Feature currently in the works and is called Panlingual

Dec 23, 2021 15:14 GMT  ·  By

The Android 12 update hasn’t even reached all devices out there, and here we are already talking about what’s to come in the next big release of Google’s mobile operating system.

According to a report from Android Police, the Mountain View-based search giant is currently developing a new feature for Android 13 that would allow users to configure a different language for each app.

In other words, the apps running on the device would no longer have to follow the system settings, so those not living in a native English-speaking language would be allowed to configure a different language for certain apps.

This makes sense for so many reasons. Just think of someone who lives in Germany and wants to use Android in English but configure the mobile banking apps, which obviously are developed for local banks, in their native language. With this new feature, the whole thing would be possible, theoretically even without dedicated in-app language settings.

Currently in the works

Google will most likely add a new menu in the Language & input settings page where users would be able to define the language they want to use for each app installed on the device. Almost certainly, a similar prompt will also show up when running the app for the first time, making the experience more straightforward and convenient for everybody.

At this point, choosing a different language is already possible only if the installed apps come with a dedicated setting in this regard. Google Maps is one of them, so users can run the app in a different language than the one configured in the operating system.

Codenamed Panlingual, the feature is still in the works as we speak, so we should hear more about it as we approach the summer of 2022 when Google is projected to roll out the first preview of its next mobile operating system update.

Until then, just take everything with a pinch of salt as the development of this idea could very well be dropped overnight if something doesn’t go as planned.