Apple’s newest Air Pods Pro3 have wowed tech fans with its live translation feature but unknown to many you can get it on some older pairs
Apple’s newest pair of AirPods Pro 3 is wowing the tech industry. Launching last week for £219, the pair lasts up to eight hours on a single charge and has a boosted acoustic performance plus, its new live translation feature, which has gone viral with tech fans.
A new launch from Apple, the AirPods Pro 3 will translate languages for wearers in live time, it is as simple as walking through a market on holiday and being able to talk to someone in real time, without the faff of translation apps. The feature has turned heads on social media, but there’s no need to spend hundreds on the newest pair to get it.
Unknown to many, this will be available on the older AirPods 4 and last years AirPods Pro2 so shoppers don’t have to fork out on the new pair if they don’t have the budget. Instead, tech fans can make the most of deals – like this 20p a day AirPods Pro 4 deal – and still get the feature.
In one of its cost-splitting plans, Sky Mobile is selling the AirPods 4 with ANC for £6 a month, one of the older Apple pairs which are compatible with Live Translation. On an average 30-day month, this breaks down to around 20p per day.
The £6 per month price is for those who opt for the 36-month contract. Alternatively there is the option to lock into a shorter contract, either £9 a month for a 24-month contract, or £18 a month for the 12-month contract – flexibility which can’t be found on Sky’s mobile plans, which are set at 36-months.
Sky AirPods 4
£6 a month
Sky Mobile
Buy Here
Sky’s plan splits the price of AirPods 4 to £6 a month, which works out to be 20p per day.
As shared in their official press release, Apple said: “Live Translation with AirPods works on AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation and AirPods Pro 2 and later with the latest firmware when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone running iOS 26 and later”.
However, the iPhone users have is key. Shoppers will have to have Apple Intelligence on their iPhone, which means having an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, and be fully updated to iOS 26 – which comes out this September 15.
Another thing to note, is that users will have to buy the boosted ANC of AirPods 4 if they want the live translation feature, as the standard AirPods 4 will not be compatible. For anyone looking at the 2022 AirPod Pro2 pair, Amazon has currently cut the price down to £199 from £229.
As well as the Sky deal, the AirPods 4 can also be bought from O2 from £3.72 per month. However, unlike Sky, this comes with a £45 upfront cost. For those not fussed for Live Translation at all, the standard AirPod 4 are currently discounted at Amazon, now £119 instead of £129.
A huge hurdle for some Apple users is location, as the new live translation feature will not be set out in the EU, however the UK does not have the same hurdles. As Yahoo pointed out: “Apple is blocking the translation function in the EU because of the act’s “interoperability” requirements of its iOS system.
“However, it is understood that the company is attempting to make the tool available as soon as possible. Apple does not face the same regulatory hurdles in the UK.”