Help Center

Tips for translated calls

A translated call lets each person hear the other in the language they choose. It is available to some accounts for now. Translated calls are not end-to-end encrypted, unlike normal AviNat calls and messages. For private conversations, use a normal call. Translation can make mistakes.

Try this

Start a translated call

1. Tap the Translate tab and choose a contact, or long-press the chat name, tap More, then Translated call. You can also use Translated call in the person's contact info.
2. Read the notice and tap Start. The other person sees the same notice and taps Answer. The first time you start or answer a translated call, AviNat explains that your voice (and your video, in a video call) is sent to our AI partner for translation and that the call is not end-to-end encrypted; tap Agree to continue.

Choose your language

1. During the call, tap Change next to You hear and pick the language you want to hear. You can search by language or country.
2. You don't need to set the other person's language. "Their language is detected automatically."

Get the best sound

1. Be in separate rooms, or far apart. If both phones can hear each other, the translation can repeat or loop.
2. Hold the phone to your ear, or use earphones. Avoid speakerphone if you can.
3. Speak normally, in full sentences, and pause to let the translation play. It takes a few seconds to arrive.
4. Find a quiet place with a good Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.
5. If you see "Your microphone isn't picking up any sound", check that you are not muted and that AviNat has microphone access.
6. Original voice plays the other person's real voice softly under the translation. Tap it to turn it off if it is distracting.

Still not working?

Reply in your report thread (You > Help > My reports) and choose Call problem if you are starting a new report. Tell us the time of the call, the two languages, and what went wrong (no translation, wrong language, repeated words, echo). A person from our team will follow up. You can also write to [email protected].

Good to know

• If you don't see the Translate tab or Translated call, the feature isn't on for your account.
• Amharic and English are supported, along with many other languages. Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo are not in the language list yet.
• If the other person doesn't see the call, ask them to open AviNat and try again. A call that isn't answered ends with "No answer".
• Translated calls have a time limit. If you see "Time limit reached", start a new call.
• Only one call can run at a time. Starting a normal call ends a translated call.
• Translated calls may use AviNat Pro minutes when Pro is available. See the AviNat Pro article.

Still need help? Write to [email protected] or, in the app, go to You > Help > Contact us.