Google Translate adds background translations on Android, listening mode on iPhone

On Android, Live Translate is gaining a background mode. Users can now keep a translation conversation running while switching to other apps to look up information or take notes, without having to keep the Translate app in the foreground.

On iOS, Google is bringing “listening mode” to Translate, a feature previously introduced for Android earlier this summer. It lets users hold the phone to their ear like a phone call and hear translated speech through the handset speaker, without needing headphones.

Both new features are now rolling out to smartphones, the report said.