T-Mobile builds AI Live Translation directly into network to translate phone calls in 50+ languages

T-Mobile's Live Translation AI Agent Will Be Baked Into Your Phone Calls

The last few years have brought a new kind of high-tech convenience to our devices: Many phones can now translate conversations in real time, without a human translator in the middle. Using the Google Translate app on an Android phone or Apple AirPods Pro 3 connected to an iPhone, it's possible to overcome language barriers. But not every person owns a phone that can support live translation, or has the time or bandwidth to install an app (and maybe commit to a subscription). T-Mobile wants to remove any obstacles that stand in the way of you talking to someone on a phone call. It has live translation at the network level, so even if you own a basic dumb phone, you can talk to someone who speaks one of over 50 languages with the help of T-Mobile's network AI agent. Starting today, T-Mobile is opening up registration for a beta of its upcoming Live Translation call feature, which will begin testing in the spring. It's open to subscribers of any post-paid T-Mobile plan, such as the Essentials, Experience More, Experience Beyond and Better Value plans. "We want to make voice cool again," said John Saw, T-Mobile chief technology officer, citing that its customers make 6 billion international calls per year, and 40% of those people travel internationally. "Live translation is a real breakthrough in innovation by introducing the latest AI models into our voice network." Just as it did during the beta of what became the T-Satellite service, T-Mobile has not yet decided which plans will include the live translation calling feature. It also hasn't decided what, if any, cost there will be. T-Satellite is currently included in the Experience Beyond and Better Value plans and available on other plans as a $10 add-on. It's also open to customers of other providers for $10 a month. I haven't tried T-Mobile's live translation but I look forward to testing it soon. To turn on live translation during a call, the T-Mobile subscriber presses *87* (star-eight-seven-star), which activates the AI agent. Only one participant on the call needs to be a T-Mobile subscriber, and it will also work when the customer is roaming. T-Mobile says there's no setup, no voice training and no need to specify which languages to translate. The AI agent detects which languages are being spoken in real time and speaks the translation when a person stops speaking. The AI agent will also detect whether you're calling from another country and select a language for the translation. If you call someone in Brazil, it might choose Portuguese, for example. If the person speaks a different language, such as Spanish instead of Brazilian Portuguese, the agent will switch immediately. Also, the spoken translation will not sound like a robotic voice. "Our AI model can actually clone your voice in another language and preserve the intonation, the emotions and the rhythm as well," all picked up on the fly, said Saw. He attributes the performance to the low latency inherent in T-Mobile's 5G Advanced network. Once activated, the feature doesn't need to be turned off. If both speakers switch to the same language, the AI agent just stops working as the go-between. The true test will be the quality of the translations. "We have done a lot of benchmarks for AI-powered translations," Saw said, "and it matches the accuracy of all the established services." He said the model is compliant with FCC 2027 captioning guidelines and meets all ADA accessibility standards. When I asked Saw whether conversations are recorded, even during the beta period, he said that kind of fine-tuning is being done using millions of internal-only test calls. "We don't listen to customers' calls, and [the AI models] are not trained on customers' data," said Saw, noting that the service meets all FCC guidelines for privacy. Exactly which AI translation models are being used, or which partner companies are providing them, is something Saw declined to share. He did confirm that T-Mobile is working with several AI companies, but "we're not going to name them because we love them all the same." Saw noted that the way T-Mobile's network is designed as a platform has the advantage of being able to plug in updated AI translation models, run an upgrade overnight and make it available to hundreds of millions of phones. All major mobile providers are applying AI at various levels. AT&T recently announced AI tech for optimizing internet traffic at the home router level, for example, and Verizon is enlisting Google's AI to improve its customer service experience. T-Mobile itself uses AI to automatically redirect cellular load among towers during emergencies. Without pointing to specific upcoming strategies, Saw named a few other tasks that AI agents could handle in the future, such as an AI receptionist or AI concierge. Centering the AI technology in the network opens up those possibilities. So why is the company choosing live translation as the first entry for AI-based, customer-facing network features? "Live translation is not an easier solution to do," Saw replied, "but it's the right pain point to be solving today."

T-Mobile will live translate regular phone calls without an app

T-Mobile is preparing to test a new AI feature that translates live phone calls into more than 50 languages. Live Translation is launching in beta "this Spring," according to a press release, with registration for eligible T-Mobile customers available starting today. "Some of the biggest barriers wireless customers face are the simplest ones -- like being able to understand each other," said T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan. "By bringing real-time AI directly into our network, we're delivering more than connectivity -- turning conversations into community, starting with Live Translation." Enabling it at the network level means users don't need specific apps or devices to use the service. The only requirement is that translation must be initiated by a T-Mobile network user. The feature will be available on the carrier's 5G Advanced network, but T-Mobile president John Saw told The Verge that Live Translation works over both 4G LTE and 5G: "The key requirement is a Voice over LTE (VoLTE) connection, which allows the service to operate reliably across a wide range of devices and network conditions," said Saw. "That flexibility is important because it ensures Live Translation works for customers wherever they are, not just when they're on the latest network technology. Live Translation works over VoLTE, VoNR, and VoWiFi." T-Mobile says that beta participants can activate Live Translation "for as long as they need" by dialing 87, at no additional cost during the beta period. T-Mobile has not mentioned if Live Translation will be paywalled when it launches to the general public this year. Beta participants will also be able to activate Live Translation by saying "Hey T-Mobile" later this spring. It's worth flagging that the feature only works during an active call, and that T-Mobile won't save call recordings or transcripts. "The service is designed to translate conversations in real time and then move on, without storing the content of those calls," Saw said.

T-Mobile Debuts AI-Backed Live Language Translation, No App Needed

An upcoming live-translation tool from T-Mobile will require no new software or even a phone that can do anything more than connect to that carrier's 5G network. But it may demand a little more trust in the network and the humans behind it. That's because the Live Translation service that T-Mobile announced Wednesday employs an agentic AI platform hosted on its "5G Advanced" network to serve as a real-time interpreter of 50-plus languages. In fewer words: The network is the computer, or in this case the protocol droid. "When language gets in the way, the network gets reduced to just a signal -- and that's not who we are," T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan said in a statement. To use Live Translation, one person on a call needs to be on T-Mobile's 5G network and then press or tap 87 to activate it. That service-code interface preserves compatibility with feature phones; it also doesn't risk having a voice-driven interface detect a wake word that nobody actually said, a problem that Amazon, Apple, and Google have run into with smart speakers and personal-assistant apps. The service requires signing up for a beta test, with registration open Wednesday and "access planned for this spring for selected users," and general availability set for "later this year." T-Mobile isn't saying if that commercial debut will bring a surcharge or see the service reserved as a perk on some of its more expensive personal or business plans. "We will share more on pricing and plan details closer to commercial launch," emailed Mason Miller, a T-Mobile spokesperson. T-Mobile's press release also doesn't cover how much data T-Mobile retains from a service that requires its AI to listen to every word on a call. So we asked. "We do not save call recordings or transcripts," Miller replied. "The service is designed to translate conversations in real time and then move on, without storing the content of those calls." This also means T-Mobile won't keep transcripts to train its AI models, a frequent concern with AI services: "We're able to measure performance metrics like accuracy and latency during the call itself, so there's no need to retain conversations after they end." Wireless carriers in the US don't have the greatest records of customer-data stewardship, so T-Mobile customers -- and people who regularly call T-Mobile customers -- are well within their rights to consider the data trail that a new carrier service might leave. T-Mobile's upcoming offering will compete with a host of third-party translation apps, some of which can serve as a real-time interpreter on phone calls. A few of them, such as Apple's and, to a lesser extent, Google's, can also do their translation offline using on-device models, which makes them worth keeping on your phone even if you decide to pick up on T-Mobile's new offer.

T-Mobile's new network-based AI will translate live calls

This AI is so network native, the telco tells us, that it all works on existing hardware - no datacenters involved T-Mobile is claiming it's now the first wireless carrier to integrate generative AI "directly into a wireless network," and it's rolling out real-time call translation as the first feature delivered on top of its new AI-filled cellular network. The self-described "Un-carrier" announced on Wednesday that beta signups were now available for live call translation powered not by an app or device-level capability, but AI that lives directly on the T-Mobile network. Eligible T-Mobile customers using a phone connected to 4G LTE or 5G - from flagship smartphones to bog-standard flip phones - can activate the feature by dialing * 87 *, with only one caller required to be on the carrier's network. Access is currently limited to customers admitted into the beta. To add to the convenience factor, live translation only requires one person on a call to be a T-Mobile customer. The telco claims that it's "instantaneous," and works in more than 50 languages, from English to Chinese to Welsh to Azerbaijani. What, exactly, T-Mobile means by "network-native AI" is interesting, too. According to a spokesperson, calls are not being routed to datacenters for translation, there is no new edge hardware installed at cell towers, and all the AI processing happens as calls are transmitted. "The breakthrough innovation here is that we have actually opened up our IMS network and directly infused an AI agent so that it works on the network," a T-Mobile spokesperson told us. "Think of this as a software update to the network, there were no hardware upgrades or changes needed." The spokesperson told us that there's no rerouting of calls or additional devices - just a purely on-network use of agentic AI. According to T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan, live translation is just the first AI-powered network-level feature the telco plans to introduce. "By bringing real-time AI directly into our network, we're delivering more than connectivity -- turning conversations into community, starting with Live Translation," Gopalan said in the company's press release. T-Mobile didn't mention what features may be coming next, and declined to share any of them with The Register. It's a convenient bit of tech to be sure, but T-Mobile's cybersecurity record, along with invasive applications of AI across multiple industries, might raise some privacy hackles. While its recent history has been positive - T-Mobile touted the fact that it repelled an attacker attempting to break into its network right around the time other telcos were hit by Salt Typhoon - the company has a long rap sheet when it comes to cybersecurity failures. By our count, T-Mobile has suffered at least seven IT security breaches between 2018 and 2023 that exposed the personal information of millions of customers. In September 2024, the company agreed to pay $31.5 million to settle an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission into multiple breaches and to commit to improved cybersecurity practices. With that in mind, letting a network-based AI listen in on conversations and provide real-time translation might seem like something of a privacy concern for T-Mobile customers. T-Mobile assured us that's not the case, telling us that it "adheres to all privacy regulations set by the FCC." "We do not save call recordings or transcripts," a T-Mobile spokesperson told us. "The service is designed to translate conversations in real time and then move on, without storing the content of those calls." T-Mobile also told us that it isn't training its AI models on customer data or call audio, and AI isn't listening in on calls that aren't being translated, either. ®

T-Mobile is building live call translation directly into its network

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.

T-Mobile Will Start Testing Live Translation on Calls, No App Required

The universal translator may be closer than you think, at least if you’re a T-Mobile customer. The U.S. mobile carrier announced today that it will begin testing an AI-powered live translation feature. The company describes it as the “world’s first real-time agentic AI platform built directly into a wireless network.†That means the feature will work on any device connected to T-Mobile’s 4G or 5G networks, whether that’s a flip phone or the latest smartphone, and it won’t require downloading a separate app or new subscription. T-Mobile says the feature supports real-time translation on calls in over 50 languages. "Some of the biggest barriers wireless customers face are the simplest ones â€" like being able to understand each other," said T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan in a press release. "When language gets in the way, the network gets reduced to just a signal â€" and that’s not who we are. By bringing real-time AI directly into our network, we’re delivering more than connectivity â€" turning conversations into community, starting with Live Translation." The company opened registration for a free beta test, which will begin this spring for selected users. To initiate Live Translation, customers will have to simply dial 87 on their keypad during a call. “Once Live Translation is turned on during a call, it listens and translates as you speak, helping each person hear the conversation in their preferred language. It all happens quickly and seamlessly, so the conversation keeps flowing," the company said on its website. Only one person on the call needs to be on the T-Mobile network for the feature to work. The beta is meant to gradually test the service before a commercial launch later this year. T-Mobile said it will notify users when the beta period ends and give them the option to add Live Translation to their line. T-Mobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking about when the feature will officially launch or if it will come with additional costs. The press release highlights several potential use cases, including multilingual households, making reservations abroad, and small businesses trying to serve customers who speak different languages. Live translation has become one of the more practical uses of AI, and tech companies have jumped on it. Apple introduced live translation that works in person and during calls for its AirPods last year. Google also recently rolled out live translation capabilities in its mobile Translate app that provides real-time on-screen and audio translations in over 70 languages.

T-Mobile's new network-level AI translates calls on every phone

Karandeep Singh Oberoi is a Durham College Journalism and Mass Media graduate who joined the Android Police team in April 2024, after serving as a full-time News Writer at Canadian publication MobileSyrup. Prior to joining Android Police, Oberoi worked on feature stories, reviews, evergreen articles, and focused on 'how-to' resources. Additionally, he informed readers about the latest deals and discounts with quick hit pieces and buyer's guides for all occasions. Oberoi lives in Toronto, Canada. When not working on a new story, he likes to hit the gym, play soccer (although he keeps calling it football for some reason🤔) and try out new restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area. T-Mobile is taking a significant accessibility step, essentially by eliminating the tax that has long kept high-end AI features locked behind expensive hardware and software subscriptions. I'm specifically pointing at live translation -- something that T-Mobile is now unlocking for users on its network. Related Best T-Mobile plans in 2025 Get the 5G data you need without wasting cash on features you don't Posts By Samuel Contreras The carrier giant says it is the first to integrate a real-time agentic AI platform directly into a wireless network. This integration should now allow it to "bring new capabilities straight to customers -- without new devices, subscriptions, or app downloads." The first feature to come out of the integration is Live Translation, which, as its name suggests, will give you real-time translations during phone calls. The feature supports 50+ languages. Find all supported languages listed below: Afrikaans Macedonian English Swahili Polish Estonian Belarusian Romanian Finnish Bosnian Russian German Bulgarian Serbian Icelandic Croatian Slovak Norwegian Czech Slovene Swedish Hungarian Ukrainian Catalan Latvian Danish French Lithuanian Dutch Galician Hindi Kannada Italian Marathi Nepali Portuguese Tamil Urdu Romanian Arabic Armenian Spanish Azerbaijani Greek Hebrew Kazakh Persian Turkish Chinese Indonesian Japanese Korean Malay Tagalog Vietnamese Thai Māori, Welsh Join the beta now! You don't need any separate apps, sign-ins, or dedicated hardware for the feature to work. Live Translation "works on any T-Mobile network phone you use, from flip phones to smartphones. Because the technology is part of our network, it even works when you call a landline." The only requirement is that at least one person on the call needs to be on T-Mobile's network. So if you're not a T-Mobile customer, but the person you're talking to is, they can enable Live Translation for your call. The feature is currently in beta, and as is the case with beta features, it is limited to a portion of T-Mobile's userbase. Registration for the beta is limited to T‑Mobile postpaid members, at least for now. ' AP Recommends: Subscribe and never miss what matters Tech insights about everything mobile directly from the Android Police team. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Registrations are open as of today, Wednesday, February 11, via the T-Life app or through t-mobile.com/live-translation. Once you're enrolled, you'll be able to activate/deactivate Live Translation by dialing *87* while on a call. Live Translation built into the network is indeed a novel solution to a major communication problem. Whether other US carrier follow suit remains to be seen. Related T-Mobile makes it easier to save if you know where to look These unadvertised plans could make a big difference Posts By Timi Cantisano

How to Get Access to T-Mobile's Free Live Translation Beta

Access to live translation will be free during the beta, but might come with a paywall after the official release. Live translation is probably the most genuinely useful thing to come out of the AI boom, but if you want to use it during a phone call, you usually need to use a specific device or a separate app. T-Mobile is looking to change that. The carrier announced today that it will soon introduce live translation to all phones connected to its 5G or 4G networks, and to get in on the action, you're going to want to sign up for the beta now. According to a press release sent to journalists today, the new feature will kick in for you automatically once you're selected for it, no matter what phone app or device you use. All you'll need to do to access it is type in "87" on the keypad during a phone call. Which means that, yes, it will also be compatible with feature phones, aka classic-style flip phones with physical buttons. The device you use doesn't matter because all of the computing for the translation will happen on T-Mobile's end, rather than on your device. The downside is that you won't get to pick which AI model the translation uses, and T-Mobile hasn't yet to provide any indication of which one it will use. You'll also just have to trust T-Mobile's servers with any audio recorded from your conversation. T-Mobile spokesperson Mason Miller told Lifehacker's sister site PCMag via email that, "[T-Mobile does] not save call recordings or transcripts," but the company will certainly ave to run your data through its servers at some point to make the feature work. By comparison, competing translation apps often rely on downloaded language packs and on-device models. Still, I see where T-Mobile is coming from with this offering: When live translation is limited to specific devices or apps, it vastly impacts its usability, since both callers need to have a compatible device for it to work. Processing translation over the cloud makes it more likely you'll be able to use it exactly when you need it -- and as a bonus, only one caller will actually need to be on T-Mobile's 5G or 4G network to pull this trick off. While T-Mobile's press release focuses on 5G, the carrier confirmed availability for the feature on 4G to The Verge earlier today. The Verge also reports that, in addition to dialing 87, beta participants will eventually be able to trigger live translation by saying "Hey T-Mobile" instead. Testing for T-Mobile's live translation will begin "for selected users" this spring, with more general availability planned for "later this year." The feature will be free during the beta, although a surcharge might be added after it goes into wide release. "We will share more on pricing and plan details closer to commercial launch," Miller told PCMag. To sign up for the beta and put your hat in the ring for selection, head over to t-mobile.com/benefits/live-translation.

T-Mobile live translation works without apps or special phones - Phandroid

T-Mobile just announced something that sounds like science fiction but is launching this spring. T-Mobile is rolling out live translation that runs directly on its network, which means any phone connected to T-Mobile's 4G or 5G service can translate calls in real time. No apps, no downloads, no fancy hardware required. You activate the feature by dialing 87 during a call. That's it. The network handles everything else, translating conversations across 50+ languages as you speak. Only one person on the call needs to be a T-Mobile customer for it to work, so you can chat with anyone regardless of their carrier. The tech behind this is what T-Mobile calls "network-native AI." According to the company, calls aren't getting routed to data centers for processing. There's no new hardware at cell towers either. The AI lives directly in T-Mobile's IMS network as a software update, handling translations as calls transmit through the system. Most translation tools today require dedicated apps, specific devices like certain headphones, or involve routing your call through third-party services. T-Mobile's approach skips all that by building the capability into the network infrastructure itself. That means even a basic flip phone can use it. The feature supports both voice over LTE and voice over 5G, plus voice over Wi-Fi calls. T-Mobile says the combination of their 5G network's low latency with the latest AI models creates a natural conversation experience without the awkward pauses you get with app-based translators. Privacy's obviously a concern when an AI's listening to your calls. T-Mobile says it doesn't save call recordings or transcripts, and the service only translates in real time before discarding the data. The AI isn't training on customer conversations either, and it's not listening to calls unless translation is actively turned on. The beta launches this spring for eligible T-Mobile postpaid customers. Sign-ups are open now, though spots are limited and registration doesn't guarantee access. T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan says live translation is just the first feature they're planning to deliver through this network-level AI platform. For context, about 60 million people in the US live in multilingual households, according to Pew Research. T-Mobile's positioning this as useful for those families, international travelers, and small businesses serving customers who speak different languages. The carrier handles roughly 6 billion international calls annually from its customers. This isn't T-Mobile's first swing at network innovation. The company's added features directly to its infrastructure before, but embedding AI processing at the network level represents a different approach entirely. If it works as advertised, other carriers will probably follow.

T-Mobile's futuristic new translation feature is a game-changer

When not writing, Dave enjoys spending time with his family, running, playing the guitar, camping, and serving in his community. His favorite place is the Blue Ridge Mountains, and one day he hopes to retire there (hopefully his fear of heights will have retired by then, too!). Summary T-Mobile is launching Live Translation, offering real-time call translation across 50+ languages. No apps or downloads are required -- the feature uses AI built directly into T-Mobile's network. Signups are open now for a spring beta program, with an official launch planned for later this year. Today, T-Mobile announced what might be one of the coolest and most useful features a carrier has announced in a long time -- Live Translation built directly into its network. What is T-Mobile Live Translation? This feels like sci-fi Live Translation is an upcoming feature from T-Mobile that promises real-time, live translation without any apps or downloads. You simply enable the feature, and it translates what you're hearing in real time. Crucially, it does the same for the listener, whether they're a T-Mobile customer or not. Once one person on T-Mobile activates Live Translation, it works seamlessly, regardless of the other person's network. T-Mobile claims Live Translation can translate over 50 languages from all over the world. Here's a sample: English Spanish Dutch French German Romanian Arabic Japanese Ukrainian Hindi Swahili How does Live Translation work? The feature is seamless In its press release about Live Translation, T-Mobile sort of buried another major announcement: the carrier has embedded agentic AI directly into its network. This AI is what powers Live Translation. To activate the feature, you simply dial *87* while on a call. Then, you just talk, and you'll automatically hear the conversation translated into your language. Once activated, the AI will automatically detect the languages being spoken, so no further input is required. It also appears that voice activation may eventually be coming -- T-Mobile's promo video for the feature shows users saying "Hey T-Mobile, translate" to start the translation, though the beta page only mentions the dialer code. One of the key features of Live Translation is that it works on any phone -- Android, iPhone, even dumb phones. Since it's handled directly over the network, the hardware you're using doesn't matter. Location doesn't matter, either. The only requirement is that you have T-Mobile 4G or 5G voice coverage. The ease of use and lack of device requirements could be game-changers for translation. Although modern phones have multiple ways to translate languages, translating phone calls usually requires specific devices. The ability to use Live Translation on any phone will open it up to large numbers of users who may not be able to afford to buy the latest devices to get translation features. When will Live Translation be available? Live Translation will enter a beta period this spring prior to a full launch "later this year." Registrations are open now, and T-Mobile says spots are limited. You can register through the T-Life app or by heading to t-mobile.com/live-translation. It's not entirely clear if the service will continue to be free after the beta, but language on the feature's website seems to indicate you'll need to add it to your line (likely for a fee). MUO Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters Stay updated with the latest tech trends, expert tips, and product reviews in the world of technology with MUO's Newsletters. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Given that beta slots are limited, you should probably sign up sooner than later if you're interested in trying the feature.