ektoApp guides
Best Live Translation Apps for iPhone in 2027
Everyday Life. Subtitled. The lecturer is already on the next slide. Someone across the table has just asked you a question. In both cases, you need the translation while people are still speaking, so you can follow along and respond in the moment. This guide compares six iPhone apps, starting with ekto for continuous translated captions in person.
We make ekto and publish this guide. The comparison is based on each app’s published features.
Six live translation apps compared
ekto
For following a long lecture or talk from your seat
Open ekto on your own iPhone and tap once to read translated captions while the speaker keeps talking. You can start without an ekto account or any setup from the organiser. A paid session can run for up to two hours, and you can keep a text transcript without ekto storing the audio.
What to check: Live translation needs an internet connection and microphone access. If you’re near the back, check how clearly your iPhone picks up the speaker from your seat.
Transync AI
For bilingual meetings with voice playback
Both ekto and Transync show live translated captions and can keep them visible in a floating window. For following a speaker from your seat, start with ekto’s continuous caption mode. For a back-and-forth meeting, try Transync’s dual-panel view with the original and translation side by side and the option to play the translation aloud.
What to check: Transync’s mobile guide asks you to sign in first. For Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet, Transync recommends its desktop app when possible for more reliable capture of meeting audio.
Apple Translate
For face-to-face conversations and compatible AirPods
The Face to Face view shows each person a translation on their side of the screen. With supported AirPods you can hear the translation as the other person speaks and see the translated text on your iPhone.
What to check: Live Translation with AirPods requires compatible earbuds, an Apple Intelligence–enabled iPhone, and downloaded languages. Availability varies by language and region.
Google Translate
For headphone listening and a separate lecture mode
Use Live translate to hear the translation through headphones as someone speaks. Use Transcribe if you want to read a lecture or speech on screen as it happens and save the transcript afterward.
What to check: Check your language in the mode you plan to use. Support for text translation doesn’t guarantee support for speech or transcription.
Soniox
For live translation and revisiting the recording
Open the Translate tab to read the translation as people speak. Save the recording to your history afterward if you need to revisit the transcript or generate a summary.
What to check: Offline recording is available, but live translation needs a connection. You can process an offline recording after you reconnect.
Hono Translate
For livestreams playing on the same iPhone
Start Sound mode before opening the stream. Hono translates audio from the iPhone itself and updates a floating subtitle window while the video plays.
What to check: Hono requires iOS 26 or later. Sound mode uses iOS screen sharing, and another picture-in-picture video can close the subtitle window.
Try it in the room where you’ll use it
Start with the language pair and the mode you need. For captions, check how soon the first useful line appears, whether the text keeps updating during a longer explanation, and how easy it is to find your place when a line changes. Try it from your usual seat with the room’s normal background noise. For a conversation, check whether both people can read or hear the translation and respond without losing the thread.