How to Use the Translate App on iPhone: Text, Voice, Camera, Conversation and Live
How to use the Translate app on iPhone: step by step for typing, speaking, the camera, Conversation, Live with AirPods and offline languages, from Apple’s iOS 27 guide.
On this page
- What the Translate app on iPhone can do
- How to translate text and speech
- How to save phrases as favorites
- How to use the Translate camera on iPhone
- How to use Conversation mode
- How to use Live translation in the Translate app
- Which languages does the Translate app support?
- How to use the Translate app offline
- Other Translate app settings worth knowing
- Quick answers
The Translate app is already on your iPhone, but most people open it once, type a word, and never find the rest. It can listen, read a menu through the camera, run a two-sided conversation, and on newer iPhones play translations straight into your AirPods.
This guide walks through each part in the order you’ll need it, using the steps in Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27. It also covers the one setting that makes it work with no internet.
Short answer: Open the Translate app, tap the two languages at the top to pick what you translate from and to, then type in “Enter text” or tap the microphone and speak. Tap Camera to translate signs and menus, and Conversation to talk with someone back and forth. On an iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence and supported AirPods, the Live option plays the other person’s words in your ears. Download your languages in Settings > Apps > Translate > Languages first so it works offline.
What the Translate app on iPhone can do
Translate is made by Apple, comes with iOS and is free on the App Store if you deleted it. Each job lives in its own part of the app.
| Part of the app | Use it for | Which iPhones |
|---|---|---|
| Main screen (text and voice) | A word, a sentence, a question you want to say | Any iPhone with the Translate app |
| Camera | Menus, signs, labels, text in your photos | Any iPhone with the Translate app |
| Conversation | Back-and-forth talk, turn by turn on screen and speaker | Any iPhone with the Translate app |
| Live (with AirPods) | Hearing someone translated in your ears as they talk | iPhone 15 Pro or later, Apple Intelligence on, iOS 26 or later |
Not sure which iPhone you have? Our Live Translation on iPhone guide lists every model and what it supports.
How to translate text and speech
This is the main screen, and it’s where to start. Apple’s steps:
- Open the Translate app.
- Tap the languages at the top to choose what to translate from and to. Tap the arrows between them to swap.
- To type, tap Enter text, type or paste a phrase, then tap Next.
- To speak, tap the microphone button and say your phrase.
Words translate as you type or talk. Once the translation shows, you can:
- Hear it: tap the play button. Touch and hold it to pick a slower speed, handy when you’re learning a phrase.
- Show it full screen: tap the full-screen button and turn the phone toward the other person. It works well across a noisy counter.
- Check a word: tap the dictionary button to see what each word means.
- Copy or delete it: tap copy, or swipe left on the translation to delete it.
Try it with a real sentence before you need it, like “Can I pay by card?” in French: Est-ce que je peux payer par carte ?
How to save phrases as favorites
Tap the star under a translation to save it. Tap the favorites button to see your saved list. Apple says favorites stay in sync on your devices signed in to the same Apple Account, so a list you build on an iPad shows up on your iPhone.
A short list of 10 phrases (your hotel address, an allergy, “where is the station”) saves a lot of typing on a trip.
How to use the Translate camera on iPhone
- Open Translate and tap Camera.
- Point the iPhone at the text. It translates in real time as you move.
- Tap the shutter button to freeze the picture, then zoom in to read the overlaid translation.
- Tap any overlaid translation to copy it, save it or hear it.
For a photo you already took, tap Camera, tap the photo button, and pick the picture. You can then share or save the translated image.
How to use Conversation mode
Conversation is for talking with one person, one turn at a time. Each of you speaks, and the translation appears in chat bubbles and can be read aloud.
- Open Translate and tap Conversation.
- Tap the microphone and speak, or tap Enter text to type.
- Tap the play button to hear the translation.
Then open the menu in Conversation and turn on three options. They make it feel much less like a form:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Play translations | Reads every translation out loud on its own |
| Auto Translate | No need to tap the microphone; the iPhone notices when someone starts and stops talking |
| Detect Language | Works out which of the two languages is being spoken |
Sitting across a table? Tap View, then Face to Face. The screen splits so each person reads their own side. More ways to talk in person are in live translation in person on iPhone.
The catch: Conversation waits for each person to finish. For a quick question at a ticket desk, that’s fine. For a tour guide, a long story or a family dinner, the pauses add up.
How to use Live translation in the Translate app
Live is Apple’s in-ear feature. You wear AirPods, the iPhone listens, and you hear the translation while the other person talks. Your reply is spoken from the iPhone in their language.
It needs all of these: an iPhone 15 Pro or later, iOS 26 or later, Apple Intelligence turned on, and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods Max 2 with the latest firmware. If you have that setup, it’s a great choice and it’s built into iOS.
- Put in your AirPods and make sure they’re connected.
- Open Translate and tap Live.
- Choose the language being spoken and the language you want to hear.
- Tap Start Translation. You can also press and hold both AirPods stems on supported models.
If Live isn’t there, one of the requirements is missing. Our step-by-step how to turn on Live Translation on AirPods covers each one.
Which languages does the Translate app support?
The Translate app covers more languages than the Live feature. Its App Store listing names about 20 for translation, including Arabic, Turkish, Hindi (new in iOS 27), Vietnamese, Russian, Thai and Ukrainian.
Live with AirPods has a shorter list of 11: English (US and UK), Spanish (Spain), French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional). So you can type Turkish or Arabic in the app, but you can’t hear them in your AirPods with Apple’s Live feature. The full breakdown is in our live translation languages guide.
How to use the Translate app offline
Do this at home on Wi-Fi, before you travel:
- Open Settings, tap Apps, then Translate.
- Tap Languages and download both languages you’ll use.
- Go back and set On-Device Translation to Always.
With Always, Apple says translations are “always processed on your device.” With Automatic, a missing language may be sent to Apple’s servers. Apple’s settings page says the same downloads are used for Live Translation too. Turn on Airplane Mode and test one phrase to be sure.
Other Translate app settings worth knowing
In Settings > Apps > Translate you can also pick a Default Translation App if you use more than one. That’s the app iOS uses when you select text in other apps and choose Translate.
Live Translation on Headphones is made by Little Tough LLC. It is not made by or affiliated with Apple.
Quick answers
How do I use the translate app on my iPhone? Open Translate, tap the languages at the top to choose both, then tap “Enter text” to type or the microphone to speak. Tap play to hear the translation.
How do I access the Translate app on iPhone? Swipe down on the Home Screen and search “Translate,” or find it in App Library under Utilities. If it’s gone, download Translate by Apple from the App Store.
Is the Translate app on iPhone free? Yes. Translate is made by Apple, comes with iOS and is free on the App Store.
How do I use the translate app on iPhone 17 or iPhone 16? The same way as on any iPhone. Every iPhone 16 and 17 model also supports Apple Intelligence, so you get the Live option with supported AirPods.
Why don’t I see Live in the Translate app? Live needs an iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence turned on and iOS 26 or later. On an iPhone 14, iPhone 13 or a regular iPhone 15, Conversation and Camera still work.
Can the Translate app on iPhone listen and translate? Yes. Tap the microphone on the main screen, or use Conversation with Auto Translate on so it listens without tapping.
Sources: Apple iPhone User Guide: Translate words and phrases, Apple iPhone User Guide: Use the camera in the Translate app, Apple iPhone User Guide: Translate in-person conversations, Apple iPhone User Guide: Change your Translate settings, Apple Support: Use Live Translation with your AirPods, Apple: iOS Feature Availability, App Store: Translate by Apple.
