How to make Google Translate the default translation app on iOS
Find out how to make Google Translate, DeepL, or another supported third-party iOS app the default translation option on your iPhone or iPad by replacing the built-in Apple Translate app.
Apple’s own Translate app is the native way to convert a word, phrase, or sentence to another language on your iPhone or iPad. It’s a great free app with offline translation, voice translation, conversation mode, and more.
However, the list of supported languages isn’t much to talk about. If you check Apple’s official iOS 26 feature availability page, you’ll notice that as of January 2026, it just supports 21 languages. In comparison, Google Translate supports 249 languages (I counted)!
So, if Apple Translate doesn’t cut it out for you, consider making Google Translate or some other app the default.
How changing the default translation app affects your iPhone
In my tests, I found that changing the default translation app affects the conversions you make when using the ‘Translate‘ option after selecting a word or phrase in Safari, Notes, and elsewhere throughout iOS (screenshot below).
Note that even after changing the default app, Siri and Action button translations continue to use Apple’s own translation stack in the background. Furthermore, if you delete the stock Translate app after setting Google Translate as the default, translations via Siri and the Action button will fail.
Set Google Translate as the default iOS translation app
- Download Google Translate on your iPhone or iPad. Update it if you already have it installed.
- Open iOS Settings, then tap Apps at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Default Apps from the top.
- Tap Translation and select Google Translate.
The steps are the same whether you want to set DeepL or another app as the default. Just note that not all translation apps (e.g., Microsoft Translator) support becoming the default app.
And of course, irrespective of which app is the default, you can always open some other app and carry out your translations there.
Also, check out: How to set a default app for opening files on iPhone or iPad
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/01/08/ios-default-translation-app/
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