Google Translate users can now use Live Translate without a data connection, a change that makes the feature more useful in places where cell service is unreliable. Until now, Live Translate required an internet connection, even though Google Translate has long supported downloading languages for more basic offline text translation.
The catch is device support. According to Google's Older Pixels, Samsung Galaxy phones and other Android devices will miss out on the feature, at least for the time being.
Android Authority first spotted Google working on the feature earlier this year, and the version now rolling out appears to support more languages than those early tests suggested. Google has not explained why the feature starts with the Pixel 9 series rather than extending to older phones, which have offered support for other AI features in the past.
The company has also recently expanded Live Translate so Android users can keep a translation session running in the background when they switch apps or lock their phone. Live Translate works with or without headphones, and Google says more than a third of live translation sessions now last longer than five minutes.
Offline support is likely to matter most in crowded places such as airports and trains, where service can be spotty and staying connected is not always easy. For now, Pixel 8 and older users will not get the new offline mode. Even though regular Live Translate is available on Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola and other Android devices, offline mode will not be available on them.
Google Translate itself has offered offline translation for some time, and users can already download language packs and translate text without an internet connection. The company expanded that offline language list by adding 33 additional languages in 2023. Completing live translation offline requires significant processing power, which likely means taking advantage of the newer AI capabilities in the latest Pixel devices.
The offline version of Live Translate is also far more limited than the online version when it comes to languages. Google's regular Live Translate mode supports more than 70 languages, but offline conversations currently work only when translating from English into 10 other languages: Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Hindi, Russian, Swedish, Japanese and Indonesian. Users cannot use offline mode to translate directly from Spanish to French.
To set up offline mode, users can go to Google Translate, open Live Translate and choose a supported language from the language picker. Languages that support both offline Live Translate and normal offline text translation are marked Live & Text, and tapping the download icon saves the language pack. Live Translate can already be used on an Android phone with any wireless earbuds, and sessions can now keep running even with the screen locked.
For Pixel owners who travel regularly, offline conversation translation adds another reason to choose a newer Pixel device over another brand when upgrading. Google has not said when or whether the offline feature will reach other Android phones.