Papago is NAVER’s free translation app, but what it can do in Korea depends on three things: whether you have a network connection, which feature you need, and whether you downloaded an offline language pack before you left home.
Last checked: November 12, 2026
We read NAVER’s Papago help pages, the App Store and Google Play listings for the app, and the Papago web address. We did not install the app, log in, download a language pack or try any feature ourselves, so everything below comes from what those official pages say.
Key takeaways
- Papago’s help page says 13 translation languages, while the App Store listing says 14. Check the language list inside the app before you depend on one.
- Offline use covers text and voice translation only, and only after you download an offline language pack. Image, conversation, website and document translation do not work offline.
- The offline help page lists four offline languages: Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified).
- The translator service needs a network connection. NAVER’s help says the phrasebook, favorites and tags still work without one.
In this guide
- What Papago is and what it costs
- The features travelers use
- Using Papago without internet
- Login and limits
- When Papago does not seem to work
- A short pre-trip checklist
- FAQ
- Sources and what we checked
What Papago is and what it costs
Papago is a translation service from NAVER. NAVER’s help page explains the name this way: “In Esperanto, Papago means parrot.” The App Store listing is published by NAVER Corp. and shows the app as free. We did not check whether any feature inside the app costs money.
The app needs iOS 17.0 or later on an iPhone or iPad. NAVER’s help page says the app is available on Android 9.0 or higher, and the Google Play listing says the same. The newest App Store entry we read is version 1.13.1, dated October 23.
The features travelers use
The Papago app has text, image, voice and conversation translation. The App Store listing describes image translation this way: “Just snap a photo and tap the button.” For talking with someone in person, the listing describes a one-on-one mode where both people speak their own language.
The web version is narrower. NAVER’s help page says that only text translation is provided on PC, while the app adds voice, conversation and image translation. The store listing also says the service is available on PC and mobile web, so use the web version for typed text and the app for everything else.
Our suggestion is to install the app before you leave, because the camera and voice features are in the app, and NAVER’s help page describes the PC version as text only. Our travel apps guide already quotes the store’s 14-language count, so this article adds the offline, login and device details that it leaves out.
Using Papago without internet
This is the part to prepare before you fly. NAVER’s offline help page says: “Once you download an offline language pack, you can use text translation and voice translation even in offline situations without a network connection.”
The same page says that image, conversation, website and document translation are not supported offline. It also lists other features as unavailable offline, including handwriting input and dictionary information. So if you plan to point your phone at a menu while you have no signal, download the pack in advance and expect the camera to need a connection.
Two device rules apply. The page says text translation needs 4GB RAM or higher on both Android and iOS. On Android, voice translation offline also needs a separate voice-only language pack, and the page gives 4GB RAM and OS 14 or higher for that voice feature.
The offline language list has four languages, Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese (Simplified), and the page lists them in both directions. That is fewer than the 14 languages in the store listing. Our suggestion is to check whether your home language is one of those four before you rely on offline use. If it is not, plan on having a connection or a local SIM card. For connection options, see our Korea SIM card guide.
NAVER’s help page also says that without a network connection the translator service is unavailable. It names three things you can still reach: the phrasebook, favorites and tags.
Login and limits
The Text Translation help page says that without login you can translate up to 3,000 characters at a time, and that you must log in to translate longer text. The help page for voice file translation, which means uploading an audio file, says it is available only when you are logged in. It also says the monthly limit is up to 30 minutes of translation, and that results are stored for 7 days.
Our suggestion is to log in before your trip if you expect to translate a long text or an audio file. For simple phrases and short menu items, the help pages do not say you must log in.
When Papago does not seem to work
The Papago help list we read has no article about specific errors or fixes. The closest page is the one about network connections, which names the network requirement and the few services that still work without one. The App Store listing includes a “Report issues or errors” link, and that is the official route we found for reporting a problem.
The following steps are our suggestion, not NAVER’s: check your network or the offline pack first, update the app, and allow the microphone and camera when the app asks. If it still fails, use the report link.
A short pre-trip checklist
Our suggested order is simple. Install the app from the NAVER Corp. listing. Check whether your language is among the four offline languages, and download that pack on home Wi-Fi if it is. Open the language list in the app and compare it with the 13 or 14 languages on the official pages. Allow the microphone and camera once so you are not asked on the street. If you expect a long text, log in before you go.
FAQ
Is Papago free?
The App Store listing shows the app as free, and its publisher is NAVER Corp. We did not check whether features inside the app cost money, so look at the in-app details before you rely on any paid feature.
Does Papago work without internet?
Only partly. After you download an offline language pack, text and voice translation work without a network connection for the four offline languages. Image, conversation, website and document translation do not work offline.
Why does Papago say it is not working?
NAVER’s help pages we read do not describe a specific error or fix. Our suggestion is to check your network connection or the offline pack, update the app, and allow the microphone and camera. If it still fails, use the report link in the App Store listing.
Is Japanese supported offline?
Yes, Japanese is one of the four offline languages on NAVER’s offline help page. Japanese is also in the store’s list of 14 languages and in the help page’s list of 13.
Sources and what we checked
We read NAVER’s Papago help pages: which languages, text translation, offline translation, network connection, features, operating systems, voice file translation, default translation app and the meaning of the name. We read the App Store listing for Naver Papago – AI Translator and the Google Play listing for the same app.
We did not sign in, install the app, download a language pack or type into any form. All quotes were checked against the live pages on November 12, 2026, and against saved copies in the sources folder. The help pages we read do not show a publication date, so the dates above are the dates we read them.