Apple Introduces Real-Time Translation Across Messages, Calls, and FaceTime
Apple unveiled a series of sweeping updates across its software ecosystem at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, alongside a bold expansion of its artificial intelligence suite, Apple Intelligence. Among the most striking announcements was the introduction of Live Translation, an on-device AI-powered feature that enables seamless, real-time translation across Messages, phone calls, and FaceTime.
During the event’s keynote, Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, framed the updates as part of a broader mission to embed intelligence into the everyday user experience without compromising user privacy.
“Last year, we took the first steps on a journey to bring users intelligence that’s helpful, relevant, easy to use, and right where users need it, all while protecting their privacy. Now, the models that power Apple Intelligence are becoming more capable and efficient, and we’re integrating features in even more places across each of our operating systems.”
Apple’s new Live Translation feature represents a significant advancement in how users can communicate across language barriers. In Messages, it can translate text in real-time as it’s typed and deliver replies in the recipient’s language. Phone conversations benefit from spoken translations that play during the call, while FaceTime users will see translated captions appear live on their screens.
Notably, all translations are processed entirely on the user’s device using Apple’s proprietary language models. This local processing ensures that conversations remain private and are not uploaded to the cloud, a key distinction that aligns with Apple’s ongoing emphasis on privacy.
The feature is limited to devices equipped to handle these powerful models. Specifically, Live Translation will only be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and later models, as well as iPads and Macs featuring Apple Silicon, starting with the M1 chip.
Apple Intelligence already supports a solid lineup of languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. That list is now growing. By the end of the year, Apple plans to roll out support for eight new languages: Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, European Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
This expansion isn’t just about accessibility—it opens the door to deeper cultural and educational engagement. For users learning new languages or working in multilingual environments, the update transforms Apple devices into even more powerful tools for communication and learning.
Live translation is just one piece of Apple’s growing AI puzzle. The company also announced enhancements to its Visual Intelligence features, deeper integration with Shortcuts, and updates to creative tools like Genmoji and Image Playground. These changes collectively mark a continued evolution in Apple’s vision for ambient, device-embedded AI that doesn’t just live in the cloud but coexists naturally with your apps, messages, and media.
While AI remains a buzzword in the tech industry, Apple’s measured rollout—emphasizing privacy, accessibility, and real-time functionality—suggests a more grounded approach. With more languages and features on the way, the company appears to be steadily building an ecosystem where intelligent tools enhance communication, creativity, and productivity worldwide.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.