149 EU HAVING A LACHEN...

I was just reading a review of the Apple AirPods Pro 3 in The Guardian (TL:DR they are boss) and they casually mention that they work seamlessly with the Translate App on the iPhone noting that "it is limited to English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish for now and isn’t available in the EU, but it works surprisingly well for casual conversations".

Wait, what? Is it not available in the EU? What exactly is the point of having Translate on the phone and then asking people to fork out £200+ on a pair of buds, then? Just how many people in the UK are jetting off to Senegal, Brazil, or Nicaragua and need an instant French, Portuguese, or Spanish translation?

The primary reason I'm exploring them is to provide live translation in the EU. If it doesn't work over there, there is little point in Santa Claus (Lisa) getting me a pair. Before visiting the Smiths Toy Superstore website for an alternative 'surprise' from Father Christmas (still Lisa), I decided to apply some critical thinking and conduct my own research.

A quick Google asking "is Apple Live Translate available in the EU for UK phones?" indeed confirms that "Apple's Live Translation is not available in the EU for UK phones because the feature is blocked if your Apple Account region is in the EU and you are physically located in the EU. A UK phone will not work if you have set your Apple ID to an EU country and are travelling within the EU." Bummer.

But hang on, my phone will be set up with an Apple ID from the UK, does that matter? Yes, yes it does! "However, a UK phone will work in the EU if your Apple ID is set to the UK and you are visiting an EU country." YAAAS!

Why didn't they say that in The Guardian review? Helmets. Yet another reason why doing your own research is so important, even if it is from a source you trust.

So why the difference? Because the UK no longer faces the same regulatory hurdles as the EU, our phones can translate over there, but theirs cannot. Finally, there is an actual Brexit benefit! I mean, I'm still waiting for the £350m a week for the NHS, but this is a step in the right direction, I guess?