Meta-owned WhatsApp has introduced a new feature that lets users instantly translate their messages. The update is now rolling out for both iOS and Android devices and will be available in all 180 countries where WhatsApp operates.
Android users can translate messages between six languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic. iOS users, however, have access to over 19 languages, matching the offerings in Apple’s Translate app. Supported iPhone languages include Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
How to Translate Messages on WhatsApp
To translate a message, long-press it, tap the three dots in the top-right corner, and select “Translate.” Then, choose your preferred language, and the message will be translated instantly. This feature works for one-on-one chats, groups, and Channel updates. All translations occur on the device, ensuring that WhatsApp does not access users’ messages. For each language, users need to download a language pack to enable translations.
For Android users, WhatsApp also offers the option to enable automatic translation for an entire chat thread, translating all future incoming messages in that conversation.
While the feature is currently rolling out on Android and iOS devices, it has not yet been confirmed when it will be available on WhatsApp for Windows or the web. A support page notes, “Translating messages on WhatsApp is only available on certain devices and may not be available to you yet. We recommend keeping WhatsApp updated to get the feature as soon as it becomes available.”