Meta, the owners of WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, has announced the rollout of a message translation feature aimed at making communication across different languages easier for its more than 3 billion users worldwide.
The rollout, which began on Tuesday, allows users to translate messages directly within chats while keeping conversations private.
The messaging platform explained that users can now long-press any message, tap Translate, and select their preferred language.
The feature works across one-on-one chats, group conversations, and Channel updates. For Android users, there is also the option to turn on automatic translation for an entire chat thread, enabling seamless real-time communication.
Rollout details
According to WhatsApp, the new feature will gradually be available to both Android and iPhone users, starting with a limited number of languages.
Android users will initially get six languages: English, Spanish, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic, while iPhone users will have access to more than 19 languages from the start.
The company emphasized that translations are designed with privacy in mind.
All translations occur directly on the user’s device, ensuring WhatsApp itself cannot see the messages being translated. This aligns with the platform’s ongoing commitment to protecting user data and maintaining end-to-end encryption.
“Message translations were designed to protect the privacy of your chats. That’s why translations occur on your device where WhatsApp cannot see them,” the company stated while assuring the users of their privacy.
With over 180 countries relying on WhatsApp for communication, the feature is expected to break down language barriers and foster deeper connections.
“We’re excited to bring message translations to WhatsApp, so you can more easily communicate across languages,” the company said in a statement.
The move highlights WhatsApp’s push to expand beyond messaging into a more inclusive communication platform, especially in regions with diverse languages.
What you should know
Earlier in June this year, WhatsApp introduced three new features aimed at helping creators, organizations, and businesses grow their presence and monetize content on the platform.
Meta at the time revealed that the Updates tab, which houses both Status and Channels, will now support Channel Subscriptions for exclusive updates, Promoted Channels for discoverability, and Ads in Status for business visibility.
These features marked a significant expansion of WhatsApp’s business model and represent its most ambitious move yet into monetizing the platform.
Meta said over 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab daily to view friends’ Status updates or follow creators and public figures via Channels.
With this massive user base, the company sees a clear opportunity to introduce business-friendly tools.
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