Meta's WhatsApp is rolling out a new in-app message translation feature for both Android and iPhone users. This feature is designed to facilitate communication between users who speak different languages, removing language barriers and fostering deeper connections among its global user base of over 3 billion users in more than 180 countries.
The message translation feature works in one-to-one chats, group conversations, and even within Channels. To translate a message, users can simply long-press the text they want to translate and then tap the "Translate" option. They can then choose the source and target languages for the translation. The selected language can also be downloaded for future translations.
For Android users, WhatsApp offers an additional convenience: the option to enable automatic translation for an entire chat thread. Once activated, all subsequent incoming messages within that specific conversation will be translated automatically.
To protect user privacy, WhatsApp emphasizes that all translations occur locally on the user's device. This design choice ensures that WhatsApp, and even its parent company Meta, cannot access the translated content. This aligns with WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption, which already ensures message content remains private.
The initial rollout supports a select number of languages, with plans to expand language support in future updates. Android users will initially have access to translations in six languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic. iPhone users have a broader selection, with support for more than 19 languages, including Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
The gradual rollout of the message translation feature for both Android and iPhone users began on September 23, 2025. While the feature is currently available on mobile devices, WhatsApp has not yet announced plans to bring it to the web or desktop versions of the app.
