// Trust & Security Report
Apple Inc.
Apple Translate — a free, system-integrated translation app for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, supporting 20+ languages with on-device and cloud-based processing, including live translation with AirPods.
Certifications held
5
Maturity
Enterprise
Trains on your data
Yes
Trust center
No
// Certification ledger
Each held certification is backed by a verbatim quote from the vendor's own trust or security page. “Not confirmed” means we could not verify it publicly, not that the vendor lacks it.
Verify on apple.com“Apple's privacy governance program references compliance with 'the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA),' and Apple provides GDPR data-subject controls (access, correct, download, delete) through its privacy portal. Note: the specific processor DPA, GDPR Article 28, and standard-contractual-clause claims previously asserted here could not be verified on Apple's cited governance page and have been removed.”
Verify on support.apple.com“Apple's security certifications page states: 'Apple maintains independent certifications and attestations over its operating system in conformance with the U.S. Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 for cryptographic modules.' Only FIPS 140-3 is currently documented on Apple's page; the retired FIPS 140-2 predecessor is not named there. This is an operating-system-level cryptographic module certification, not Translate-specific.”
Verify on support.apple.com“Apple's security certifications page states Apple holds 'Common Criteria for operating systems and device services.' This is an OS/device-level certification, not Translate-specific.”
Verify on apple.com“Apple's privacy governance page states Apple 'abides by the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System' and has held 'privacy accountability certifications for its global privacy program since 2014.' Company-wide, not Translate-specific.”
Verify on apple.com“Apple's privacy governance page states Apple holds the 'Global Privacy Recognition for Processors (PRP) System' certification (Global PRP System Certification Mark). Company-wide, not Translate-specific.”
> Show 4 unconfirmed / not-held certifications
source: support.apple.comApple holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification, but Translate is not in scope. Apple's certifications page lists the in-scope internet services as 'Apple accessory services, Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, Apple Messages for Business, Apple Push Notification service (APNs), Apple School Manager, Claris Connect, Claris Studio, Digital Car Key Services, FaceTime, FileMaker Cloud, iCloud, iMessage, iWork services, Managed Apple Accounts, Schoolwork, Siri' - Translate is not among them. No public evidence Translate is covered.
source: support.apple.comApple holds ISO/IEC 27018 (PII protection in cloud) certification covering the same internet services scope as its ISO/IEC 27001 certificate; Translate is not among the listed in-scope services. No public evidence Translate is covered.
source: support.apple.comNo public evidence of Apple or Translate holding SOC 2 certification. Apple's published certifications page focuses on ISO standards, FIPS 140-2/-3, and Common Criteria.
source: apple.comApple Translate explicitly states it 'should not be relied on in circumstances where you could be harmed or injured, in high-risk situations, for navigation, or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.' This disqualifies it from HIPAA-regulated use.
// Privacy & AI training
Trains on customer data
Yes
Data processing agreement
Offered
Data region
Not publicly specified; Apple's privacy page states requests are processed by Apple infrastructure, region not disclosed
Apple may review a subset of transcripts and text inputs for improving Translate, Siri, and other natural language processing features. Users can opt into enhanced data collection via 'Improve Siri & Dictation' in Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements, or avoid data transmission entirely by enabling On-Device Mode for downloaded languages.
// Security controls
Encryption in transit
Assumed TLS/HTTPS for client-server communication; no explicit cipher suite published for Translate
apple.comOn-device processing
Full on-device ML inference for translation when both language models are downloaded; no data sent to Apple servers
support.apple.comData anonymization
Cloud-based translation associated with random rotating identifier, not Apple Account or email; not linkable to user identity by default
apple.comData retention
Apple stores transcripts and text inputs for two years; a small subset of reviewed requests may be kept beyond two years for ongoing improvement of Translate
apple.comLive Translation with AirPods
Fully on-device for iOS 16+; supports English (US/UK), French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain)
support.apple.com// Products & data scope
data: User text and voice input; camera-based text recognition; conversation transcripts
Free, built-in app; supports 20 languages; on-device and cloud modes available
data: User text input; system-wide translation via right-click menu
Free, integrated into macOS; same language support as iOS
data: Voice conversation audio; processed entirely on-device
Requires AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4; on-device only; limited language support (5 languages)
// What to watch
- Translate app is not explicitly listed as in-scope for Apple's ISO 27001 or ISO 27018 certifications; only named services (iCloud, FaceTime, iMessage, Business Manager) are documented. Potential over-claim risk if AIFOXX data shows Translate with these certs without caveat.
- No HIPAA compliance. Apple explicitly warns against Translate for healthcare, diagnosis, or high-risk scenarios, despite medical/business marketing in some contexts.
- Data used for AI training: Apple stores transcripts for two years and reviews a small subset that may be kept beyond two years for Translate improvement; opt-out is via On-Device Mode. Users may not expect this.
- Data region not disclosed: Apple does not publicly specify geographic processing locations for Translate requests.
- ISO 27001/27018 scope ambiguity: Coalfire certificate directory not directly accessible; full in-scope service list cannot be verified without direct contact or Coalfire lookup.
// At a glance
Pricing model
Free (included with iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS)
Self-hostable
No
// How we verified this
Every certification marked HELD is confirmed against a verbatim quote on Apple Inc.'s own trust, security, or privacy pages. We reject certifications claimed only on third-party aggregators, on a cloud host's behalf, or by a similarly named company.
Last verified 2026-07-06. Compliance changes over time. Always confirm directly with the vendor before relying on any certification for a purchasing or compliance decision.
apple.com