AirPods Live Translation Blocked for EU Users With EU Apple Accounts

[titanium69]

How am i gonna buy roses now?
EU ppl need translation to & from arabic or indian…

 

[turbineseaplane]

Or Apple doesn’t want to face any potential fines or blowback given its current contentious relationship with the EU.

I wonder what actions Apple may have engaged in to help create the contentious situation?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

i ordered two, never thinking they won't work in eu. why don't they get the approvals before product is released?

Apparently, it’s not a matter of approvals. The App Store was created with the laws that were in place prior to the DMA and the EU introduced a new set of rules that overturned all that. So, just because something is ok today, doesn’t mean that the EU won’t figure out how to fine them in the future for something that is OK today.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Don’t let Apple stir you up.

That’s doing their bidding for them.

 

[tomekwsrod]

Well, hopefully an EU based company / companies will create a product/application that will compete with the apple feature, or Apple will comply like they do in the Chinese market.

 

[Florian03]

Great, thanks EU. The dictators in Brussels and their rules

This is prolly Apple just bitching around to fuel the EU hate people like you have. The regulations the EU has are for the most part good and the US would be wise to adopt some of them too.

 

[Korito]

Wow we are going to miss live translation between as many as 5 major languages. The horror. 🤣

 

[Florian03]

And users on this forum will still defend the EU with their dying breath. Beats me.

You don´t know why the feature isn´t available. I MIGHT be due to regulations and even then, it´s Apples part to look into a countries regulation BEFORE you plan to release a product.
The EU´s regulations are good!

 

[Unregistered 4U]

These EU rules are very unspecific but all-encompassing at the same time. And they introduce very heavy fines for offences you don't know exactly before until the commissars tell you that you are the target. This EU-Brussels socialism deters everyone from doing things because it might be illegal at the discretion of the apparatus. Horrible.

The DMA actually has a clause that says that anything a regulator THINKS is a problem is a problem. Doesn’t matter if the problem is detailed by the DMA. While the current group may not be as cantankerous as Vestager was, as long as that is stipulated, any future regulator can pull that chain when they feel the EU needs more money.

 

[hanske68]

Childish Apple. These kinds of tactics only make people hate Apple.

 

[hanske68]

No need to translate .|..

 

[techfirth]

These EU rules are very unspecific but all-encompassing at the same time. And they introduce very heavy fines for offences you don't know exactly before until the commissars tell you that you are the target. This EU-Brussels socialism deters everyone from doing things because it might be illegal at the discretion of the apparatus. Horrible.

It’s all about the fines for the EU. The fines go directly to the EU budget - even the antitrust ones - they’re not imposed to help the little guy, they’re there to help the EU.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

It's the same for other manufacturers and vendors that offer the same feature in the EU but obviously Apple have decided to not make their variant compliant when they arguably could. Seems a shame to screw their EU market consumers though 😔

Those other manufacturers are not gatekeepers. Once the EU has defined a gatekeeper, that company has to behave differently in the region. And, if those other companies are smart, they will ensure that they sell enough to be profitable in the EU without becoming so wildly successful that they’re a gatekeeper.

If Apple weren’t a gatekeeper there would be no problem. Apple didn’t designate themselves as gatekeeper, so it’s not them screwing EU market consumers.

 

[con2apple]

Great, thanks EU. The dictators in Brussels and their rules

You could move to the US and save up for a long time. Maybe after 20 years, you'll be able to pay enough lawyers to find out what Apple is actually doing with your voice messages and data.

Or you can wait until the feature complies with European data protection regulations (which it clearly doesn't, otherwise it would be available immediately).

Don't forget: Apple has lied several times when it comes to data protection and the sale of personal data. Macrumors has reported on this.

In any case, I want to know what the company does with my voice recordings.

Thanks to EU we have strong data protection laws.
Because you and me as a simple customer have not the power to get infos from Apple without expensive lawyers.

 

[wanha]

And users on this forum will still defend the EU with their dying breath. Beats me.

Gaslighting other users on this forum without any info about why Apple chose not to make this feature available in the EU is clearly the enlightened approach here

 

[con2apple]

Those other manufacturers are not gatekeepers. Once the EU has defined a gatekeeper, that company has to behave differently in the region. And, if those other companies are smart, they will ensure that they sell enough to be profitable in the EU without becoming so wildly successful that they’re a gatekeeper.

So you say it has nothing to do with the GDPR and AI Act as written in the article?

 

[klasma]

Great, thanks EU. The dictators in Brussels and their rules

Please explain how Google is offering the equivalent realtime translation feature in their Pixel Buds in the EU.

 

[Radeon85]

The EU needs to be scrapped, it's causing more problems than it's fixing.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

sorry, but the big tech become way to arrogant (FB, Google) and/or greedy (Apple) to be left running without rules that gives some power back to users and small businesses.

The power has always been with users and small business. That’s why, in the EU, the vast majority of them, even today, do NOT use Apple devices in the region.

 

[I7guy]

It’s again another example of how overegulation impacts innovation.

 

[Paradoxally]

The EU needs to be scrapped, it's causing more problems than it's fixing.

Unlikely, they have (almost) an entire continent under their control. Bureaucrats love power.

The few European countries that aren't part of the EU are the ones who are truly independent.

 

[I7guy]

if there was an option for that, the big tech would basically force all users to opt in if they want to use their services (as an example, FB skirts the GDPR law, and use your data for AI training by default with rather convulted way to opt out)

sorry, but the big tech become way to arrogant (FB, Google) and/or greedy (Apple) to be left running without rules that gives some power back to users and small businesses.

The power always has been in the hands of the consumer. It’s called vote with your $$$.

 

[chfilm]

It makes you wonder what Apple are doing that Google and the others aren't that's preventing them releasing Airpod Live Translate in the EU 🤔

No doubt we'll find out at some point but it seems a shame to limit EU Apple consumers when they could have opted for a solution that would have passed muster with EU regulations/laws.

Especially since apples feature is probably more privacy focused.

 

[Hammerd]

Good thing it’s the region where only 30+ languages are spoken

 

[klasma]

Those other manufacturers are not gatekeepers.

Google is designated a gatekeeper for Android and still provides their AI-based realtime translation feature in the EU.