WhatsApp unveils new feature that could make your lives much easier

WhatsApp users, especially those in busy group chats with friends or family who speak a different language, have something to look forward to.

The popular messaging app has started rolling out a new in-app translation feature. This could end the hassle of copying and pasting messages into Google Translate just to understand what’s being said in chats.

Currently, the feature is being tested in beta for Android users, with hopes that it will be available to everyone soon. At the moment, only a few languages are supported, but if you speak English, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, or Brazilian Portuguese, you’re in luck.

A Feature Already Seen on Instagram

WhatsApp isn’t the first Meta-owned app to introduce translation capabilities. Instagram has had direct translations for years, but WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption made it more challenging to offer this feature on the messaging platform. The encryption ensures the privacy of users’ messages, meaning that they can’t be sent to cloud-based services for translation.

To make this feature possible while still keeping messages secure, WhatsApp has come up with a workaround. Users will first need to download a language pack onto their phone. This allows the translation to happen within the app without compromising privacy.

How It Works

The translations, while not as sophisticated as those from cloud-based services, should provide a good understanding of the message. Users will have two options when it comes to translations. They can either choose to have all messages translated automatically or manually translate individual messages with a quick tap.

This feature will make it easier for people to communicate across language barriers. For instance, those married to someone from another country will no longer be excluded from group chats with in-laws, even if they’re not yet bilingual. It will also be a game-changer for travelers, allowing them to understand local languages while on holiday or even when settling down in a new country.

The door is wide open for people to make new international friends or even find love across borders, as they’ll no longer have to worry about translation issues while chatting with someone who speaks a different language.

Rolling Out Gradually

First spotted by WeBetaInfo, which tracks new features on Meta apps, the translation option is not available automatically. Users will need to switch it on manually to enable the feature. It was found in the Android 2.25.12.25 update on the Google Play Store and has been in development since last year.

Currently, only a handful of languages are supported, but more languages are expected to be added in future updates. The feature is gradually being rolled out to more users, and as the translation feature becomes more refined, it will likely expand to include additional languages and improvements.