happen to own.
Other things that came with the December update include an AI-powered improvement for translating local idioms and slang. Google also built out its language learning tools within the Translate app, adding progress-tracking "streaks" and customized practice scenarios for over 20 new countries.
To use Live Translate, open the Google Translate app, then tap the "Live Translate" button in the bottom left corner. After you select the languages for the conversation, you can pick between different modes to fit the situation. "Listening Mode" is handy for passively understanding a speaker, like a tour guide, by feeding a continuous translation directly into your headphones.
For a back-and-forth dialogue, "Conversation Mode" splits the screen and uses the AI to automatically detect who is speaking, creating a more natural exchange. And if you are in a quiet place, "Text Only" mode provides a silent, on-screen transcription.
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