Android N is a big deal for multilingual smartphone users

Among many of the new features in Android N, which launched its third developer preview today on its way to a public release later this fall, is the ability to set and prioritize multiple languages on a single device.

While multiple language support has been present in Android, and its competitors like iOS and Windows Phone, for some time, Android N is the first version that can dynamically load more than one language on the device, switching between the two easily.

The feature, called Multi-Locale, allows users to set up a list of languages that can easily be re-ordered in a list. Apps that support multiple languages will localize with the top choice, and if that one isn't supported it will seamlessly switch to the next one, and so on. This is especially useful for users that take advantage of apps and games that tend to be used in specific countries, or haven't been localized en masse.

More: Google I/O 2016 coverage

Daniel Bader

Daniel Bader was a former Android Central Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor for iMore and Windows Central.