WhatsApp Finally Gets Language Translation Capabilities

We use WhatsApp extensively because it’s so common in Mexico, and one of the nice things about using WhatsApp on a Pixel is that Google provides language translation capabilities that work right in the app. But this isn’t the case on the iPhone, so I have to copy and paste text sometimes to figure out what people are telling me. Fortunately, that little nightmare will soon be over: WhatsApp announced today that it is rolling out language translation capabilities to its app on Android and iPhone.

“With more than 3 billion users in over 180 countries, we’re always working to keep our users closely connected, no matter where they are in the world,” the WhatsApp blog explains. “But we understand that sometimes language can be a barrier to getting things done or expressing how you truly feel. That’s why we’re excited to bring message translations to WhatsApp, so you can more easily communicate across languages.”

When you get this feature, you can long-press on a message and choose a new “Translate” option and then the language you want it translated from or to. The language will be downloaded for future use, and then it can be used in 1:1 chats, group chats, and channel updates going forward. And if you’re on Android, you will be able to configure this to work automatically for entire chat threads so that all future messages will be translated as they come in.

Language translation is being rolled out gradually across Android and iPhone starting today. It will initially support just six language (English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic) on Android but for some reason it will support 21 language on the iPhone.