WhatsApp Will Soon Let You Translate Messages Without Leaving The App

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In its latest Android beta update, WhatsApp is testing a built-in translation feature designed to let users convert foreign-language messages without ever leaving the app. The feature relies on downloadable language packs and, crucially, processes translations locally on the user’s device—preserving WhatsApp’s much-touted end-to-end encryption.

The current rollout, spotted in beta by WABetaInfo, is limited to a handful of languages including Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese. These can be installed as individual packs, giving users the option to either automatically translate messages in real time or manually trigger translations from the chat info screen or message options menu.

By handling all translations locally, WhatsApp ensures that message contents stay off Meta’s servers, minimising privacy concerns in an era where digital trust is fragile at best. It’s a small but significant move in the broader industry trend of making apps more useful without compromising user autonomy.

Language packs can also be managed from the app’s storage settings—meaning users can delete them just as easily as they install them. Feedback mechanisms are reportedly in place to help improve translation quality over time, though early beta testers have noted that accuracy still has room to grow.

Notably absent from this beta rollout are iOS users. There’s no word yet on when (or if) Apple’s crowd will get the same functionality, but if WhatsApp’s past development cycle is anything to go by, parity between platforms usually follows shortly after initial testing phases wrap up.

As for future support, more languages—including Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin—are expected to join the lineup once the feature is officially launched. For now, WhatsApp is keeping the experiment Android-only, quietly laying the groundwork for a multilingual messaging experience that doesn’t sacrifice user control for convenience.

Translation has always been a workaround. With this, WhatsApp is turning it into a built-in, privacy-respecting feature without asking you to open another app, copy, paste, or compromise your data. Which is more than we can say for most “smart” features rolled out in recent years.