Apple’s iOS 14 to include a built-in translator for Safari

When Apple unveils iOS 14 later this month, it appears the update will include an intriguing new feature: a translator embedded into the Safari browser.

This will allow iPhone and Apple users to automatically translate webpages without resorting to any third-party services or apps.

This came out in a report from 9to5Mac, which discovered the new feature in an early build of iOS 14 that it obtained. Apple will unveil iOS 14 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off June 22 and will be virtual-only for the first time due to social-distancing measures.

Safari will automatically detect which language each webpage is using so it can translate the content accordingly, according to the report. The translation feature should be available as an option for each website, although users may be able to automatically have everything on the web translated for them as well.

Aside from its built-in translator, iOS 14 may have other new features. For one thing, 9to5mac reports that iPadOS 14 might include full support for Apple Pencil input on websites, allowing users to not only touch and scroll with a stylus but also to draw on and mark up sites.

Also, reports indicate this operating system update will support older phones, including the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE, which date from 2015 and 2016, respectively. Apparently, iOS 14 will run on every device that’s currently running iOS 13.

Finally, reports also indicate that iOS 14 will allow users to sample specific parts of third-party apps without having to install them first. This feature would allow users to experience a sampling of an app’s functionality by scanning a QR Code.

This feature, referenced internally as the “Clips” API, will work with a device’s QR Code reader to allow a user to scan a code linked to an app and interact with that app through a window that appears on their screen.

Apple’s launch of iOS 14 comes on the heels of serious iOS 13.5 bugs.

That update boasts a number of new features, including those targeting coronavirus-related iPhone issues. However, it also contains several serious bugs affecting iPad and iPhone users. In addition to high battery drain, iPadOS can cause boot loops on the iPad Pro, while media playback of the MP4/MPEG-4 container format doesn’t work for iPads or iPhones.

Apple released iOS 13.5.1 as an update, but it doesn’t address either problem. As of now, there is no timeline for a fix.