Hermes Translate Support
Hermes Translate is a real-time peer-to-peer translation app for iOS. Two people can have a conversation across language barriers using Bluetooth or local Wi‑Fi — no internet required after language support is installed.
Quick help
Permissions
Why does Hermes need microphone and speech recognition permissions?
Hermes listens to your voice to transcribe it for translation. These permissions are only used while you are actively speaking or while continuous speech mode is enabled.
Why does Hermes need Bluetooth and local network access?
Hermes connects directly with nearby devices over Bluetooth or local Wi‑Fi using Apple’s MultipeerConnectivity framework. Conversation data is not sent to external Hermes servers.
Offline use and languages
Does Hermes work without an internet connection?
Yes. Speech recognition and translation run on-device using Apple frameworks. An internet connection may be needed the first time iOS downloads a language model.
Which languages are supported?
Hermes supports languages available through Apple’s on-device Translation framework on iOS 18 or later. The first time you use a language pair, iOS may prompt you to download the required language model.
Why does Hermes require iOS 18 or later?
Hermes relies on Apple’s on-device Translation framework, which was introduced for iOS 18.
Troubleshooting
Two devices are required for peer-to-peer mode. What if I only have one device?
Use Local or Bidirectional mode on a single device. One person can speak in one direction, then the other person can respond in the other direction.
The translation is not showing up. What should I do?
- Make sure microphone and speech recognition permissions are granted in iOS Settings.
- Check that both devices have Bluetooth enabled or are able to use local Wi‑Fi networking.
- Select the language pair again to trigger any required language model download.
- Move devices closer together and restart Hermes if peer discovery stalls.
Contact support
For bug reports or feature requests, email support and include your iOS version, device model, selected languages, and a short description of what happened.