Guide

Can Google Translate, Papago or Apple Translate translate a video on iPhone?

Updated 2026-10-22

Not the video itself. Google Translate, Papago and Apple's Translate app translate text you give them and speech they hear through the microphone; iOS does not let them hear the sound another app is playing. The usual workaround is a second phone held to the speaker. To translate the video on the same iPhone, you need an app that is given that audio: Hono Translate floats translated subtitles over the video, on the device.

What each app does with a video

App	What it translates	A video playing in another app
Google Translate	Text, the camera, conversations, and long speech in its transcribe mode	Only by overhearing it through the speaker
Papago	Text, the camera, voice and conversations; made by Naver, with a focus on Korean	Only by overhearing it through the speaker
Apple Translate	Text, the camera and conversations; offline for downloaded languages	Only by overhearing it through the speaker
Hono Translate	Not text: the audio your iPhone is playing	Translated subtitles over it

Why they cannot hear the video

On iPhone an app hears the microphone and nothing else, unless iOS hands it the audio another app is playing. That only happens after you confirm the system sheet that starts sharing your screen. Translator apps do not ask for it, so while a video plays in YouTube or Weverse they hear the room, not the video.

The two-phone workaround

Play the video out loud on one device, and hold a second one running Google Translate's transcribe mode, Papago's voice translation or Apple Translate next to the speaker. It works for a lecture. It is harder for a video: the translation sits on a different screen from the picture, the room has to be quiet, headphones are out, and music under the voices costs accuracy.

Translate the video on the same iPhone

Open Hono Translate and choose the language being spoken and the language you read.
Tap Start translating sound, confirm on the iOS sheet, then tap the empty space below the sheet.
The subtitle window floats up on its own and the iPhone returns to the Home Screen. Go back to the video and press play.

Headphones are fine, because the audio never goes through the room. Recognition and translation run on the iPhone; nothing is uploaded.

Which one to use

A menu, a sign or a message: any of the three translators.
A conversation with someone in front of you: Apple Translate or Google Translate's conversation mode.
A long Korean text: Papago.
A video, a livestream or a podcast playing on your iPhone: an app that translates the audio, like Hono Translate.

Questions

Can Google Translate translate a YouTube video?

Not by listening to it on the same phone. YouTube's own Auto-translate works on videos that have captions; for the rest, translate the audio with an app.

Can Papago translate a Weverse live?

Only if another device plays the live out loud next to it. To translate it on the same iPhone, see how to translate a Weverse live.

Do I still need a translator app?

Yes, for text, photos and conversations. Hono Translate only translates what your iPhone is playing.

Can an iPhone app hear the sound another app is playing? Do I need a second phone?

Yes, and one iPhone is enough. Through screen sharing — the iOS sheet you confirm when you start — iOS hands the sound that is playing to the app you pick. Hono Translate takes that audio from iOS, not from the microphone, so headphones are fine, and its subtitles float in a Picture-in-Picture window over TikTok, YouTube or any other app.

For every option in order, see what to do when a video has no subtitles in your language.

Guides for specific apps

View other guides