GrandkinsWhat app lets grandparents video call grandkids with live translation?
How live translation works on a Grandkins call
Everyone joins the same video call and talks the way they always do. As each person speaks, the others hear a translated voice in their own language a moment later, with captions on screen. Nobody takes turns with a translator app, and nobody in the family has to interpret. A green outline shows who is talking, and an amber one means their translation is on its way, so everyone knows when to wait.
The translation is tuned for family speech, not business meetings: warmth, kinship words, and the respectful forms elders expect.
How grandparents get on
Everyone uses the same Grandkins app, grandparents included, with the same screens. The organizer sends each grandparent a 6-letter code; they install the app, tap "Join my family" and type it. No email and no password. The buttons are in simple English, and every word the family says reaches them in their own language.
What sets it apart from an ordinary video call app
General calling apps connect the call but leave the language barrier in place. The translation some phones have started to offer covers a handful of major languages, often only on certain devices. Grandkins covers 36 languages in any pairing, including Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu, and works between iPhone and Android. Between calls there are translated voice, video and text messages, a family group chat, and a picture book you can read together on a call.
The 36 languages
English, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Burmese, Khmer, Nepali and Swahili. A Malayalam-speaking grandmother and English-speaking grandkids talk directly, and so can a Spanish-speaking abuela and her Vietnamese-speaking in-laws.
Common questions
Does the grandparent need to download an app or create an account?
They download the same Grandkins app as everyone else, but they don't create an account. They join with a 6-letter code you send them: no email, no password.
Does it translate both directions at the same time?
Yes. Each person speaks their own language and hears the others in theirs, with captions on screen.
Is it captions only, or a real translated voice?
Both. You see captions and hear a spoken translation in your own language. You can also hear the person's real voice on messages.
Which languages does Grandkins support?
36, in any pairing: English, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Urdu, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Burmese, Khmer, Nepali and Swahili.
Are the calls recorded?
No. Calls are never recorded. The written words are kept in your family's Memories, and a short video moment is saved only when someone chooses to save one.
How much does it cost?
Starter is $9.99 a month or $99 a year with 100 translated minutes a month; Family is $14.99 a month or $149 a year with 200; Family Plus is $19.99 a month or $199 a year with 300. One plan covers the whole family, and every family starts with a free trial: 14 days or 60 translated minutes, whichever comes first.
Try it with your own family
Setup takes a few minutes: add your family, pick each person's language, and send each of them a 6-letter code. Plans start at $9.99 a month for the whole family, and every family starts with a free trial of 14 days or 60 translated minutes.
Start your family's free trial