Google Translate for Android rolls out two versatile Material You widgets [U]

Abner Li | May 1 2022 - 10:28 pm PT

Following the iOS app in March, Google Translate for Android now has a homescreen widget that follows the latest Material You design language.

Update 5/1: In announcing on Thursday, Google only showed off one Translate widget when there are actually two. Translate Quick Actions is quite a versatile widget with the 3×1 configuration letting you open the app or immediately launch into voice search. Making the widget taller adds camera translation, while 4×2 brings Conversation mode. At 5×2, you get Transcribe mode and a shortcut that translates the last thing in your clipboard. You can also keep this widget at 4×1 and 5×1 for a more traditional search bar look. The available actions vary by language pairing.

There’s also the Saved Translations widget that lets you “revisit saved and recent translations” — switch by using the arrow keys in the top-right corner. This widget spans from 3×2 to your entire screen. Each entry can be quickly copied, spoken aloud, and starred.

These new Google Translate widgets are widely rolled out with version 6.35 via the Play Store.

Original 4/28: Previously, Google Translate for Android just offered a 1×1 homescreen shortcut that lets you quickly create and launch a specific language pairing. The new widget consists of two rows and is similar in style to Google Maps.

Google notes the current translation pairing at the top and tapping immediately opens the app. This is followed by shortcuts to enter voice, conversation, transcribe, or camera mode. What appears in the bottom row differs by language.

The widget adopts Dynamic Color theming and is nifty for heavy users of the app. It follows the gorgeous redesign of the Translate app last year, which made for one of Google’s nicer Material You revamps.

As of today, with version 6.34, Google Translate’s Android widget is not yet widely rolled out. It might appear with the next release of the app, while a server-side component is not out of the question. Google’s tweet this morning did not provide specifics. Availability will presumably require Android 12 and newer.

The pace of new Android widgets and/or Material You redesigns is certainly slowing down as Google has mostly covered its biggest apps since the launch of Android 12 and the Pixel 6 last year.