WhatsApp"s latest feature will save you a few taps while texting on your phone. You won"t need to copy your WhatsApp messages to a translation app to understand what is being said in a text message that"s in another language.
The Meta-owned company has baked the Message Translations feature for its instant messaging app on Android and iOS. WhatsApp"s language translation feature works across individual chats, group chats, and Channel updates.
When someone texts you in a different language on WhatsApp, you can tap and hold the message and select "Translate" from the options that show up next. You can choose your preferred language for translation and download it to save it for future translations. If you have an Android device, you turn on automatic message translation for the entire chat thread.
Meta is no stranger to language translation features. For instance, you can translate comments on Instagram Reels and Facebook posts using the "See Translation" button. Moreover, Apple also added translation capabilities in its Messages app with the recent iOS 26 update. Its rival Telegram already introduced message translations back in 2021.
Meta said in a blog post that WhatsApp currently has over three billion users worldwide. The social media giant assured that the translated messages are end-to-end encrypted and WhatsApp can"t see them. The feature uses on-device processing to translate text from one language to another.
Message Translations is now available to Android and iPhone users worldwide, starting today. For Android users, the feature will initially support six languages: English, Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic. On the other hand, it will be available in more than 19 languages for iPhone users.
The latest update is part of the improvements WhatsApp has recently rolled out across its app. It rolled out a unified calling UI for group chats, a new interface to manage status privacy, an updated GIF keyboard, and support for Live Photos.