T-Mobile Brings Real-Time Call Translation to All Phones

T-Mobile has launched a Live Translation feature that lets customers translate phone calls in real time. This feature eliminates the need for third-party apps or modern phones, as translation happens at the network level. It is available in beta for selected participants for free.

You can now translate Phone calls in real-time with T-Mobile

While most of the latest premium phones, including select Samsung Galaxy devices, offer on-device AI call translation, T-Mobile’s offering takes a different approach. The US carrier has embedded contextual-aware and real-time AI services directly into its network infrastructure.

As a result, T-Mobile’s Live Translation works on virtually any phone that connects to its network. You do not need the latest smartphones, additional devices like headphones, or apps to use the feature. Moreover, unlike traditional AI features that depend on smartphone processors for translation services, the carrier does not need to rely on the device’s hardware.

“By leveraging our 5G Advanced architecture, telco edge and distributed cloud capabilities, we can run sophisticated AI models closer to the edge, reducing latency while delivering consistent performance at scale,” said T-Mobile. You only need to be a T-Mobile customer to access the service, which currently supports more than 80 languages.

To use Live Translation, you will need to make a regular phone call through T-Mobile’s network. Once the call connects, enter *87* to trigger the translation service. Now, wait for the voice confirmation, then begin speaking normally. The system will translate the conversation in real-time into your own language.

As of now, T-Mobile makes Live Translation available as part of its beta program to select participants. The feature works in the US and in select countries through the carrier’s international partner networks. The company says the service is free to use during the beta phase. It will be interesting to see whether the carrier keeps the feature free after the program wraps.