Real-time voice translation on any device — earbuds, AirPods, smart glasses and rings.

Does Puente work with any earbuds?

Yes — Puente works with any Bluetooth earbuds or headphones your phone already pairs with. It routes translated audio through standard Bluetooth, so AirPods, Galaxy Buds, Jabra, Bose, Sony and no-name buds all work the same way. There is nothing to install on the earbuds themselves.

Because Puente runs entirely on a normal phone with standard Bluetooth audio, your earbuds are an optional enhancement rather than a requirement — the phone speaker works fine on its own. When you do wear buds, they simply become the private channel for hearing the translated reply. Our complete guide to using a translator with any earbuds walks through pairing, audio routing and which conversation mode to pick for AirPods, Galaxy Buds, Jabra and Bose models.

Want to see everything Puente can do across setups? Start with the conversation modes hub, which explains how one-phone, two-device and shared-earbud conversations differ.

How is Puente different from AirPods Live Translation?

Apple's AirPods Live Translation in iOS 26 covers four languages and needs recent AirPods. Puente works with any earbuds on any phone and translates across 130+ languages, with idiom and tone rewriting so replies sound like a local rather than a literal word-for-word swap.

The practical difference is reach. Apple's feature is elegant but narrow: a handful of languages and specific hardware. Puente is built to travel — it handles the long tail of languages you actually run into, keeps eight of them working offline, and lets both people follow the conversation. See the head-to-head in our breakdown of how AirPods live translation compares with Puente, including where Apple's four-language limit matters most.

Can two people share one pair of earbuds?

Yes. With Earbud Share Mode you split a single pair — each person wears one earbud. You hear the translation in your ear, they hear theirs in the other, and the phone captures both voices. It is the fastest way to have a private two-way conversation without buying a second device.

This is one of Puente's most-loved setups for quick one-on-one chats: a taxi, a doctor's waiting room, a market stall. Learn how to enable it in the Earbud Share Mode documentation, and see how the left and right channels are routed to each speaker in our walkthrough of splitting one pair for left-and-right earbud translation.

Can you translate through smart glasses?

Yes. Puente pairs with smart glasses such as Ray-Ban Meta, Xreal and Engo, using the glasses' open-ear speakers for audio and, on AR models, on-lens caption text so you can read the translation while keeping eye contact. Your phone still does the translating in the background.

Glasses shine when you want the reply to feel invisible — no phone held up between you and the person you are talking to. On display-equipped models you can watch captioned text scroll across the lens; on audio-only frames you simply hear it. Follow the guide to using Puente with smart glasses for the Ray-Ban Meta, Xreal and Engo specifics, or jump straight to the smart glasses setup steps to pair and pick your caption mode.

Can a smart ring start a translation?

Yes. A compatible smart ring lets you start, stop or switch a translation turn with a tap or gesture, so your phone can stay in a pocket. It is handy when your hands are busy or when reaching for a screen would break the flow of a face-to-face conversation.

Gesture control keeps the interaction discreet — one tap to take your turn, another to hand the conversation back. Read the guide to triggering translations with a smart ring to see supported gestures, then use the smart ring setup instructions to connect your ring and map the taps.

What about bone-conduction headphones and lapel mics?

Both work, and both suit specific situations. Bone-conduction headphones like Shokz keep your ears open so you can hear the room while translations play. Wireless lapel mics let both parties wear a mic for cleaner two-way capture — the more professional setup for interviews, tours and meetings.

Open-ear bone conduction is ideal outdoors, on a bike, or anywhere situational awareness matters; the bone-conduction setup guide covers Shokz and AfterShokz pairing and volume tips. For higher-stakes conversations where both voices need to come through clearly, a wireless lapel rig means neither person has to lean toward a phone — see the lapel and wireless mic setup for a pro two-way configuration with both parties miked.

Which device gives you what? A quick comparison.

Every device below runs on the same Puente app and the same 130+ languages — they differ only in how you hear, read and trigger the translation. Use this table to match a setup to your moment, then follow the linked guide to get it running in a couple of minutes.

Which device setup is right for me?

Pick by the moment, not the gadget. Everyday travel and quick chats need nothing more than the earbuds in your pocket; hands-busy or eyes-up situations reward glasses and rings; and professional two-way conversations are cleanest with lapel mics. When in doubt, start with your phone speaker — no accessory required.

Whichever you choose, the quality is the same underneath — natural, idiom-aware translation that sounds like a local, across 130+ languages with eight available offline. The free tier gives you 10 minutes a day to try any setup; when you need more, Puente Plus starts at $9.99/mo with more minutes and the linguistic premium features.