Overview

• WhatsApp is starting to roll out an in-app translator on iOS and Android that users trigger by long-pressing a message and selecting translate.
• The feature works across one-on-one conversations, group chats, and channel posts.
• Android users can enable automatic translation for an entire chat so new messages appear in their saved language without manual steps.
• Language availability differs by platform at launch: iOS supports 21 Apple-backed languages including German, while Android starts with English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic.
• Translations run locally using downloadable language packs, with WhatsApp stating it cannot view the processed text, a contrast to its cloud-based AI tools recently scrutinized in audits.