Stream is proud to announce native support for app localization (l10n) and internationalization (i18on) across four of our flagship in-app chat SDKs, including React, React Native, Flutter, and Android (Kotlin, Java, & Jetpack Compose), with support for iOS app localization coming soon.
Stream’s chat API, SDKs, and UI kits make it easy for developers to add a polished, scalable messaging experience to any type of app. This release helps keep that experience consistent for users speaking different languages around the world. If you create your UI components with English text but a user in Italy installs your app, for example, Stream’s localization package allows those UI components to automatically load in Italian.
Note: Localization and internationalization involve translating your app’s UI components, not the messages users send in the chat. Stream Chat also supports automatic message translation.
How to Add Localization for In-App Chat Components
App localization best practices and implementation processes vary somewhat across different frameworks. Each Stream Chat SDK comes tailored to the framework of your choice, providing all the tools you need to efficiently add custom white-labeled chat features that match your existing tech stack. For framework-specific app localization tips, check out the documentation for the Stream Chat SDK of your choice:
- React chat app localization
- React Native chat app localization
- Android in-app chat language localization
- Flutter in-app chat localization
Supported Languages & Customization
This release provides translations for French, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, Japanese, and Korean, with support to add more languages quickly and easily. If a user’s device settings indicate an unsupported language, Stream Chat components will default to English. You can customize the default language for specific device locations as desired, and we also welcome contributions of new languages to the library.
Why App Localization Matters
Today’s most helpful, engaging, and enjoyable app experiences transcend both geographic borders and natural language barriers. Even if your initial deployment is focused on a single region, the ability to automatically support multiple languages becomes critical as your user base grows. Localization automates this process, using the system preferences on a user’s device to determine which language to display.
Why Integrate Stream Chat?
Stream Chat lets you quickly replicate and customize advanced features found in the world’s most popular messaging platforms without diverting engineering resources to reinvent the wheel. The Stream Chat API has been proven to support more than 5 million concurrent connections in a single channel, and Stream’s global edge infrastructure minimizes latency for apps with users on more than one continent. Built-in localization for chat components further accelerates app development and helps drive user adoption and retention internationally.
Activate Your Free Stream Chat Trial
Stream Chat is available on a variety of pricing plans designed to accommodate organizations of all sizes, from the world’s largest enterprises to new startups. To evaluate Stream for your business and begin prototyping your integration, activate your free Stream Chat trial.
