Pixel Buds live translations work with any Google Assistant headphones
It's not just limited to Google's own hardware.
To date, using Google's real-time translations has officially required a set of Pixel Buds. But what if you'd rather not use the official audio gear ? You might not have to. Droid Life has noticed that Google quietly changed a support page to state that real-time translation is available for "all Assistant-optimized headphones and Android phones," not just Pixel Buds and Pixel phones as the page said as recently as October 11th.
Users have already verified that this works on a basic level -- you can use the Pixel 3's USB-C headphones to translate on a non-Pixel phone. The question is whether or not translation works as seamlessly with third-party audio. LG's Tone Platinum SE has a dedicated Google Assistant button with translation support, but that wasn't a promise of universal access. Now, Google is making it clear that it wants a whole ecosystem of headphones that can translate on the spot.
