A Different Language for each App

Android 13 has introduced a new feature that let you assign a different language to individual applications, allowing you to navigate each app with a specific language without the need to change the Language settings on my whole Android device.

What is the benefit of switching languages per app?

Several users are bilingual, so they may require certain apps to be in different languages. For example, you might be able to communicate in both English and French, with French being your native language. On your device, you might have set your system’s default language to English. The majority of apps can use this well, while some, like financial ones, would be far better in French since it’s more comfortable.

In my case, I am trying to learn a new foreign language. Changing the app language has allowed me to access some apps for brief periods of time while keeping my system’s default language set to English. This has helped me become more familiar with the language, encouraging me to use it in order to navigate the app.

Whatever your case may be, using this feature will allow you to fine-tune your experience to ideally fit you (and the user of your app), no matter what language or combination you choose.

📱 Try it on your device

Navigate to your System settings: Settings > System > Languages & Input > App Languages. Select an app and then choose a specific language for it. Or you can navigate to your Apps settings: Settings > Apps. Select an app, then under Language you can also choose a specific language for it.

📋 Add it to your App

If your app supports different languages, you’re ready to implement this feature. Otherwise, look into localizing your Android app first, because adding per-app language settings to your app doesn’t translate your app’s resources automatically.

Implementing this feature in your app requires 3 simple steps:

1️⃣ Add your app’s supported languages to the System Settings

Create a file called res/xml/locales_config.xml. This sample file will help you construct yours. Make sure to only have your localized languages specified there. Otherwise selecting a language that’s not supported by your app will fall back to the default language, which is the locale specified in res/values/strings.xml

2️⃣ Edit the Manifest

In the manifest, add a line that points to this new file as follows:

3️⃣ Add your supported languages in Gradle

Use the resourceConfiguration property in your app’s module-level build.gradle file to specify the same languages. As long as the resourceConfigurations property is present, the build system will only include these specified languages in the APK, avoiding the inclusion of translated strings from libraries that may support languages other than the ones your app supports.

🎉 And you’re done!

To test how this feature looks on your app: navigate to your app’s info, find the Language section, change the Language of your app and check if it shows the correct language.

⏭ Up next

If this post was of any help to you, or if you’d like me to write about any specific Android related topics, let me know! Drop me a DM on Twitter @yalematta ✌🏼

Written on January 25th, 2023 by Layale Matta