Big updates coming to Google Translate’s live conversation feature

Google is planning to make some important changes to its Live Translate tool. A while ago, the Google Translate app introduced a Live Translation feature. This tool, which uses the power of Gemini, helps people talk back and forth in real-time even if they speak different languages. When you speak, the app shows the words in the new language on the screen, and you can also hear the translation spoken out loud.

When you start a Live Translate conversation, you currently only have a single switch to turn the spoken translations on or off. However, the app is expected to let you control the sound for each language separately very soon.

We noticed that the audio button now has a small arrow. Tapping this arrow brings up a menu with three choices for each language: a button to silence the audio, a button to play the sound through your phone’s speakers, and a button to send the sound to your headphones. This lets you decide exactly how you want to hear each person’s translation.

In the future, a fourth choice seems to be on its way. Since Google is spending time developing Android XR smart glasses, and with many other similar smart devices becoming available, the company is getting ready for these new kinds of gadgets.

Google plans to include a “Glasses” choice in the sound settings. This suggests that Live Translate is preparing to work perfectly with smart glasses, potentially making it a key application for these devices.

The last change fixes a big problem with Live Translate. Right now, the translation stops if you leave the Google Translate app to open something else. To fix this, Google is working on a notification that stays visible—much like the one used by Gemini Live.

This new feature will let Live Translate keep working and translating speech even while you are using other apps. You will also be able to easily pause or restart the translation right from the persistent notification without having to go back to the main app screen.