This content originally appeared on Opera News and was authored by Santiago Benavides García
Last year we released a feature with Opera One R2 that lets you split your screen in two and browse on two tabs in parallel. Today, we’re bringing further improvements to it based on your feedback.
Additionally, we’re introducing an integrated webpage translator that will make it easier for you to browse websites in other languages. If you’re travelling abroad, or simply want to check the news in another language, then this feature will make your life much easier.
Finally, we’re also giving the password manager pop-up a visual rework so it’s easier to see and more intuitive to interact with.
Say hello (or bonjour) to Opera Translate
If you’re the kind of person who likes to go abroad with your laptop – for a nice little “workation” – maybe you live in a foreign country, or perhaps you’d like to understand the news written in other languages. Whichever the case, you’ll eventually stumble upon websites in a language other than yours and when this happens, it is usually frustrating to copy-paste and switch between a translating service and the webpage you’re trying to understand.
Prior to this update you could already use Aria to quickly translate some sentences by highlighting them and selecting the “Translate” option in the quick search tooltip – a feature that will still work, don’t worry. However, this was limited to a certain amount of text, and we felt it was too limiting for those of you who want to browse full webpages in another language.
To solve this problem we’re introducing Opera Translate: a built-in webpage translator that allows you to browse webpages in more than 40 different languages, and therefore open up the content of the internet for you. Now, you’ll get a small popup on the top right of your screen asking if you want to translate the site you’re currently on.
You can choose which language you want the site to be translated into, and you can also tell Opera Translate to translate the site just this once, or always. Additionally, you can restore the translation to see the site in its original version by clicking the Opera Translate icon in the toolbar and then selecting “Show original.” Finally, this is an optional feature that can be managed and turned off in the settings of the browser.
To make this feature possible, we’ve extended our collaboration with Lingvanex, whose solutions have been powering full-page translations in our Opera browser for Android devices since 2023. Lingvanex harnesses the power of AI technology for natural language processing. Additionally, since their solution is hosted on our European-based servers, the information that you’re translating is not being sent to any third party and is subject to the strictest privacy regulations on the planet – meaning your privacy is safeguarded when using Opera Translate.
Split Screen improvements
The Split Screen feature helps you be more productive, saving you time and making you more efficient while working, studying, or simply comparing which vacuum cleaners are best to clean cat hair off the sofa. Since launch it has become one of your favorite features, and to this day we continue to get your feedback on how to improve it – so, just as before, we listened and started coding.
For example, you’ve been asking to make it possible for the two tabs that are splitting the screen to be part of a Tab Island, and you’ve also requested to have the toolbar available when you’re in Split Screen mode. Today we’re adding these changes to the browser.
Split Screen mode in a Tab Island
The first update to the Split Screen feature is the capability to open them as part of a Tab Island. Additionally, you can now move two tabs in Split Screen Mode from one Tab Island to another, as well as out of it. If you don’t know what a Tab Island is, in a nutshell it’s a tab grouping system that automatically groups tabs from the same context; you can read more about them here.
The Split Screen mode will be opened inside a Tab Island when you join two tabs that are already part of the same Tab Island. This means that:
- If you enter Split Screen mode with one tab inside a Tab Island and one outside of it, in this case the Split Screen will be created outside the Tab Island.
- If you open Split Screen mode by joining two tabs that belong to two different Tab Islands, then the Split Screen will be created outside any Tab Island.
Toolbar icons always present
Another piece of feedback that we’ve implemented into the Split Screen mode is your request to see the toolbar at all times. So, considering that the toolbar has icons related specifically to the tab – and certain others relate to the browser as a whole – when in Split Screen mode:
- The right tab will show the following toolbar icons: Account, Easy Setup, Download, Extensions, and pinned player in toolbar.
- And, when you hover over the right or left tab, you’ll see the following icons: Pinboards, Snapshot, Privacy Protections, Flow, and Add to bookmarks – which is how it normally works outside of Split Screen mode.
Bear in mind that the icons in the toolbar that are specifically related to a single tab can vary depending on the webpage you’re currently on.
New UI for the password manager popup
The last thing we’re tweaking with this update is the design of the password manager popup. We’re making it much easier to see whenever you’re saving a password in a new site, or when you’re updating the password in sites that you use frequently. This is what the new popup looks like:
Download or update Opera today
If you want to get your Split Screen working inside your Tab Islands or if you’re eager to browse sites in another language without manually translating everything, download or update your Opera browser today.
| Opera One update: | Description: |
| Opera Translate | – Built-in webpage translation – 40+ languages – Secure and privacy-friendly |
| Split Screen in Tab Islands | – Allows side-by-side browsing inside tab islands – Lets users open several Split Screen instances in different Tab Islands |
| Persistent toolbar in Split Screen | – Toolbar stays visible for better navigation and control – The Music Player remains in the toolbar when entering Split Screen mode |
This content originally appeared on Opera News and was authored by Santiago Benavides García