WhatsApp has officially begun rolling out its long-awaited Message Translations feature to Android and iPhone users. After spending months in beta testing, the update is now available to stable users worldwide. This new feature allows you to translate messages in 1:1 chats, group chats, and channels without leaving the app, making communication across languages faster and easier.
WhatsApp Message Translations: How It Works
The new feature lets you instantly translate messages into your default device language. Whether you’re chatting with friends, colleagues, or communities, translations are handled directly in the app with just a few taps.
Here’s what you need before using it:
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version (via the Play Store or App Store).
- Ensure you have a stable Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.
- Make sure there’s enough storage space on your device to download translation packs.
How to Translate a Message on WhatsApp (Android & iPhone)
Follow these steps to translate messages on WhatsApp:
- Open WhatsApp and go to a chat, group, or channel.
- Press and hold the message you want to translate.
- On Android: Tap the three dots at the top right and select Translate.
On iPhone: Tap More, then Translate. - Select the language you want to translate into and download it if needed.
- Tap Continue → Translate.
- The translated message will appear with the label “Translated”.
To switch back to the original language, long-press the message again and choose Remove translation.
Bonus for Android users: You can enable automatic translation so all new messages in a chat are translated instantly.
Supported Languages on WhatsApp Translation
Currently, the feature supports different numbers of languages depending on your device:
On Android (6 languages)
- English
- Spanish
- Hindi
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Arabic
On iPhone (19 languages)
- Arabic
- Dutch
- English (UK)
- English (US)
- French (France)
- German (Germany)
- Hindi
- Indonesian
- Italian (Italy)
- Japanese
- Korean
- Mandarin Chinese (Mainland China)
- Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan)
- Polish
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Russian
- Spanish (Spain)
- Thai
- Turkish
- Ukrainian
- Vietnamese
WhatsApp has confirmed that more languages will be added in future updates.
Final Thoughts
The WhatsApp Message Translations feature is a game-changer for global communication. While Android users are currently limited to 6 languages, iPhone users already have access to 19 languages—a major disparity that WhatsApp promises to improve over time.
For now, if you regularly chat across different languages, this feature will make conversations much smoother, whether in private chats, groups, or channels.
