Apple AirPods Pro 3 Live Translation might not come to the people who'd use it most

When Apple unveiled the AirPods Pro 3 earlier this week, much of the event centred around one key feature. Live Translation had been leaked beforehand, but was very much the cornerstone of the brand's new flagship earbuds.

It's not hard to see why, either. The promotional video showed a slick user experience, which could seamlessly translate language through your Airpods and iPhone, effectively opening the door to a world of possibilities.

It's also powered by Apple Intelligence, which hasn't had the most seamless of births. From Apple's perspective, having a landmark feature which works effectively to promote and push as the flagship for Apple Intelligence is likely equally as appealing.

There's just one problem – according to the latest reports, the feature won't be available to users in the EU. That seems like a slightly glaring omission, given that the bloc contains no less than 24 officially spoken languages.

Why isn't Live Translation available in the EU?

Apple hasn't listed any official reason for the lack of support, but it's likely to do with rules and laws in the EU surrounding the use of artificial intelligence. The AI Act was introduced earlier this year, and was the first piece of proper legislation designed to regulate the use of AI.

It certainly could be that Apple is falling foul of that, though having – albeit very briefly – read through the summary, I can't see where this technology would impede the high risk definitions. So it seems like something else may be afoot.

It's the latest in a long line of high profile, back-and-forth discussions between Apple and the EU. Prior to this, the most prominent was the USB-C debacle, in which Apple was fighting for its right to use the Lightning cable on phones.

There have also been tensions over taxation in the region and over gatekeeping and the addition of a so-called 'Apple Tax' on other developers earning via the Apple App Store. Is this the start of a new chapter in that story?