# Best Offline AI Translators for Android: InkPeek vs Google Translate > AI Release · @ai_release1 · https://ai-release.org/guides/luchshie-oflayn-perevodchiki-s-ii-dlya-android-inkpeek_en.html ## TL;DR - Both apps are tested under identical conditions: airplane mode **on**, the same source and target language, the same test sentence. - Google Translate translates offline **only** after you download a language pack for each language; nothing is installed by default. - InkPeek is installed from its own distribution channel; the exact package name, minimum Android version, model size and price are **not** covered by our source material — confirm them in the vendor documentation before you commit (see «check the documentation» markers below). - Use `adb` (Android Debug Bridge — a command-line tool that talks to a phone from a PC) so every result is a file on disk, not a memory of what you saw on screen. - Success criterion: the same sentence produces a readable translation with Wi-Fi and mobile data disabled, and the app prints no network error. - Time to complete: 25 minutes - Difficulty: Intermediate - You need: an Android phone (Android 11 or newer recommended for the `svc` commands below), a USB cable, a PC with `adb` installed, the Google Translate app from Google Play, the InkPeek build supplied by its vendor. ## Requirements and setup ![Illustration: Requirements and setup](https://ai-release.org/guides/img/luchshie-oflayn-perevodchiki-s-ii-dlya-android-inkpeek-en-1.jpg) - **Android device** with Developer options enabled: `Settings → About phone → tap Build number 7 times`, then `Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging = On`. - **adb on the PC**: install Android Platform Tools. Verify with `adb version`; the output starts with `Android Debug Bridge version ` and the exact number depends on your package — check the documentation of your platform-tools release. - **Cable and data permission**: when you plug the phone in, a dialog `Allow USB debugging?` appears; tap **Allow** and tick `Always allow from this computer`. - **Free storage**: at least a few hundred megabytes, because every offline language pack or on-device AI model is stored locally. Exact sizes depend on the language pair and the app build — check the documentation. - **Google Translate** installed from Google Play. - **InkPeek** build obtained from its official distribution channel. Package name, model files and pricing: check the documentation. If you plan to sideload an `.apk`, keep it in an empty folder, e.g. `~/apk/inkpeek/`. - A note on the wider context: if you are still choosing a phone-side AI stack, the overview in [Best AI apps for Android in 2026](https://ai-release.org/guides/luchshie-ii-prilozheniya-dlya-android-v-2026-godu.html?utm_source=tg&utm_medium=channel&utm_campaign=guide_inline&utm_content=guide_to_guide) helps you see where translators sit next to chat and assistant apps. ## Step 1. Confirm the device, the tooling and the storage budget **What to do:** connect the phone, confirm that `adb` sees it, record the Android version and check free space before installing anything. ```bash adb devices adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release adb shell getprop ro.product.model adb shell df -h /data ``` Expected output, in order: ``` List of devices attached device ``` ``` 14 ``` ``` Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on /dev/block/dm-5 108G 61G 46G 59% /data ``` The word `device` (not `unauthorized`, not `offline`) means the PC is allowed to control the phone. The `Avail` column is your headroom for language packs and models. **Why:** every later check runs through `adb`. If the device is `unauthorized`, nothing else in this guide works, and you would waste time blaming the translator. **How to check:** run `adb devices` a second time and confirm the same serial number shows `device`. If it shows `unauthorized`, unlock the phone and accept the debugging prompt again. **Example:** on a test phone the model string came back as `Pixel 7` and `Avail` showed `46G`, which is more than enough for several language packs. ## Step 2. Put both apps into a known, comparable state ![Illustration: Step 2. Put both apps into a known, comparable state](https://ai-release.org/guides/img/luchshie-oflayn-perevodchiki-s-ii-dlya-android-inkpeek-en-2.jpg) **What to do:** install or update both apps, then download the offline data each one needs. For Google Translate, that means one language pack per language, downloaded inside the app: open **Google Translate → profile icon (top right) → Offline translation → select language → Download**. For InkPeek, install the vendor-supplied build and let the app download its offline model, following its own on-screen flow. If you are sideloading InkPeek instead of installing from a store: ```bash adb install -r ~/apk/inkpeek/.apk ``` Expected output: `Success`. A failure prints a reason code, for example `Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_INSUFFICIENT_STORAGE]` — handled in Troubleshooting. Then confirm both packages are actually present: ```bash adb shell pm list packages | grep -i -E "translate|inkpeek" ``` Expected output (the InkPeek line appears only if the package name really contains `inkpeek`; otherwise grep by the vendor's package name from its documentation): ``` package:com.google.android.apps.translate package: ``` Optionally record the installed Google Translate build, so you know exactly what you tested: ```bash adb shell dumpsys package com.google.android.apps.translate | grep -m1 versionName ``` Expected output: `versionName=` — the number is whatever your Play build is; do not compare it against a figure from an article, check the current listing in Google Play. **Why:** an offline translator is only offline for the languages it has already stored locally. Downloading the packs first is what separates a real offline test from a test that silently used mobile data. **How to check:** in Google Translate open **Offline translation** again — each language you downloaded is listed there and the app shows that it is ready. In InkPeek, the app's model or language screen shows the model as installed rather than offering a download button. **Example:** for an English↔Spanish test you need two Google Translate packs — English and Spanish — because the app translates each side of the pair locally. ## Step 3. Run the offline test, compare the results, pick a winner ![Illustration: Step 3. Run the offline test, compare the results, pick a winner](https://ai-release.org/guides/img/luchshie-oflayn-perevodchiki-s-ii-dlya-android-inkpeek-en-3.jpg) **What to do:** cut every network path from the phone, run the same sentence through both apps, and capture proof. ```bash adb shell svc wifi disable adb shell svc data disable adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_on ``` The third command prints `1` when airplane mode is on and `0` when it is off. If it prints `0`, enable airplane mode from the quick settings shade and run it again. Then translate one fixed sentence in both apps, for example `The meeting is moved to Thursday at 9 a.m.`, and save a screenshot of each result: ```bash adb exec-out screencap -p > ~/offline-google.png adb exec-out screencap -p > ~/offline-inkpeek.png ``` Expected result: two PNG files on the PC, each showing a translated sentence and **no** banner such as “Connect to the internet to translate”. Finally, restore connectivity so you do not leave the phone broken: ```bash adb shell svc wifi enable adb shell svc data enable ``` **Why:** Wi-Fi and mobile data both have to be off. Leaving one radio on is the single most common reason a “failed” offline test turns out to have been online all along. **How to check:** open the two PNG files and confirm three things — the sentence is readable, the meaning matches, and no network error is visible. Record the result in a table so the decision is not based on impressions: | App | Handles offline | Prerequisite | Price | What to confirm yourself | |---|---|---|---|---| | Google Translate | Yes, after language packs are downloaded | One pack per language, downloaded in-app | Free — confirm on the Google Play listing | Current listing and pack sizes | | InkPeek | Yes, with its on-device AI model installed | The app's own model files | Not stated in our source material — check the documentation | Package name, minimum Android version, model size, licence | **Example:** decision rule used on a test device — if the offline pack already exists for your everyday pair and you only need short, predictable sentences, Google Translate is the zero-cost default; if you need on-device AI behaviour that the Google app does not expose, keep InkPeek, but only after its model has been downloaded once and the airplane-mode test passes. - [ ] `adb devices` shows `device` - [ ] Google Translate lists every language of your test pair under **Offline translation** - [ ] InkPeek shows its model as installed, not as “download” - [ ] `adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_on` prints `1` - [ ] Two screenshots saved and inspected - [ ] Wi-Fi and mobile data re-enabled afterwards If you also want to run the same comparison on a larger screen, the setup steps in [How to Run Android Apps and Games on PC](https://ai-release.org/guides/kak-zapuskat-android-prilozheniya-i-igry-na-pk-emulyato.html?utm_source=tg&utm_medium=channel&utm_campaign=guide_inline&utm_content=guide_to_guide) apply unchanged to both apps. ## Troubleshooting **Problem. The InkPeek APK refuses to install.** - Error: `adb: failed to install base.apk: Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_INSUFFICIENT_STORAGE]` - Cause: not enough free space in `/data`, or the model files must be downloaded after installation and the phone has no room for them either. - Solution: check `adb shell df -h /data`, free space, then retry with `adb install -r ~/apk/inkpeek/.apk`. If the code is instead `INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK`, the build requires a newer Android version than the phone runs — compare `ro.build.version.release` with the minimum version in the vendor documentation. **Problem. A Google Translate language pack will not download.** - Error on screen: `Download failed` next to the language in **Offline translation**. - Cause: the phone has no working connection at the moment of the download — typically because the previous test left airplane mode on — or the storage budget is exhausted. - Solution: `adb shell svc wifi enable`, confirm `adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_on` prints `0`, then retry the download inside the app. Re-check free space with `adb shell df -h /data`. **Problem. The app still translates with airplane mode on, but the result looks suspiciously fresh.** - Error / symptom: the request completes instantly for a language you never downloaded, or the app shows `Connect to the internet to translate this language` only after you disable Wi-Fi. - Cause: the source language was auto-detected as a language whose pack is missing, so the app either falls back or fails; or one radio was still on. - Solution: download the pack for the *detected* language, not only for the target language, then repeat Step 3 with `adb shell svc wifi disable && adb shell svc data disable`. Set the source language manually instead of auto-detect to make the test deterministic. ## Summary and next steps Google Translate gives you a free, predictable offline baseline as soon as one pack per language is downloaded, while InkPeek only earns a place on the phone after its model is installed and passes the same airplane-mode test. Repeat the test with your two real working languages and keep the screenshots, so the choice is documented rather than remembered. For the broader picture of on-device AI on Android, see [Local AI Companions for Android](https://ai-release.org/guides/lokalnye-ii-kompanony-dlya-android-obzor-prilozheniy-dl.html?utm_source=tg&utm_medium=channel&utm_campaign=guide_inline&utm_content=guide_to_guide). ## FAQ **Does Google Translate work without internet?** Yes, but only for languages you downloaded beforehand via **Offline translation** inside the app; a language with no pack installed needs a connection. **Is InkPeek free?** Our source material does not state a price, so check the documentation and the vendor's current listing before relying on it. **How do I prove an app is really translating offline?** Disable both Wi-Fi and mobile data, confirm `adb shell settings get global airplane_mode_on` returns `1`, then translate a fixed sentence and save a screenshot with `adb exec-out screencap -p`. **Why does the app ask me to connect when I already downloaded a language?** The detected source language is usually the missing one — download a pack for both sides of the pair and set the source language manually instead of auto-detect.