SnapVerbo app icon SnapVerbo
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Use offline translation models

SnapVerbo’s free translation runs on-device with downloadable language packs. Pre-load the languages you’ll use offline (on a flight, on the subway, in a country with patchy data) and translation keeps working with no network round-trip.

Open the model manager

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll to Translation.
  3. Tap Manage translation models (download icon, subtitle “Pre-load or remove on-device language models”).

The screen titled Download Translation Models opens.

What you see

At the top:

  • “Select languages to pre-download” (or, when a download is running, “Downloading: X / Y” with a progress bar).
  • “Installed models (estimated): ~N MB” — a running total of how much device storage your downloaded packs use.

Below: a long alphabetical list of supported languages. Each row shows:

  • The language name (e.g., Japanese).
  • The language code in caps (e.g., JA).
  • Whether it’s Installed or Not installed.
  • The estimated model size (e.g., ~62 MB).
  • A download/check status icon on the right.
  • A red trash icon on the right if the model is already installed (tap to remove).

Pre-download languages

  1. Tick the checkbox next to each language you want.
  2. Tap Start download at the bottom.
  3. Watch the progress — “Downloading: 1 / 3” at the top, with status icons (spinner / downloading / ✓) updating per row.
  4. When done you’ll see the snackbar “Prefetch complete.”

You can keep using the rest of the app while a download runs; it streams in the background.

To stop an in-progress download: tap the stop icon (top right of the AppBar, tooltip “Stop”).

To clear your selection without downloading: tap Clear above the list.

Remove a model you don’t need

  1. Find the row of an Installed language.
  2. Tap the red trash icon on the right.
  3. Snackbar: “Removed <Language> model.”

The model is deleted from device storage; the row updates to Not installed. You can re-download it any time.

Sizes worth knowing

Most European language models are ~36–48 MB. Asian-script languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) are larger — ~58–68 MB each — because they ship more characters. The total at the top of the screen helps you keep an eye on your overall footprint.

When do I actually need to download a model?

You don’t have to download anything in advance — when you ask for a translation, SnapVerbo will fetch the relevant pack on demand if it isn’t already there. But:

  • Pre-downloading is faster when you’re doing a translation later.
  • It’s the only way to translate fully offline — the on-demand fetch needs network.
  • You stay in control of disk usage — easier to plan and prune.

Good rule of thumb: pre-load your two or three target languages plus English (often the bridge language).

How offline translation fits with AI lookup

The Standard lookup (free, dictionary + on-device translation) uses these models. The Advanced lookup (AI sparkle, costs credits) is a cloud call and always needs network — see Looking up a word.

So: offline models cover free translation, but AI lookups always require connectivity.