The short answer: On an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, open the conversation, tap the person’s name at the top, turn on Automatically Translate and choose the language. New messages arrive in your language, and what you type is sent in theirs, along with your original. On any recent iPhone, you can also translate one message: touch and hold it, tap Select, then Translate. For languages Live Translation doesn’t cover, such as Arabic, Russian or Bangla, and for your other chat apps, use a translator keyboard such as Swift Translate Keyboard.
How to turn on Live Translation in Messages
Live Translation is part of Apple Intelligence. You need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or any iPhone 16 or later, including iPhone 16e, iPhone Air and iPhone 17. Your iPhone’s language and Siri’s language must be set to the same supported language.
- Open Messages and the conversation.
- Tap the person’s name at the top of the conversation. In a group, tap the group’s icon.
- Turn on Automatically Translate. Scroll down if you don’t see it.
- Messages may suggest the languages. If it doesn’t, tap Choose Language, or Translate From and Translate To, and pick the languages.
- If the language isn’t on your iPhone yet, it downloads first. This can take a few minutes.
- Go back to the conversation and type. The translation appears as you type.
You can also download languages ahead of time in Settings > Apps > Translate > Languages. Each language is a large download, up to about 1 GB, so use Wi-Fi.
What you and the other person see
- Their messages arrive translated into your language.
- Your messages are translated as you type. When you send one, the other person gets the translation and your original message.
- To see the original text, tap Translating and the language name at the bottom of the conversation. Stop Translation is in the same place.
- Only new messages are translated, not the ones already in the conversation.
- The other person’s phone matters. Live Translation works best when both of you use a recent iOS version. Messages from Android phones can be translated on your side too.
Apple says Live Translation runs entirely on your iPhone, which keeps your messages private.
How to translate one iMessage on any iPhone
If your iPhone doesn’t have Apple Intelligence, you can still translate a message you received. This works on any recent iPhone.
- Touch and hold the message.
- Tap Select and highlight the text. If you see Translate straight away, tap it and skip the next step.
- Tap Translate.
The translation appears, and you can tap the language menu to change the languages. To answer in their language, type your reply, select it, tap Translate, then Replace with Translation. The full steps are in How to translate while typing on iPhone.
Automatically Translate not showing? Why, and how to fix it
| Why | What to do |
|---|---|
| Your iPhone doesn’t have Apple Intelligence. That includes iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, iPhone 14 or older, and iPhone SE. | Translate one message at a time (above), or use a translator keyboard. |
| Your iPhone isn’t up to date. | Live Translation needs iOS 26 or later. Update to the latest iOS. |
| Apple Intelligence isn’t on. | Make sure Apple Intelligence is turned on in Settings. On the latest iOS, it’s available automatically on iPhones that support it. |
| Your iPhone’s language and Siri’s language don’t match, or aren’t supported. | Set both to the same supported language in Settings, for example English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese or Korean. |
| There isn’t enough storage. | Apple Intelligence needs up to 8 GB, and each language is a large download. Make room on your iPhone and use Wi-Fi. |
| The language isn’t one of the 16. | Messages can’t translate it as you type. Use the Translate option for one message, or a translator keyboard. |
| You’re in China mainland. | Apple Intelligence isn’t available there. |
| You’re in WhatsApp or another app. | Live Translation is for Messages only. For WhatsApp, see How to translate WhatsApp messages. |
How to turn off translation in Messages
- In the conversation, tap Translating and the language name at the bottom, then tap Stop Translation.
- Or tap the person’s name at the top and turn off Automatically Translate.
To start again, turn Automatically Translate back on.
Which languages Messages can translate
Live Translation in Messages works in 16 languages: English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese.
Apple lists regional versions too, for example Spanish for Mexico, Spain and the US, Portuguese for Brazil and Portugal, and French for Canada and France. So Spanish, Korean and Japanese are all covered.
Not on the list: Arabic, Hindi, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Thai, Indonesian, Urdu, Bangla, Persian and Tagalog, among others.
The one-message Translate option covers more: about 25 languages, including Arabic, Hindi and Russian, but one message at a time. Urdu, Bangla, Persian and Tagalog are in neither list.
What Messages’ translation doesn’t do
- Other apps. It works in Messages only, not in WhatsApp, Instagram or Telegram.
- Older iPhones. It needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
- Many languages. 16 is a short list if your family writes in Arabic, Russian or Urdu.
- The other side. What the other person sees depends on their phone.
- Old messages. Only messages that arrive after you turn it on are translated.
If you and your contact both write in languages on Apple’s list, and you both use Messages, Live Translation is all you need. It translates both sides of the conversation on its own.
Translate any conversation with Swift Translate Keyboard
For everything Live Translation doesn’t cover, Swift Translate Keyboard works right in the conversation you’re in.
- Read their message. Copy it, tap Paste on the keyboard, and the translation shows right above the keys. You never leave the conversation.
- Write your reply. Type in your language and tap Translate. It turns into their language in the message box, ready to send, and the pencil brings your own words back.
- See the whole screen. After a one-time setup, double-tap the back of your iPhone. You get a picture of your screen with the conversation in your language.
It works the same way in WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram and the other apps where you type. It translates between more than 100 languages, including the ones Messages leaves out, such as Arabic and Russian, and it detects the language of each message for you. Each message takes one tap, so you choose what gets translated. To see how it compares with other keyboards, read the best translator keyboards for iPhone.
Texting from an Android phone? Swift Translate translates chats with a floating bubble you drag onto any message.
FAQ
Does iMessage have translate?
Yes. On an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, Live Translation translates a whole conversation: tap the person’s name and turn on Automatically Translate. On any recent iPhone, you can translate one message: touch and hold it, tap Select, then Translate.
Does the other person need an iPhone?
Not for reading. Messages from Android phones can be translated on your side too. Live Translation works best when both of you use a recent iOS version.
Can I translate iMessages to Spanish or English?
Yes. Both are on Apple’s list, with Spanish for Mexico, Spain and the US, and English for the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, India and more. Turn on Automatically Translate in the conversation and choose the language. For other chat apps, see the Spanish–English keyboard.
Can I translate iMessages on a Mac?
Yes, in Messages on a Mac with Apple Intelligence (M1 or later). Apple says Live Translation works on Mac and iPad as well as iPhone.
Does it work offline?
Apple says Live Translation runs entirely on your iPhone once the language is downloaded, so the translation itself doesn’t need a connection. Sending and receiving messages still does.
Why isn’t Live Translation working on my iPhone 15 or 14?
Those models don’t have Apple Intelligence. Live Translation needs an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or any iPhone 16 or later, with iOS 26 or later. On an iPhone 15 or 14, you can still translate one message at a time: touch and hold it, tap Select, then Translate.
Related: How to translate while typing on iPhone · Best translator keyboards for iPhone · How to translate WhatsApp messages