iOS 15 Translate App UI Changes

Apple introduced several significant user interface updates to the built-in Translate app in iOS 15, focusing on smoother real-time conversations and simplified navigation. The update refreshed the conversation tab with new viewing perspectives, added an automated translation toggle, improved the language selection layout, and brought the app’s interface elements directly into system-wide menus across iOS.

Face-to-Face and Side-by-Side Views

The primary visual overhaul in iOS 15 occurred within the Conversation tab. Apple introduced two distinct viewing layouts to facilitate in-person discussions:

• Side-by-Side View: Displays chat bubbles vertically in a standard transcript style, making it easy to read past dialogue chronologically.
• Face-to-Face View: Splits the screen so that each participant views their translated text right-side up from opposite sides of the iPhone. Each person looks at their designated half of the screen, removing the need to pass or tilt the phone back and forth.

Auto Translate Toggle

In previous versions, users had to tap the microphone icon each time a person spoke. iOS 15 added an "Auto Translate" option accessible via the more options (three dots) menu. When enabled, the user interface actively listens for speech, automatically detects which chosen language is being spoken, and updates the translation cards in real time without manual microphone presses.

Redesigned Language Selection

The language selector received a cleaner, card-based interface. Tapping the language tabs opens an updated picker that clearly distinguishes between downloaded offline languages and available online languages. The interface also made switching the primary and secondary language faster with a central swap button placed prominently between the two language fields.

Unified Translation Card Layout

The main translation screen adopted softer, rounded UI cards for text entry and output. The action buttons—such as playing the audio pronunciation, copying text, favoriting phrases, and opening the full-screen view—were reorganized into a compact, easily accessible toolbar below the translated text card.

System-Wide UI Integration

While not exclusive to the standalone app, the Translate interface was integrated across the operating system. Selecting text anywhere in iOS—such as in Safari, Photos (via Live Text), or Messages—brings up a compact pop-up card mimicking the Translate app's UI. This menu allows users to change languages, listen to speech playback, and copy translations without opening the Translate application itself.