The Messages app allows us to communicate with anyone in the world, quite literally, because Live Translation lets us hold conversations in other languages. Live Translation translates the messages we send as we type and shows the replies we receive in our own language, allowing the conversation to flow naturally no matter who we are talking to. It is one of the many new features in iOS 26 and one that is worth exploring in a little more detail.
What we need to use Live Translation
Live Translation is part of Apple Intelligence, so the first thing we need is a compatible iPhone: an iPhone 15 Pro or later.
The feature supports Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and several other languages. When we enable translation, our iPhone will download the corresponding language packs, which can take up several hundred megabytes. Once they are ready, translations will automatically appear within each conversation.
It is also worth clarifying that translation takes place directly on the device, protecting the privacy of our conversations while providing maximum speed, whether or not we have an internet connection.
How to enable automatic translation in Messages
Enabling Live Translation for a conversation is really easy. The feature is enabled on a conversation-by-conversation basis, so we can use translation in only some of them and select a different language for each one; every conversation works independently. These are the steps we need to follow:
- We open the Messages app and enter the conversation we are interested in.
- We tap the contact’s name or picture at the top.
- We scroll down through the options and enable Automatically Translate.
- We tap Translate From to select the other person’s language.
- We download the language when the system asks us to.
- We return to the conversation and write our message.
From this point onwards, we will see the translation as we type. When we tap the send button, the other person receives our original text and the translated version, while the messages we receive will appear alongside their translations.
How to control translations during a conversation
At the bottom of the conversation, we will see Translating [language]. By tapping it, we can choose to display the original text alongside the translation, switch to a single-language view or even stop translating altogether.
Live Translation, incidentally, is also available in the Phone and FaceTime apps, as well as through real-time translation with AirPods, greatly expanding the ways in which we can already communicate.
At Hanaringo, we specialize in Apple and offer personalized training and technical support for individuals and businesses, both by telephone and with remote access to the screen whenever necessary. Real-time translation, whether during a phone call, an in-person conversation or a chat in the Messages app, is always a subject of great interest. Its potential to make communication easier is enormous: with a single tap, we can talk to anyone in the world in our own language and let Apple Intelligence take care of the rest.