In science fiction movies, races from different planets miraculously speak English to puny humans, thanks to a handy universal translation device. Now that device is coming to your iPhone.
Hands-on: Apple's Translate app is more impressive than you think! | A complete guide
Apple’s super-simple but powerful Translate app debuted on the iPhone with iOS 14. In iOS 15, it comes to the iPad, along with a radical addition: Conversation Mode. With it, two people can chat in different languages. You tap the microphone button and say something. That’s it. The app transcribes and translates your words, and Siri reads the result aloud. It’s both simple and incredibly useful.
"That's a huge boon for people who travel, work with people who speak a different language, or just want to learn something new," cybersecurity analyst Eric Florence told Lifewire via email. "But it's the ease with which it all happens that really sets Translate apart. There are tons of translation apps on the web and available on multiple types of phones."
Translate’s Conversation feature is a perfect example of Apple at its best. You open the Conversation tab, see two boxes where you can choose your preferred languages, and come across a large microphone icon. It’s clear how it works, and once you tap the icon, ask your waiter for two beers, and the translation plays over the speaker, your waiter knows exactly what’s going on too.
