9:13 AM PDT · September 23, 2025
WhatsApp has officially announced the rollout of an exciting new feature that enables users to translate messages into their chosen language. This capability, which is now available to users, enhances communication by bridging language gaps.
To use this feature, if users encounter a message in a different language, they can simply long-press and select “Translate.” After that, they can choose their desired language for translation, with the option to download the translation for future reference. WhatsApp highlighted that this functionality is available in both one-on-one chats, group conversations, and Channel updates.
Android users will also enjoy the possibility of enabling automatic translation for entire chat threads, ensuring that all incoming messages in those discussions are translated seamlessly.
Importantly, WhatsApp has emphasized that all translations occur locally on the user’s device. This means that WhatsApp does not have access to the content of translated messages, ensuring that all communications remain encrypted and secure.
“With over 3 billion users across 180 countries, we continuously strive to keep our users connected regardless of their location,” WhatsApp stated in a blog post. “We recognize that language can sometimes pose a barrier to effective communication. Hence, we are thrilled to introduce message translations to facilitate smoother interactions across different languages.”
This new feature follows closely on the heels of Apple’s introduction of live translation in its messaging platform earlier this year.
Message translations began rolling out to both Android and iPhone users this Tuesday.
For now, Android users can access translations in six languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic. On the other hand, iPhone users can utilize the feature in a wider array of languages, including Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
As of now, WhatsApp has not disclosed any plans regarding the availability of message translations for its web, Windows, or Mac applications.
Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Before joining the team in 2021, she reported on telecommunications at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University.
You can reach out to Aisha via email at aisha@techcrunch.com or through an encrypted message on Signal at aisha_malik.01.
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