How to Translate Messages on Android and iPhone

A message arrives in a language you don't understand. Maybe it's a client writing in Spanish, a relative texting in Hindi, or a friend sending you a message in Arabic. You know what you want to say back, but writing it in their language is a different story, especially when you're unfamiliar with the script.

The usual solution is to copy the message, open Google Translate, paste it, read the result, and then repeat the process for your reply. It works, but switching between apps every time someone texts you gets annoying pretty quickly.

Fortunately, Android and iPhone offer several ways to translate messages without going through that process every time. Some messaging apps have translation built in, while keyboards like Acti can help you understand received messages and write replies in another language, whether you're using SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, or another supported text field.

There are two things you might want to do: read a message someone sent you or write your reply in a different language. This guide covers both, along with the translation options available on Android and iPhone.

How to Translate Messages Directly from Your Keyboard with Acti

If you regularly communicate in different languages, using a keyboard with translation features can be more convenient than relying on a separate tool for every messaging app.

Acti is an AI keyboard for Android and iPhone that supports reusable workflows called Acts. These let you perform tasks such as translating text, correcting grammar, and rewriting messages directly from your keyboard.

For translating messages, two Acts are particularly useful:

• Understand Any Language: Read copied text in English through a preview above your keyboard.
• Translate to Any Language: Translate a message you've written into a target language and use the result in your text field.

The distinction is useful because reading and replying aren't the same task. When someone sends you a message in a language you don't know, you want to understand it without accidentally inserting anything into the conversation. When you're writing a reply, you want the translation to be ready in the message box.

Translate a Message Someone Sent You

Imagine receiving this message in Spanish:

Hola, ¿podemos reunirnos mañana por la tarde?

You recognize a few words, but you're not entirely sure what the person is asking.

With Acti, copy the message, open the keyboard's Acts panel, and select Understand Any Language. The Act reads the copied text and shows its meaning in English in a preview above the keyboard.

In this case, the message means:

Hi, can we meet tomorrow afternoon?

Your text field stays unchanged, so you can read the translation without inserting it into your reply.

This can be useful in a WhatsApp conversation, an Instagram DM, a Telegram chat, or anywhere else you're able to copy the text and access the Acti keyboard.

Translate Your Reply into Another Language

Now you want to respond:

Sure, tomorrow afternoon works for me.

Instead of trying to write the sentence in Spanish yourself, you can type it in English and run Translate to Any Language.

Enter Spanish as the target language and review the translated result in your message field before sending it.

For this example, a natural Spanish translation would be:

Claro, mañana por la tarde me viene bien.

The same approach works when you want to translate between other languages supported by the Act. You write the message in a language you're comfortable with, choose the target language, and use the translated text.

If you haven't added these Acts to your keyboard, you can find them through Acti Community.

Translate Messages Faster with the Acti Wheel

If you translate messages frequently, opening the Acts panel each time can become repetitive. Acti lets you assign frequently used Acts to the Acti Wheel or to individual trigger keys.

To use the Wheel, hold the spacebar to open it, then drag toward the Act you've assigned. You can place Translate to Any Language there for quick access whenever you're writing to someone in another language.

You can also create personalized translation workflows using Acti Agent. For example, you might create an Act that translates your messages into conversational Spanish rather than formal Spanish, or one that prepares short, friendly replies for international customers.

That way, you're not entering the same language and writing preferences every time you send a message.

How to Translate Text Messages on Android

Android offers several ways to translate messages, depending on your phone, keyboard, and messaging app.

Some devices include translation features inside their messaging apps, while others rely on the active keyboard or a translation app. If you use several messaging services, a keyboard-based option can be particularly useful because it isn't tied to just one conversation platform.

Translate Messages While Typing with Gboard

Gboard includes a built-in Google Translate feature that lets you translate text as you type. It's available on Android and iPhone and works in compatible text fields.

To translate a reply with Gboard:

1. Open your messaging app and tap the text field.
2. Open Gboard's features menu at the top of the keyboard.
3. Select Translate.
4. Choose the language you're writing in and the language you want to translate into.
5. Type your message and review the translation preview.
6. Tap Select to use the translation.

For example, you could type "I'll call you tomorrow" in English and translate it into French before sending it.

Gboard is especially convenient if you already use it as your everyday keyboard. Its translation feature is primarily designed to help you compose translated text, though you can also paste copied text into the translation interface when needed.

Translate Received Messages with Google Translate

If you want to understand a message someone sent you, Google Translate provides another option on Android called Tap to Translate.

This feature lets you translate copied text without repeatedly switching to the Google Translate app.

To use it:

1. Install or open Google Translate.
2. Open its settings and find Tap to Translate.
3. Enable the feature and follow the prompts for your device.
4. Copy a message from a supported app.
5. Tap the Google Translate control and select your preferred language.

You'll see the translation while remaining in the app you're using. Depending on your Android version and device, the interface may appear as a floating control or use a slightly different interaction.

This is useful when you mainly want to read messages. If you also need to reply in another language, a translating keyboard can reduce the extra copying and pasting.

How to Translate Messages on Samsung Galaxy Phones

Samsung Galaxy users have additional translation options through Samsung Keyboard and Galaxy AI.

On compatible devices, Writing assist includes a feature called Chat translation, which can translate messages in supported conversations. Samsung supports several messaging platforms, including Samsung Messages, Google Messages, WhatsApp, and Instagram direct messages, although availability depends on the device and software.

To use Chat translation:

1. Open a supported messaging app with Samsung Keyboard.
2. Tap the Writing assist icon on the keyboard toolbar, generally shown as three stars.
3. Select Chat translation.
4. Choose your preferred language.
5. Read the translated messages shown in the conversation.

This is particularly useful when you're having an ongoing conversation in another language and don't want to translate every incoming message individually.

Samsung Keyboard also offers translation-related features for composing messages, depending on your model and software version. Some of these options are separate from Galaxy AI's Chat translation, so the interface may differ between Galaxy devices.

If you're using a non-Samsung Android phone or prefer a single translation workflow across Android and iPhone, Acti provides another approach through its language Acts.

How to Translate Messages on iPhone

The iPhone has its own translation tools, including system-wide text translation and additional features for supported Messages conversations.

Which method you use depends on whether you're translating selected text, writing a reply, or trying to translate an entire conversation.

Translate Selected Text on iPhone

iOS allows you to translate selected text in apps such as Mail, Notes, Safari, and supported third-party applications.

To translate text:

1. Open an app containing the text you want to translate.
2. Select the text.
3. Tap Translate in the selection menu. You may need to open additional menu options to find it.
4. Choose the languages and read the translation.

If you're editing your own text, supported apps may also offer Replace with Translation. This lets you replace the selected text with its translated version instead of copying and pasting the result manually.

The exact options depend on the app and available languages. In apps that don't expose the required text-selection menu, copying the text into another supported app may be necessary.

Use Live Translation in Apple Messages

On compatible iPhones with Apple Intelligence, Apple's Messages app supports Live Translation for conversations in supported languages.

To enable it, open a conversation in Messages and tap the contact or group icon at the top. Look for the automatic translation settings, choose your languages, and enable translation for the conversation.

This can translate incoming messages and help you communicate across languages without manually selecting every message.

However, Live Translation requires an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone and supported software and languages. It is also a feature of Apple's Messages app, rather than a universal translation mode for every messaging service.

If you use an older iPhone or communicate primarily through third-party messaging apps, selected-text translation, Gboard, or Acti may be more suitable.

How to Translate SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Other Messages

Translation works differently depending on the app. Some messaging platforms have dedicated translation features, while others rely on your phone's operating system, keyboard, or a separate translation tool.

SMS and Text Messages

For ordinary SMS messages, the available options depend on your phone and messaging app.

On Android, you can copy the received message and use Google Translate or Acti to read it in another language. For replies, Gboard's Translate feature or Acti's Translate to Any Language can help you compose text before sending it.

On iPhone, you can use Apple's selected-text translation or Live Translation in Messages if your device and languages support it. A translating keyboard is another option when you want to write replies in a different language.

WhatsApp Messages

WhatsApp offers built-in message translation on supported devices, allowing you to translate received messages inside conversations.

If that feature isn't available, or you want to translate a reply you're writing, a keyboard-based tool can help. With Acti, you can copy a received message to understand it in English, then write your reply and translate it into the recipient's language.

Telegram and Instagram Messages

Other messaging apps may offer their own translation features or text-selection options, depending on the app and version.

If the feature you need isn't available, copying the message into a translation tool is a practical alternative. When composing a reply, keyboard-based translation can be useful because you're already working in the text field.

The benefit of a cross-app keyboard is that you can use a familiar workflow in different conversations rather than learning a separate translation process for every messaging app.

How to Translate Hindi Messages to English and Back

Hindi and English are an interesting example because people often switch between them during the same conversation.

Someone might send you a message in Hindi:

कल कितने बजे मिलना है?

Which means:

What time are we meeting tomorrow?

If you receive this message and aren't comfortable reading Hindi, you can copy it and translate it into English using a compatible translation tool or Acti's Understand Any Language.

To reply in Hindi, you could write your response in English and use Translate to Any Language to produce Hindi text.

For example:

Let's meet at five tomorrow.

Could become:

चलो कल पाँच बजे मिलते हैं।

This is translation: the meaning is carried from one language into another.

What If Someone Types in Hinglish?

Hinglish is different because Hindi words are often written using the Latin alphabet, sometimes alongside English words.

For example:

Kal kitne baje milna hai?

This asks essentially the same question as the Hindi example above, but it doesn't use Devanagari script.

Translation tools can sometimes interpret Romanized Hindi, but automatic language detection may be less reliable when a message mixes languages or uses inconsistent spellings.

It's also important not to confuse translation with transliteration. If you already know Hindi and simply want to type it using Devanagari, you need an appropriate Hindi keyboard or phonetic input method. You don't necessarily need a translator.

Acti supports multilingual keyboard layouts, while its language Acts handle tasks such as translating and interpreting text. Those are separate capabilities, and choosing the right one depends on whether you're changing the meaning's language or just the writing system.

For more on Hindi typing, see the Hindi keyboard guide.

How to Translate Arabic Messages into English

Arabic is another language where a translating keyboard can be particularly useful, especially if you're comfortable communicating in English but can't read or write Arabic confidently.

Unlike English, Arabic is written from right to left and uses a different writing system. This can make typing a reply difficult even when you understand what the other person is trying to say.

For example, someone might send you:

مرحباً، هل يمكننا الاجتماع غداً؟

Which means:

Hello, can we meet tomorrow?

With Acti, you can copy the Arabic message and run Understand Any Language to read its meaning in English. When you're ready to reply, type your message in English and use Translate to Any Language, choosing Arabic as the target language.

For example:

Yes, tomorrow works for me.

Could be translated as:

نعم، غداً يناسبني.

This approach can help when you're communicating with Arabic-speaking friends, customers, or colleagues without constantly switching between your messaging app and a separate translator.

Translating Arabic vs. Typing in Arabic

There's an important difference between translating Arabic messages and typing Arabic directly.

If you already know Arabic, switching to an Arabic keyboard layout lets you write using Arabic characters. Translation is only needed when you want to convert a message from one language to another.

Acti supports multilingual keyboard layouts, so you can switch between languages when typing. You can also use its language Acts to translate Arabic into English or English into Arabic without treating keyboard layout switching as translation.

One thing worth remembering is that Arabic includes regional dialects, and everyday messages may sound quite different from Modern Standard Arabic. A translation might be understandable but more formal than the original message, so it's worth checking the wording when you're having a casual conversation.

For more about Arabic typing and keyboard layouts, read our Arabic keyboard guide.

Translate Messages by Speaking Instead of Typing

Sometimes you know exactly what you want to say but aren't comfortable typing a long message, especially in another language.

Voice typing can make that easier.

With Acti Voice, you tap the microphone, speak your message, and then choose Transcribe after speaking. Acti also lets you select an output language, so the spoken language and the final written language don't necessarily have to be the same.

For example, you could speak a message in Hindi and have the text produced in English, or speak English and choose Hindi as the output language.

You can then review the text before sending it in your messaging app.

This is different from translating an incoming voice note. Acti Voice is designed around your own speech input; translating audio someone else sent may require first converting that audio into text using a supported transcription feature.

If you frequently communicate by voice, see Getting Started with Acti Voice for a detailed explanation.

How to Make Translated Messages Sound More Natural

A translation can be grammatically correct and still sound strange. This happens particularly often with slang, jokes, informal expressions, and sentences that rely heavily on context.

Imagine sending someone this message:

I'm running late. Give me ten minutes.

A literal translation may be understandable, but the wording could sound more formal or awkward than someone would naturally use in a casual conversation.

The first thing that helps is writing clearly. If a sentence contains several unrelated ideas, unnecessary abbreviations, and unfinished thoughts, it's harder for translation tools to preserve the intended meaning.

For example, instead of writing:

Can't come tonight sorry will talk tomorrow about that thing.

You could write:

Sorry, I can't make it tonight. I'll call you tomorrow about what we discussed.

This is easier to understand and translate, while still sounding like a normal message.

Acti also offers an Act called Sound Like a Native, which is intended to make stiff or overly literal text sound more natural in the same language. That can be helpful when you've already translated a message but aren't happy with how it reads.

You should still check names, dates, numbers, and other important details before sending a translation. A small wording change can be harmless in a casual chat, but a wrong meeting time or amount can cause real confusion.

Which Message Translation Method Should You Use?

There isn't one method that fits every phone and conversation.

If you occasionally need to translate a message, your phone's existing tools may be enough. Google Translate is convenient for copied text, and Apple's or Samsung's conversation translation features work well when your device and messaging app support them.

For people who regularly communicate across different apps, Acti offers a more customizable approach. You can use one Act to understand copied messages, another to translate outgoing text, and create personalized translation workflows through Acti Agent.

The advantage isn't simply translating one message. It's being able to build a familiar process around the conversations you have every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I translate text messages on Android?

With Acti, you can copy a received message and run Understand Any Language to read it in English, or use Translate to Any Language to write a reply in another language. Gboard also includes a built-in translation tool, while Google Translate's Tap to Translate can translate copied text from supported apps.

How do I translate messages on iPhone?

Acti provides translation Acts on iPhone for understanding copied text and translating replies. You can also use Apple's built-in Translate option on selected text in supported apps. Compatible Apple Intelligence iPhones support Live Translation in the Messages app.

Can I translate messages without leaving the app?

Yes. Acti lets you run translation Acts from the keyboard, and Gboard can translate text as you compose it. Some messaging apps and compatible phones also offer translation directly within conversations, although support varies.

Can I translate incoming messages automatically?

Some platforms support automatic conversation translation. For example, compatible iPhones offer Live Translation in Messages, and supported Samsung Galaxy devices offer Chat translation. Acti's Understand Any Language is an on-demand Act for copied text rather than an automatic translator for every incoming notification.

Can I translate a message before sending it?

Yes. With Acti, type your reply, run Translate to Any Language, and choose the target language. Review the translated result before sending. Gboard also lets you translate text while composing a message.

Can I translate Hindi messages into English?

Yes. You can use Acti's Understand Any Language Act to read copied Hindi text in English. Google Translate and other compatible translation tools also support Hindi-to-English translation. Messages written in Hinglish or Romanized Hindi may require extra care because language detection isn't always straightforward.

Is translating text the same as changing the keyboard language?

No. Switching a keyboard layout changes how you enter characters, while translation changes the language used to express the message. For example, choosing a Hindi keyboard lets you type Hindi characters, whereas translating an English sentence into Hindi changes the words themselves.

Can I create a custom message translator?

Yes. Acti Agent lets you create reusable Acts by describing your preferred workflow. You could build one that translates customer messages into your preferred language or drafts replies in a particular language and tone.

Conclusion

Translating messages on your phone doesn't have to involve constantly switching between your conversation and a separate translation app. Android and iPhone already provide several useful options, from Gboard's typing translation to Google's copied-text translation and built-in conversation translation on compatible devices.

If you regularly communicate in different languages or use several messaging apps, Acti brings translation workflows directly into your keyboard. You can understand a copied message, translate a reply, or create an Act that works the way you prefer.

Whether you're messaging family in Hindi, replying to a client in Spanish, or talking to someone in a language you're still learning, the right translation tool makes it easier to keep the conversation going.