Google for translating live conversations using iPhone

The direct translation feature of the Translate application has just been deployed by Google on iOS, after a period of deploying the beta version on Android. In this week’s launch announcement, Google said this tool supports about 70 languages, including Vietnamese.

One of the special features of this update is the ability to translate live in real time and play through headphones. For example, in a conversation with an English speaker, the user can open the application, select the Live translate feature and choose to translate into Vietnamese. A Vietnamese voice will be played in parallel through the headphones, while the original English voice will be played at a lower volume.

In the introductory video posted by Google when translating from Japanese to English, the application provides the ability to translate almost simultaneously, about 1-2 seconds slower than the original voice.

In addition to direct translation and output to headphones, the application also supports options such as voice-to-text and on-screen display, or conversation features. If the user answers, the application will also translate it back and play it through the phone’s speaker.

In the announcement, Google said this feature has begun to be deployed in markets including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, and Thailand. Previously, during testing on Android at the end of last year, this feature was deployed in the US, Mexico and India.

Currently, the Google Translate application feature in Vietnam also supports translation in conversations, but in text form. That means the application will listen and display the conversation between two people as text on the screen.

Google also promises to expand to other markets in 2026, but does not specify when or which countries.

The ability to translate directly in conversations was introduced by companies last year. At Google I/O 2025, Google surprised everyone by launching this feature on the Google Meet video calling application. Later, Apple also introduced the ability to translate directly using Apple Intelligence during FaceTime calls or messages. In iOS 26.1 beta 1 last September, Apple launched the direct translation feature via AirPods headphones (AirPods Live Translation), but did not yet support Vietnamese.