After releasing it on Android a few weeks ago, WhatsApp is now rolling out its own translation tool on iOS. Here’s how it works.
Just a few weeks after rolling out AI-based summarization and writing suggestions, WhatsApp is now rolling out support for message translations in 21 different languages.
The feature, which is part of version 25.28.74, comes alongside the official launch of Live Photos support. Meta states that it may take a few weeks for the rollout to reach all users.
How to translate messages on WhatsApp
To see if you already have access, tap and hold any message, select “More…,” and check for the “Translate” option in the menu.
After selecting your source and target languages for the first time, you’ll be prompted to download the corresponding language packs to your device. Once downloaded, you’ll be able to translate messages even without an active connection. You can download new language packs at any time. Downloaded languages can be found and managed under Settings > Translate > Downloaded Languages.
Here is the full list of currently supported languages, according to WABetaInfo, which also notes that the “available languages depend on the iOS version installed on the device”:
Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)
Chinese (Mandarin, Traditional)
Dutch
English (UK)
English (US)
French
German
Hindi
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Polish
Portuguese (Brazil)
Russian
Spanish
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese
And here’s what Meta says about the feature’s limitations and requirements:
”You can translate messages you’ve sent or received in an individual or group chat into some languages. You can choose from the available languages to translate messages, but locations, documents, contacts, stickers, and GIFs can’t be translated. You’ll need a strong WiFi signal or cellular data, and ample storage space to translate.”
WhatsApp is available for free on the App Store.
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