Google Meet is rolling out a speech translation feature to its Android and iOS devices, extending a capability that was recently introduced on the web. The feature enables near-real-time translation of spoken audio during meetings, allowing participants to hear conversations in another language as they happen. According to Google, this is designed to make communication easier for users who speak different languages, particularly in global or cross-regional meetings where language can often be a barrier.

Google Meet’s speech translation on mobile devices

According to Google, this update allows participants in a meeting to hear translated speech as someone talks, instead of relying only on captions or post-meeting summaries. The idea is to reduce language barriers in global meetings, especially for teams spread across regions. 

In meetings that use conference room hardware, participants can listen to translated audio, but their own speech will not be translated. Google also notes that the feature is still evolving, with planned improvements to translation accuracy, tone and overall user interface. 

For organisations, speech translation will be enabled by default. Admins can choose to turn it on or off at the organisational unit level. End users, meanwhile, can access and use the feature directly within Meet once it becomes available to their accounts.

Availability

The feature is currently limited to select Workspace tiers, including Business Standard, Enterprise Standard, Plus and Frontline Plus. It is also available for individual users under Google AI Pro and Ultra plans, along with certain AI add-ons. 

The rollout is happening in phases. Rapid Release domains started receiving the feature from April 8, while Scheduled Release domains began from April 23. In both cases, it may take up to 15 days for the feature to appear fully.

Other platforms

Similar features already exist on other meeting platforms. For example, Microsoft Teams offers real-time translation through live captions and translated transcripts. In meetings, users can turn on captions that are automatically translated into their preferred language. Another example is Zoom, which provides live transcription and allows third-party integrations or interpreters for multilingual meetings.