• Apple unveiled a lineup of new products and updates during its annual keynote presentation this week.
  • The company announced its iPhone 17 lineup and the AirPods Pro 3, generating buzz around features like the iPhone Air’s dual cameras and the ability to FaceTime people from the Apple Watch.
  • The new AirPods Pro 3 offer a real-time language translation feature, which might just expand cross-language dating.

Even if you’re no tech enthusiast, it’s hard to avoid the hype around Apple’s annual Keynote event, mainly because its announcements matter to anyone with an iPhone (nearly 60 percent of smartphone users). This week’s Cupertino presentation was no different. The tech giant unveiled their iPhone 17 lineup, three new Apple Watches, and a first look at the AirPods Pro 3. The internet quickly weighed in on how they plan to take advantage of all the new features. The ultra-thin iPhone Air’s dual camera function will surely be put to work for Ariana Grande concert reaction footage next summer, and the ability to FaceTime a friend from your Apple Watch should fulfill plenty of Kim Possible-inspired communication fantasies.

Meanwhile, finding love may not have been the company’s main goal while ideating these updates, but we predict there may be a potentially romantic use case for the AirPods Pro 3, which will include a highly anticipated real-time language translation feature. According to the company, this feature will translate other people’s speech into a user’s preferred language in real time while wearing the AirPods.

Even in the age of the apps, our respective dating pools remain limited by proximity, convenience, and especially language. Most people filter out romantic prospects who don’t speak their native tongue, even if they’re open to the idea in theory. A 2024 survey found that two-thirds of respondents said they’d consider dating someone who speaks a different language, but would still see the language barrier as a major obstacle. Meanwhile, 15 percent said they wouldn’t even want to go on a first date with someone who couldn’t understand them fully.

This aversion is understandable; a language barrier can present a host of potential miscommunication issues. But that’s why this new Apple feature could expand the possibilities in your dating life. With a real-time translator in your ear, you’ll be able to converse with entire populations of new potential partners whose affections might’ve been previously unintelligible. Love may be a universal language, but dating and intimacy rely on communication that’s clear and easy. Imagine how many connections we’ve missed out on because of language barriers. With this new tech, bonding with someone from a different culture and making it past the finite “Hello, my name is” phase is finally doable.

Apple innovations have always played a pivotal role in shaping modern romance. FaceTime’s 2010 launch alone transformed communication in long-distance relationships, instantly allowing partners to maintain a new level of intimacy even from opposite sides of the globe. This latest AirPods upgrade joins a legacy of technological level-ups that have expanded the boundaries of what’s possible—not just in terms of the logistics of our daily lives, but our romantic ones, too.

A version of this article was featured in “Love, Willa,” Cosmo’s relationships newsletter. This weekly send from editor-in-chief Willa Bennett is a special place where we navigate the wild terrain of modern love together—whether you’re cuffed, ghosted, heartbroken, or thriving. Sign up here.