Gmail app gets highly requested native translation feature

Gmail for Android and iOS devices finally launched a native translation capability that detects a language and translates the email automatically. The feature has been a staple on the desktop version and is currently compatible with 100 languages.

Google announced the exciting news on its Workspace Updates blog, saying that it’s been a “highly requested feature” for mobile users. Previously, if users wanted to translate an email, they had to either copy and paste the content into Google Translate or take a screenshot and upload it to Google Lens.

To translate a message on mobile, users click the “Translate” option located in the three-dot overflow menu at the top-right corner of an email. Users can choose their output language in settings, so a prompt appears when the contents of an email don’t match the “Gmail display language.” They can also opt out of translation if they don’t want the banner to pop up for a certain language, which could be helpful for people who speak multiple languages.

The translation integration will gradually roll out to Android users in the next two weeks. It’ll launch on iOS devices starting on August 21.