iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey Introduce System-Wide Translation, Translate App Expands to iPad

Apple today announced that iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey feature system-wide translation, allowing users to translate text by simply selecting it and tapping or right clicking on the Translate option that appears.

iphone ipad mac system wide translate
iPhone, iPad, and Mac users can also translate selected text in photos as part of a new Live Text feature in the latest software versions.

Apple also announced that the Translate app is available on the iPad starting with iPadOS 15, after launching on the iPhone last year. On both iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, a new Auto Translate feature lets users translate speech without tapping the microphone button in a conversation, and selecting languages is now easier with convenient drop‑down menus.

translate app ipados
For a more detailed overview of new iOS 15 features, read our announcement coverage.

Popular Stories

Golden Apple Logo

Every Apple Secret That Leaked Wednesday

Thursday August 14, 2025 4:13 am PDT by
Apple made a major slip Wednesday when it accidentally included hardware identifiers in software code linking to numerous unannounced products. The leaked information provided MacRumors with concrete evidence of Apple's hardware development across multiple product categories. Here's everything that was confirmed through the code discoveries: New HomePod mini with updated chip – New...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Pro to Start at $1,049 With Doubled Base Storage

Wednesday August 13, 2025 1:45 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro will have a starting price that is $50 more than the iPhone 16 Pro but it will come with a minimum 256GB of storage, doubling the base capacity compared to last year's model. The information comes from Chinese leaker Instant Digital, posting on Weibo. The account, which has 1.5 million followers, has now made the claim three separate times in recent weeks....
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Chassis Offers First Look at All-Aluminum Body

Thursday August 14, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
An alleged iPhone 17 Pro production leak may provide a first look at the device's milled all-aluminum chassis, which this year includes the camera bump – in contrast to last year's iPhone 16 Pro model that features a glass camera module attached to an all-glass back panel. Originally shared by leaker Majin Bu, the image below could be of a moulding, but it still lines up with rumors that...
iPhone 17 Pro Feature Dual

When Will Apple Announce the iPhone 17 Event?

Tuesday August 12, 2025 12:46 pm PDT by
It is now mid-August, meaning that Apple's annual iPhone event is just around the corner. This year, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17, the all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Here are some of the key rumors for those devices:iPhone 17: Same design as iPhone 16, but with an A19 chip, a larger 6.3-inch display, an upgraded 24-megapixel front camera, ...
maxresdefault

Top 5 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday August 12, 2025 11:48 am PDT by
We're just about a month away from Apple's annual September event, and we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. There are some useful new features rumored for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which we've summarized below. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Satellite Connectivity - The Apple Watch Ultra 3 will be the first...
Apple TV 2025 Thumb 2

New Apple TV Coming Later This Year With A17 Pro Chip

Wednesday August 13, 2025 5:29 pm PDT by
Rumors suggest that Apple is working on an updated version of the Apple TV that's slated for launch later this year. Information about the upcoming device that was found in Apple code indicates that it will be equipped with the A17 Pro chip. There have been multiple rumors about a new Apple TV coming in 2025 with a new A-series processor, but it hasn't been clear which chip Apple would use...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.6.1 is Coming Today

Thursday August 14, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
In case you missed it — this is the post for people who mainly only read headlines — Apple has announced that it will be releasing iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1 later today. Apple shared this information in a press release on its Newsroom website. The software updates will re-enable the Blood Oxygen feature on Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models sold in the United States....
ios 26 liquid glass lock screen beta 6

Apple Changes Liquid Glass Again in iOS 26 Beta 6

Monday August 11, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to tweak the way that the Liquid Glass design looks ahead of the iOS 26 launch, and the latest beta makes a change to the Lock Screen. The Lock Screen clock has been updated with additional transparency, allowing more of the background to peek through. Beta 6 on left, beta 5 on right The clock also has more of a 3D, floating look, which is in line with the rest of the ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Just Weeks Away — Here Are the Top 4 Rumored Features

Wednesday August 13, 2025 7:59 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is just around the corner, with the iPhone 17 series expected to be announced in early September, and availability to follow later in the month. As always, the Pro and Pro Max models will have the most new features. Below, we have recapped rumors about four of the most interesting iPhone 17 Pro features. This list is subjective, of course, so sound off in the...

Top Rated Comments

Lerenard3000 Avatar
55 months ago
Airpods should be able to instant translate anything into any language that would be life changing.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
55 months ago

Airpods should be able to instant translate anything into any language that would be life changing.
And simulate the speaker’s voice too, right?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
55 months ago
With image OCR, text translation, and local speech recognition it really feels like we are getting close to having the Universal Translator from Star Trek.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnyb098 Avatar
55 months ago
So glad they decided to bring the lusted over translate app over to iPad instead of calculator or weather

/sarcasm
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theorist9 Avatar
55 months ago

I consider Mojave a stability release, it was rock solid for me from day one. Even High Sierra was a hot mess for the the first month or two. (In my experience)
I understand many found Mojave stable, but I don't know if it was designed specifically with a focus on "under the hood" improvements. If you go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacOS_version_history and search for "hood", you'll find only two OS's that (at least unofficially) are identified as focusing on the latter: Snow Leopard and and High Sierra.

Likely the reason I didn't have the teething pains you did with HS is because I nearly always wait unit about x.3 or x.4 before installing a new OS. That's not just to allow time for Apple time to straighten out their issues; it's to allow for the app developers to do this as well.

What have you found about the performance of Big Sur vs. Catalina? I know there were a lot of complaints about Catalina, but maybe all the significant issues were fixed by 10.15.7.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kc9hzn Avatar
55 months ago

With image OCR, text translation, and local speech recognition it really feels like we are getting close to having the Universal Translator from Star Trek.
And what’s more, (with the possible exception of translation, some of that may be cloud based) it’s all done on the phone itself, so it can be used offline. It’s pretty dang impressive what Apple has been able to pull off in the AI space, especially with its privacy stance (whereas Google can just throw more computing clusters at any AI problem it encounters).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)