Google has launched an update for the iOS version of Google Translate, introducing two new nifty features. Apple users will get a bit more kick out of the language-translating app and break language barriers better.
When the Google Translate app for Android Marshmallow, which started to roll out on Oct. 5, got beefed up, the Google Translate app for iOS may have felt a little left out. But Google has finally shown some love and attention to the Apple version.
Let's get started with the biggest improvement. Google Translate now works nicely with Apple's Split View feature, which allows users to run multiple apps simultaneously side-by-side. The Translate app was integrated with the feature, and it can now be pulled up to translate supported foreign text instantly along with messenger apps such as iMessage. Take note that Split View requires an iPad running on iOS 9.
"Starting today, customers using iPads supporting Split View will be able to use Google Translate along with the new feature. So if you're sending an email or text and need to translate, you can see both apps at the same time. And it even works with text from online books or websites," Barak Turovsky, Google Translate's product lead, wrote on the blog post.
Next up is the additional supported languages for Google Translate's instant visual translation feature. This allows users to point their devices' camera at a foreign text and instantly translate it. With the new update, the app now supports English or German to Arabic. Users will have to download the necessary language packs to translate printed text without an Internet connection.
Google Translate has been evolving constantly, especially in terms of the wide range of languages that it now supports and will support with the instant visual translation feature. Google hopes that users will be able to communicate more easily and help them see the world in languages they can understand.
The updated Google Translate for iOS is already available on the App Store.
Photo: Cory Doctorow | Flickr
