Google Translate’s Live Translate feature can now remain active in the background on Android, allowing a translation session to continue after the user switches to another app or locks the phone. The change removes the need to keep the Translate app open throughout a conversation.
Google says more than one-third of live translation sessions run for longer than five minutes, making background operation particularly relevant for extended conversations. Background Live Translate is also planned for iOS, but Google has not provided a release date.
On iPhone, translated audio can now play through the earpiece speaker rather than the main loudspeaker. The option is intended to let users listen to a translation more discreetly without headphones, including when following announcements or guided tours.
The earpiece playback capability was already available on Android. The updates follow Google’s expansion of live translation through headphones and the introduction of Gemini 3.5 Live Translate. The system supports more than 70 languages and is designed to provide near-real-time voice translations while retaining aspects of a speaker’s tone and rhythm.
