[Rob C]

Probably a dumb question, but does the Translattia app have to be open on my phone the whole time for the translation to work? I get that the earbuds need Bluetooth, but can I lock my screen or switch to another app and still have the conversation mode function? Just trying to figure out if I’m going to be glued to my phone the entire time.

[Devon Lee]

Mine actually keeps translating with the screen locked, so I don’t think you’re stuck staring at the app. I usually pocket my phone during conversations and it keeps going fine. Switching apps is where I’ve had it drop out once or twice, but lock screen alone hasn’t been a problem.

[LauTop]

I still keep the app in the foreground out of habit, mostly because my screen locks fast and I’m not digging it back out mid-sentence. The earbud tap controls handle the basics fine, but I like seeing the transcript on screen to double-check what got picked up.

[Tom Briggs]

Locking the screen isn’t the issue for me, it’s leaving the app entirely. Once I switch to messages or whatever, translation stops until I bring it back up. So keep it running in the background but don’t expect it to survive you wandering off to other apps.

[Mike Harry]

I tried leaving the app to check a map mid-conversation and the translation cut out on me. Brought the app back up and it picked right back up, but that little gap was enough to make things awkward. So now I just keep it open and deal with it. Screen locked is fine, it’s switching apps that gets me.

[Matt__]

I just leave mine in my pocket and it’s fine.

[Emma Word]

My screen can stay off but switching apps still cut mine out.

[Emma Ray]

Pretty sure the app needs to stay open for conversation mode.

[Tom Call]

Mine works with the screen off, so you’re not stuck staring at it. But I did notice it drains the battery faster that way, so I usually keep it plugged in if it’s a long back and forth.

[Sam Carter]

Mine kept translating with the screen locked, so you’re not stuck staring at it. But the moment I opened anything else, it went quiet. That part got old fast.

[Maya Rose]

I usually just leave my phone face down on the table with the app running and it’s been fine for me. Never really tried jumping into other stuff though, mostly because I’m too busy actually talking to whoever’s in front of me.

[Dennis Park]

I actually do switch over to check messages while we’re mid-conversation and mine keeps going. Not saying that’s how it’s supposed to work, just what happens with my phone. The app stays running in the background and translation keeps coming through the earbuds fine. I noticed it by accident one time when I pulled up a map to figure out where we were walking and the conversation kept flowing. So I’m not glued to the screen at all, which was my big worry before I got these. Maybe it depends on the phone or some setting, since a couple people here seem to have the opposite thing happen. What phone are you using? Curious if that’s the difference.

[Rob C]

I’m on a Pixel 7. And to be clear, I only tried the message-checking thing a couple times, so I don’t actually know if it holds up for a whole conversation or if I just got lucky. My original worry about being glued to the screen is still kind of there.

[Dennis Park]

That makes sense, a couple of tries isn’t really enough to know if it holds up. If you want to test it properly, try it on a longer stretch next time, like a whole meal or a walk, and see if it keeps translating the whole way. If it does, you’ve got your answer. If it cuts out after a few minutes, then you know your phone isn’t going to let it ride in the background.

[LiamW]

The app is doing the actual translating, so I’d expect it to need to be running in some form. Whether the screen can be off or you can hop to another app is probably more about how your phone handles background apps than the earbuds. Depends what you need it for, but I wouldn’t count on full multitasking.

[Chris Miller]

Locking the screen seems to be the main thing people ask about, but switching apps is the part I’d actually test before relying on it. The app is doing the translating, so if it gets pushed to the background, there’s a decent chance the audio just cuts out. I’d try a short call or two with the screen off first and see how it behaves.

[Emma Locke]

Mine kept translating with the screen locked, which surprised me since I figured locking it would kill the connection. I had it going for about an hour while my phone sat in my pocket during a walk with a friend visiting from Brazil, and it never dropped. Switching apps is where I’d expect things to get weird though. Anytime I’ve opened something else mid-conversation, I honestly haven’t paid enough attention to say whether it kept up, because I was busy doing whatever I opened the app for. So screen off, you’re fine in my experience. Living in another app the whole time, I genuinely don’t know. The phone does not have to be in your hand the entire time, at least in my case. I just leave it wherever and let the earbuds do their thing.

[Paula M.]

Mine actually stopped translating the moment I switched to another app, so I wouldn’t count on multitasking. Screen locked was fine for me though. Maybe it varies by phone.

[Tom in NYC]

My guess is it needs to at least be running in the background, screen off is probably fine but switching apps is where I’d expect it to get flaky. I haven’t seen anything official from them saying either way. Does the app actually say anything about background use in the settings?

[Rob C]

I haven’t found anything in the settings about it, no.

[Tom in NYC]

Figures. If it’s not in the settings they probably just don’t document it. I’d still keep it open in the foreground when you actually need it to work, since that’s the only thing you can count on without them spelling it out.

[Carla82]

Mine stayed on with the screen locked but froze once I opened maps.

[Nina Ray]

I’ve had decent luck with mine while the phone sits in my pocket, screen off, and it kept up fine for a short back and forth at a cafe counter. What surprised me was the battery side of it, my phone dropped a few percent pretty quick during that chat, so I’d keep a charger handy if you plan long sessions. Still on the fence about whether I’d trust it for a whole day of travel though.

[Maria_Bakes]

Mine kept translating with the screen off in my bag.

[SarahM]

Mine actually stopped mid conversation when I left the app open but my screen timed out on its own. Not locked by me, just the normal timeout after a minute or so. The earbuds were still connected and everything, but the translation just quit, and I had to unlock and tap back into the app to get it going again. That was with my phone sitting on the table between me and my brother in law, so nothing fancy going on.

Maybe there is a setting somewhere to keep it awake that I missed, but I looked through the app a bit and did not see one. I mostly got these for him to use when he visits, so I am not glued to them myself, but that one test kind of put me off relying on it for a whole dinner or something. It worked fine the rest of the time while I had the app up.

So my answer would be that it depends, and mine did not behave the way some people here are describing. I would test it yourself with the screen timing out before you count on it.

[Author]

Posts