Better Translate FAQ
Last updated 24 September 2026.
Better Translate is an iOS translation app built for real conversation and travel. The answers below are the same ones given on the support page, the privacy policy and the terms of use, collected in one place.
What is Better Translate?
Better Translate is an iOS translation app built for real conversation and travel. One phone's screen is split in half and the far half is rotated 180 degrees, so the person across from you reads it the right way up and answers on their own side. It also photographs a menu and gives it back as a list in your language, with the original beside each line. It is made by Ultim8 Holdings Inc. and needs iOS 26.0 or later.
Why is the far half of the screen upside down?
So the person across from you reads it the right way up and answers on their own side, without anyone passing the phone back and forth. Both halves are live at the same time.
Why does nothing happen when I hold my half?
Only one half of the screen can use the microphone at a time. If the other half is lit, it has the microphone, so let go there first.
How many languages does Better Translate support?
Better Translate carries 10 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Cantonese. Two are selected at a time: yours and theirs. Set the pair once and photographed menus come back in your language too.
Does Better Translate work offline?
No. Translation needs a connection. Transcription happens on the phone, but the translation itself does not.
Does the audio leave my phone?
No. Speech is transcribed on the device itself, and the recording is never uploaded and never stored. Only the transcribed text is sent, in order to be translated.
Is the menu photograph uploaded?
On a fast connection, yes. A menu photo is always read on the device first, and the text found in it is sent with the language pair. On a fast connection the photo goes too, resized, because the translation model reads a page more accurately from the photo than from its text alone. It is used for that one request and our servers do not keep it. On a slow connection, with Low Data Mode on, or with Speed set to Fast, only the text is sent.
What does leave the phone?
Only what is needed to translate, and only in order to translate it. That is the transcribed text of what you say and the language pair, the text found in a menu photo and the language pair, on a fast connection the photo itself, any context note you wrote so the translation fits the situation, and recent turns of the current conversation so pronouns and follow-ups make sense.
Who translates the text?
The text is sent over an encrypted connection to servers Ultim8 Holdings Inc. runs, which pass it to a third-party AI provider, currently OpenAI, to be translated, and return the result.
How long is the text kept?
The relay servers do not keep a database of translations, and text is held only for as long as the request takes. The AI provider retains request data for a limited period under its own policy for abuse monitoring, currently up to 30 days, and does not use it to train models on this account.
Is there an account to create?
No. Better Translate has no account, no sign-in and no email address for you. Conversation history is kept on the device, and deleting the app deletes it.
Does Better Translate use analytics, tracking or ads?
No. There are no analytics, no tracking, no advertising identifiers and no third-party SDKs for either. Nothing is sold or shared with anyone beyond the translation provider, and no profile is built.
How much does Better Translate cost?
$23.99 a year, $0.99 a week, or $99.99 once for Lifetime, charged through the App Store. Prices are in US dollars and are shown in your own currency in the app, and they differ between countries. There is no free tier and no advertising.
Is there a one-time purchase instead of a subscription?
Yes. Lifetime is $99.99 once and nothing renews. It covers both features, it is tied to your Apple Account so Restore purchases brings it back on a new phone, and it carries a fair-use ceiling on the translation service that is set well above normal travel use.
Why am I not being charged what the app said?
Prices come from the App Store in your own currency and can differ between countries, so the number you see is the number for where your Apple Account is registered.
I paid, but the app is asking me to subscribe. What now?
Tap Restore purchases on the subscribe screen. It asks the App Store what this Apple Account holds. Make sure you are signed in with the account that bought it.
How do I cancel Better Translate?
In the iOS Settings app, under your name, then Subscriptions. Cancel at least a day before the next renewal. Cancelling leaves the app working until the period you paid for runs out, and deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
How do I get a refund?
Apple handles every payment, so refunds are Apple's to give rather than ours. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. If a charge looks wrong, write to support@bettertranslate.app and we will help you work out what happened, but we cannot issue the refund ourselves.
Can I rely on Better Translate for allergens or medical information?
No. Machine translation is sometimes wrong, and sometimes confidently wrong: it can miss negation, reverse who is speaking, mistake an ingredient, or silently drop a clause. Do not rely on Better Translate for medical instructions, allergen and dietary information, legal or financial documents, safety warnings, dosage, or emergency communication. Confirm anything that matters with a person. The app keeps the original text beside the translation so you can point at the source and ask.
Who makes Better Translate?
Better Translate is made by Ultim8 Holdings Inc., a New York corporation. Support is at support@bettertranslate.app.
Anything not answered here
Write to support@bettertranslate.app. Include your iOS version and what you were doing. If it is about a charge, include the date, not the amount.