Google Translate is readying a welcome usability feature travelers will love
Source: Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is working on a new Pinned languages section for Google Translate.
- The feature would let users select up to 10 favorite languages for quick use.
- This discovery follows other small tweaks aimed at improving Google’s translation app.
New “Pinned languages” feature
Google Translate is receiving plenty of love from its maker behind the scenes. As we’ve previously highlighted in our Authority Insights coverage, we uncovered evidence of Translate’s new look live conversations, a host of new widgets, and changes that would give more control over alternative translations to users. In line with that latter feature, we’ve now uncovered another Google Translate usability upgrade.
As part of our investigation into app version 10.8.48.878519627.2‑release, Google Translate could soon allow users to pin their favorite or frequently used languages to the language selection page. While Translate already features a “Recent languages” section that can list up to nine languages at the top of the page, this is the limit; selecting more languages will remove some from this list. The new Pinned languages section lets users keep up to 10 languages permanently in view, above the “Recent languages” list.
This isn’t a groundbreaking feature, but the addition should massively reduce friction for users who frequently switch between multiple languages. If you’re visiting a country with several spoken languages, a Pinned languages section should make it far easier to find and select these in a pinch.
How to pin a language
- Swipe right across the language in the list.
- Tap the pin icon that appears.
How to unpin
- Perform the same swipe‑right gesture; an unpin button will appear.
It’s unclear when this feature will be available in the public version of Google Translate, but it’s likely to be a popular addition for a large portion of its user base.
⚠️ Note: An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work‑in‑progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.