Samsung Live Translate: Phone Calls vs Meetings
What Samsung Live Translate (Galaxy AI) does on phone calls, how to turn it on, which apps it covers, and why it will not translate a Zoom or Teams meeting for the whole room.
Published · 6 min read
In short
- Samsung Live Translate is a Galaxy AI feature that translates a phone call in both directions on the phone itself. You hear the other person in your language and they hear your words in theirs, as synthetic speech and on-screen text.
- It runs in Samsung's Phone app and in a list of voice-call apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Google Meet. Zoom and Teams are not on Samsung's list, and it needs a recent Galaxy phone, so laptops and other brands are out.
- For a meeting with several people, translation has to happen inside the call. Use Live Translate for one-to-one calls on your Galaxy, and an in-call translator for the meeting.
In this article
Samsung Live Translate is a Galaxy AI feature that translates a phone call in both directions, on the phone itself. You hear the other person in your language, and they hear your words in theirs, spoken by a synthetic voice with the text shown on screen. It works for one-to-one calls on a recent Galaxy phone. It does not translate a Zoom or Teams meeting for everyone in the room, and that gap is the main thing to know before you rely on it for work.
What Samsung Live Translate does on a call
Live Translate listens to the call, translates each side and plays the result back, all on the device. Samsung describes it as on-device processing, so you download a language pack first and the translation does not depend on a cloud service. You still need the normal connection for the call.
As of October 2026, Samsung's support pages say the following:
- Devices: Galaxy S24 series and later, Z Fold and Z Flip series, select Galaxy A models. Galaxy Tab S9 and later also support it on One UI 6.1.1 or newer, except Wi-Fi-only tablets.
- Apps: Samsung's own Phone app, plus Google Meet, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, WeChat, KakaoTalk, LINE, Facebook Messenger and Instagram voice calls. Support varies by app.
- Languages: Samsung's pages list from 13 to more than 20, including English variants, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic. The count differs by region page and grows with updates, so trust the language menu on your phone over any article, this one included.
- Accuracy: Samsung itself warns that translation might not be accurate, which matters for contracts, medical details and anything you cannot easily re-confirm.
As of October 2026, Samsung's Galaxy AI features including Live Translate are free. Samsung's terms and feature availability may change; check Settings, Galaxy AI on your phone for current status in your region.
How to turn it on
Steps follow Samsung's own guide; menu names can shift slightly between One UI versions.
- Open Settings, then Galaxy AI, then Phone.
- Switch Live translate on.
- Set your language and the other person's language. Download the language packs when asked.
- Optional: turn on Mute voice if you want to hear only the translation and not the original voice. Samsung also lets you adjust the voice and speech speed.
- Make or take a call in the Phone app. For a supported third-party app, open the in-call quick settings panel and start Live Translate from there.
What the other person hears: your speech, translated and read out in their language, with a short delay while the phone processes each sentence. They do not need a Galaxy, an app or an account. Tell them at the start that the call is machine-translated, because the pause before each reply otherwise feels like a bad connection.
Where it stops: meetings, laptops, other phones
Live Translate was designed for a call between two people, one of them holding a supported Galaxy.
- Zoom and Teams are not on Samsung's list. Meet is. If your colleagues run the meeting on Zoom or Teams, joining it from the phone app does not switch on Live Translate. Teams has its own Interpreter feature that needs a Microsoft Copilot or Teams Premium licence and covers 10 languages; Zoom offers translated captions that the host has to enable. Both are meeting settings, not something your phone adds.
- Laptops and tablets without Galaxy AI do not get it. It is a phone feature.
- The other side is a person, not a room. With three or more languages in one call, a single phone-side translator cannot give each participant their own language.
- Quiet channels only. It works on the audio your phone receives. Speakerphone in a noisy office, or one microphone shared by several people, hurts accuracy for any translator.
For a closer look at the phone-call case on any device, see our guide to a phone call translator.
How a translated call goes
Phone call with a Spanish-speaking caregiver about a shift change
Scripted example, not a recording
SchedulerHi Maria, I need to move your Thursday visit. Can you take the evening shift instead, from five to nine?
Hola, María, tengo que cambiar su visita del jueves. ¿Puede hacer el turno de tarde, de cinco a nueve?
| Said | Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduler | Hi Maria, I need to move your Thursday visit. Can you take the evening shift instead, from five to nine? | Hola, María, tengo que cambiar su visita del jueves. ¿Puede hacer el turno de tarde, de cinco a nueve? |
| Caregiver | No puedo el jueves por la noche, mi hijo tiene clase. ¿Podría ser el viernes por la mañana? | I can't on Thursday evening, my son has class. Could it be Friday morning? |
| Scheduler | Friday morning works. Please confirm you can reach the Santos home by eight. | El viernes por la mañana está bien. Confirme que llegará a la casa de los Santos a las ocho. |
| Caregiver | Sí, llego a las ocho. ¿Me envía la dirección? | Yes, I will be there at eight. Will you send me the address? |
Samsung vs Pixel vs iPhone vs in-call bot
The four options solve different problems. The useful column is the last one: who the translation reaches.
| Samsung Live Translate | Pixel Voice Translate | iPhone Live Translation | In-call translator bot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needs | Galaxy S24 or later, select A models | Pixel 10 series | Apple Intelligence iPhone on iOS 26 or later | Any device that can join the meeting link |
| Where it runs | On the phone | On the phone | On the phone | Joins the meeting as a participant |
| Phone calls | Yes, Phone app and listed apps | Yes, in the Phone app | Yes, in the Phone app | Meeting links, not ordinary phone numbers |
| What the other side hears | Your speech translated and spoken | Your speech translated, in a voice that sounds like yours | Phone calls translated and spoken; FaceTime shows captions | Everyone hears or reads their own language |
| Zoom, Teams | Not on Samsung's list | Not documented | Not documented | Yes, plus Google Meet |
| Laptop participants | No | No | No | Yes |
| 3+ languages in one call | No | No | No | Yes, up to 10 in one session |
Notes on the table, from the vendors' own pages: Google describes Pixel's Voice Translate as on-device on the Pixel 10 with English plus ten other languages. Apple describes iPhone Live Translation as on-device and part of Phone, FaceTime and Messages. Akume joins Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom from an invite link and translates in 60+ languages (requires a paid subscription) per its own product page. Samsung's Live Translate is free.
Which one to use
- One call, you on a Galaxy, the other person on any phone: Live Translate is the quickest. Switch it on and dial.
- Recurring Zoom, Teams or Meet meetings with mixed languages: use a translator that joins the meeting. Zoom live translation covers what Zoom does and does not translate natively.
- Both: it is common to keep Live Translate for calls to a supplier or a family member, and use an in-call bot for the team meeting. They do not conflict.
Hear the in-call version before you decide
Reading about translation tells you little about the delay and the voice. The free live demo lets you hear a translator working inside a call, in your own language pair, so you can judge whether it fits the meetings you run.
FAQ
Does the other person hear the translation with Samsung Live Translate? Yes. It translates both ways on a call. You hear the other person in your language, they hear your words in theirs, and text appears on screen. Mute voice lets you hear only the translation.
Which Samsung phones support it? Galaxy S24 series and later, Z Fold and Z Flip, select Galaxy A models, and Tab S9 and later on One UI 6.1.1 or newer. Check Settings, Galaxy AI on your phone.
Does it work on Zoom or Teams? Samsung's list of supported third-party apps does not include Zoom or Teams. It does include Google Meet.
Is it on-device? Yes, Samsung describes the translation as on-device, with language packs you download first.
How many languages? Samsung's pages range from 13 to more than 20 depending on region and date. Use the language menu on your phone for the current list.
Can I use it in a group call with several languages? It handles you and one other language. For three or more languages in one meeting, use a translator that joins the call.
Questions and answers
Does the other person hear the translation with Samsung Live Translate?
Yes. On a call it translates both ways: you hear the other person in your language, and they hear your speech translated into theirs. Samsung also shows text on screen and has a Mute voice option, so you hear only the translation instead of the original voice.
Which Samsung phones support Live Translate?
Samsung's support pages list the Galaxy S24 series and later, the Z Fold and Z Flip series, select Galaxy A models, and Galaxy Tab S9 and later on One UI 6.1.1 or newer (not Wi-Fi-only tablets). Older phones are generally not included, so check Settings, Galaxy AI on yours.
Does Samsung Live Translate work on Zoom or Teams?
Not according to Samsung's list. Its support page names Google Meet, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, WeChat, KakaoTalk, LINE, Facebook Messenger and Instagram for third-party apps. Zoom and Teams are not named, and neither is the desktop version of any app.
Is the translation done on the phone or in the cloud?
On the phone. Samsung describes Live Translate as on-device, and you download the language packs before use. You still need a normal data or phone connection for the call itself.
How many languages does it support?
It depends on the page and region. Samsung's pages list between 13 and more than 20 languages, with regional variants such as US and UK English, and the list grows with updates. The language menu in your own phone settings is the reliable answer.
Can I use it in a group call with several languages?
It is built around two people: you and one other language. A meeting where three or more languages are spoken needs a translator that sits in the call itself.
Sources
- Samsung Support: How to use Live translate for phone calls with Galaxy AI
- Samsung Support: Live Translate supported languages
- Google Store: Live Translate can Voice Translate calls with your natural voice (Pixel 10)
- AppleInsider: Live Translation in iOS 26 across calls, chats and video
- Microsoft Support: Interpreter in Teams meetings and calls
- Zoom: Translated captions
Prepared by the Akume editorial team with the help of AI tools. Platform facts come from official documentation, dated in the text.