WhatsApp has announced the rollout of its new translation feature, allowing users to translate messages into their preferred language directly within the app. The feature, which is part of version 25.28.74, is launching gradually across iPhone and Android devices for one-on-one chats, group conversations, and Channel updates.
To translate a message, simply long-press on the text, select "More...," then look for the "Translate" option. You can then select both the source and target languages, with the ability to download language packs for future use. WhatsApp says that all translations occur locally on the user's device, in line with the app's end-to-end encryption that ensures even parent company Meta can't see message content.
WhatsApp users on iPhone get translation support for over 19 languages, including Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Android users can access translation in six languages, but they do get an additional convenience feature: automatic translation for entire chat threads. Once enabled, all incoming messages in a conversation are automatically translated without requiring manual activation for each message.
The rollout follows Apple's introduction of Live Translation for Messages as part of its iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe launch earlier this month. WhatsApp plans to expand language support in future updates, but it didn't say when the feature will come to WhatsApp for web or desktop.
