Google’s live translation feature Live Translate, which has not yet been opened in Taiwan, has had a troubling limitation since its launch: users must wear headphones to listen to translated speech. In fact, the same situation applies to Apple’s instant translation, which is not very convenient for daily use (but Ada has developed an app that can translate directly without headphones), but this limitation may soon become a thing of the past.
Teardown from APK reveals: Handset mode is coming soon
According to foreign media Android Authority According to the APK teardown information obtained, Google is currently testing a new feature in the Google Translate application version 10.18.45.917270523.4: allowing users to listen to the voice output of real-time translation through the phone’s built-in earpiece without connecting any headphones.
Specifically, when the user does not connect headphones, the current interface will gray out the “Listening Mode” option and cannot be enabled. In the new version, this option is changed to prompt the user to hold the phone close to the ear to receive the translated voice through the earpiece. This means that in the future, as long as you have a smartphone, you can start instant translation at any time, and you no longer need to pair it with headphones to start.
The evolution of Live Translate: from exclusive to Pixel Buds to available to everyone
To understand the significance of this update, let’s first look back at Live Translate’s development trajectory. This feature was originally an exclusive selling point of Google Pixel Buds. At that time, only Pixel Buds users could experience real-time voice translation, and other brands of headphones could not be used at all (just like Apple’s real-time translation, which must be paired with AirPods Pro, but Google’s real-time translation was quite powerful at the time).
By the end of 2025, Google finally launched the more powerful Live Translate and opened it for testing on the Android platform. This feature is driven by the Gemini model and supports real-time speech-to-speech translation in more than 70 languages while retaining the intonation and rhythm of the original speaker. Although it is no longer bound to Google Pixel Buds headphones, “headphones” are still a necessary condition to activate real-time translation. We have done related tests before, but this function has not been opened in Taiwan so far.
Why is earpiece mode important?
The addition of the handset mode can be said to push the usability of Live Translate to the next stage. First of all, for users who need translation temporarily, they can use it immediately without digging through their bags to find headphones, which greatly lowers the threshold for use. Imagine the scene at the airport, station or restaurant: when you suddenly need to communicate with a foreigner, you find that you forgot to bring your earphones when you went out, or you left your earphones in the hotel room. In the past, this situation could only rely on text translation, and text translation was far less smooth than voice translation in real-time conversations.
Offline mode is on the way too: a two-pronged feature upgrade
In addition to the handset mode, Google is also developing the offline function of Live Translate.Based on APK teardown results, the interface design for offline real-time translation has appeared in version 10.17.48.914427315.6, including a set of exquisite entry guide screens.
Currently, Google Translate’s offline functionality is limited to text and image translation, and Live Translate still requires an Internet connection. The future offline mode will require users to download the corresponding language package in advance. It is initially speculated that the first batch of supported languages may include English, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish.
Timetable and Notes
Both of these features are currently still in the testing phase and have not yet been officially launched. According to tests by Android Authority, the handset mode needs to be manually enabled by modifying the application code, indicating that Google is still adjusting and testing. The official launch time has not yet been announced, but considering that Google has expanded Live Translate to any headset by the end of 2025, the official launch of the earpiece mode should not be too far away.
However, it should be reminded that the functions discovered in the APK disassembly belong to the code under development. Whether it will be officially launched and the actual performance when launched still needs to be officially confirmed by Google.
In addition, if you want to use Google Instant Voice Translation immediately without headphones, you can also download the software developed by Ada. Android App, completely free, and also has detailed instructions on how to use it.
Source: KOCPC Chinese