• On-demand, on-screen translation: Users can read translated content by tapping a button, either directly from the article feed or while reading the full text.
• Built for multilingual readers in the U.S.: The feature reduces friction for readers consuming news in their native language.
• Initial support for Spanish and Chinese: Available at launch for automated translation into Spanish and Chinese.

PALO ALTO, CA (July 16, 2026) –SmartNews, a global leader in news discovery, announced the launch of AI-powered translation on iOS, enabling users to read content in Spanish and Chinese on demand within the app. The feature enables users to read both translated headlines when choosing stories, and to read the full text articles in the language of their choice. By breaking down language barriers and offering multiple options to read in languages other than English, SmartNews furthers its mission “delivering the world's quality information to the people who need it”.

“At SmartNews, we are focused on building features that expand access to quality information,” said Sho Masuda, Vice President, US Media Business. “With AI Translation multilingual readers can easily understand and engage with a wider range of news coverage while maintaining a seamless reading experience.”

To ensure readers stay in control of their experience, the feature activates when prompted, and readers return to English with a tap of a button.

“Modern readers expect accessibility to be enabled by technology,” said Bernie Davis, Head of Media Partnerships. “With translation provided by SmartNews, we can best serve the needs of both our users and media partners by ensuring monetization and engagement metrics remain completely unaffected.”

To maintain transparency, all translated content includes a clear disclosure that it is machine generated. Advertisements are not translated as part of this experience.

SmartNews users will be asked to rate their experience with the translated content with thumbs up and down. SmartNews will be closely monitoring the user feedback.