Katarzyna Petru
Google is testing something that could bring a small revolution to one of the most widely used applications in the world. In the latest version of the Translator, a translation model switch appears – with options for “advanced” and “quick”. It sounds unassuming, but in practice, it’s the first step towards personalising translations to the standard of… Gemini.
Two modes, two worlds of translations
The new slider can be found under the Google Translate logo, right at the top of the screen. By default, it is set to "advanced" mode, which according to the description offers better translations, but only for selected languages and – for now – for written text. However, with a tap, you can switch to the "quick" model, which likely uses fewer resources and works more efficiently in offline mode or with a weaker connection.
This solution resembles the model selection in the Gemini app, where the user can choose whether they prefer the stronger model (Gemini 1.5 Pro) or the lighter one (Gemini 1.5 Flash).
For now, only for a portion of users
The new feature is appearing on iOS, but – as is often the case with Google – the rollout is phased. Android users will have to be patient. The feature may appear remotely, on the server side, without the need for an app update. At the moment, there is no information about whether the 'advanced' mode will be linked to the paid offering Google AI Pro. The portal 9to5Google suggests that this may be the case, as similar solutions are already being tested in other company apps. Google is officially silent – at least for now.
Gemini getting deeper into ChooseTV
Already in August, the company reported that the integration of Gemini models significantly improved translation quality. A month later, widgets appeared in the Control Centre on iOS – for quickly launching the camera, dictating, or conversing in translator mode. Everything indicates that Google is heading towards full unification of its language and AI tools. So if the advanced translator mode turns out to be based on Gemini, we can expect translations to be more contextual, precise, and natural than ever before.
What’s next?
At this moment, the “advanced” mode only works for text translation and only in selected languages. But Google usually doesn’t make such changes without a plan. We can expect that in future updates, the option will also include conversation mode, camera, and real-time translation. Is this the beginning of a new era in Google Translate – with AI at full throttle? Everything points to yes.
For now, however, we will have to wait until the “advanced / quick” switch appears for all Android users.
