- T-Mobile has announced Live Translation, a network-based feature that translates phone calls in more than 50 languages.
- During the beta, you activate it mid-call by dialing *87*, with no app or special device required.
- Only one person on the call needs to be a T-Mobile subscriber for both parties to use the feature.
One upside of the AI boom is that live translation is quickly becoming more mainstream. Google’s version on Pixel phones is the obvious example, but you can get it in dedicated earbuds, smart glasses, and many other places. But most of these tools still depend on the right hardware or app. T-Mobile is removing another layer of that friction by building live translation directly into its wireless network.
In a press release today, the carrier announced what it calls the first real-time AI platform integrated into a cellular network, starting with a feature named Live Translation. The service can translate phone calls in more than 50 languages in near real time, and T-Mobile says it works on any phone connected to its network — including basic flip phones — as long as at least one person on the call is a T-Mobile customer enrolled in the beta.
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