Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

WhatsApp Rolls Out Message Translation on iOS in 19 Languages

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
69,670
40,901


WhatsApp has announced the rollout of its new translation feature, allowing users to translate messages into their preferred language directly within the app. The feature is launching gradually across iPhone and Android devices for one-on-one chats, group conversations, and Channel updates.

Whatsapp-Feature.jpg

To translate a message, simply long-press on the text and tap the "Translate" option. Users can then select both the source and target languages, with the ability to download language packs for future use. WhatsApp says that all translations occur locally on the user's device, in line with the app's end-to-end encryption that ensures even parent company Meta can't see message content.

WhatsApp users on iPhone get translation support for over 19 languages, including Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

Android users can access translation in six languages, but they do get an additional convenience feature: automatic translation for entire chat threads. Once enabled, all incoming messages in a conversation are automatically translated without requiring manual activation for each message.

The rollout follows Apple's introduction of Live Translation for Messages as part of its iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe launch earlier this month. WhatsApp plans to expand language support in future updates, but it didn't say when the feature will come to WhatsApp for web or desktop.

Article Link: WhatsApp Rolls Out Message Translation on iOS in 19 Languages
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/24/whatsapp-rolls-out-message-translation/
Last edited:
I’m assuming this is not powered by Apple Intelligence and instead by Meta AI…?
 
I wish they let us have multiple numbers already. I think the Android versions lets people have 2 on the same app.
 
I thought on Android, or at least Pixel, Gemini was already doing the translation automatically...
 
It’s kind of funny that even WhatsApp fully supports Polish, yet Apple still ignores it in many of its services. It almost feels like Apple has something against Central and Eastern Europe, while smaller platforms provide full support without any problem
 
  • Like
Reactions: gusmula, 88tatz and xmach
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Ron21 and wanha
rybak17 said:
It’s kind of funny that even WhatsApp fully supports Polish, yet Apple still ignores it in many of its services. It almost feels like Apple has something against Central and Eastern Europe, while smaller platforms provide full support without any problem
Click to expand...
But Apple does support translation to and from Polish, just check out the Tłumacz app.

It does not support Apple Intelligence-related features, like live translation in Messages, but that has more to do with the EU slowly turning into… well, something it was not really supposed to be.
 
Mr. Heckles said:
I wish they let us have multiple numbers already. I think the Android versions lets people have 2 on the same app.
Click to expand...
Agreed. The android version has offered this feature for several years. Petty resentments by Zuckerberg directed at Apple would seem to be the real reason it has not emerged from beta since it is more than a year since it became known it was in beta. If Zuckerberg wanted it done, it would be completed. He would have set a deadline / goal and the engineers would have uncovered and resolved any issues preventing full release.
 
Mr. Heckles said:
I wish they let us have multiple numbers already. I think the Android versions lets people have 2 on the same app.
Click to expand...
Pro tip.. install 'WhatsApp Business' for your 2nd number. You can have "regular" and "business" WA apps on the same iPhone. Would have preferred multi-number support in a single app, but it works too.
 
15,000 years after Telegram already had this feature. It boggles my mind why anyone prefers WhatsApp over Telegram
 
there was a 1.5 billion problem spamming the internet with simps and doing scam-calls. Now imagine another 2 billion from other places that do not speak English, spamming your messages and calling you.
 
Has anyone tried it? It doesn't seem available on my iPhone 16 even though all apps are updated.
 
ctyrider said:
Pro tip.. install 'WhatsApp Business' for your 2nd number. You can have "regular" and "business" WA apps on the same iPhone. Would have preferred multi-number support in a single app, but it works too.
Click to expand...
Pro tip? What is "pro" about it? This work around has been out there for several years. It is a work around, not an answer to the problem or inconvenience. It's also not an excuse for Meta's failure to deliver and bring the iOS version with this feature out of beta where it has been for over a year.Thefeature has been live on the android version for several years. I have used it for a while, but it is a PIA and requires constantly switching which sometime results in the wrong message going to the wrong people. It is not a substitute for the real thing. More pettiness and childish "I hate Apple" behavior from Zuckerberg.
 
Good to hear about this. Expecting more languages to be supported soon. I don't use the app much and don't think I will be having much use for this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mganu
What I really don’t understand is why the list of translatable languages isn’t infinite. I mean, it’s an AI doing the tranlation, so in theory it should be intelligent enough to translate any language in the world… i don’t get why the list has to be limited to the same usual languages…
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back