Android localization

Android Localization & Internationalization

Instructions

1. Resource Directory Strategy

app/src/main/res/
├── values/            strings.xml (default, English)
├── values-es/         Spanish
├── values-pt-rBR/     Brazilian Portuguese (region-qualified)
├── values-ar/         Arabic (auto-RTL)
├── values-night/      dark theme overrides
└── values-w600dp/     tablet overrides

Rules:

• Default values/strings.xml is English. Never leave English strings in region-specific folders.
• Region qualifier format is -rXX (BCP-47 lowercase-then-r-then-uppercase region).
• Never concatenate strings in code. Use placeholders and ICU.

2. Plurals with ICU MessageFormat

<!-- res/values/strings.xml -->
<string name="unread_count">{count, plural,
    =0 {No unread messages}
    one {# unread message}
    other {# unread messages}
}</string>

Load with getQuantityString replacement:

val formatted = MessageFormat.format(
    getString(R.string.unread_count),
    mapOf("count" to count),
)

Use android.icu.text.MessageFormat (API 24+, matches our minSdk = 24). It handles plural, select, and gender correctly in every locale. Do not use the legacy <plurals> XML tag for new strings — ICU is more flexible.

3. Interpolation in Compose

<string name="greeting">Hello, %1$s!</string>

Text(stringResource(R.string.greeting, user.name))

For ICU patterns pass through MessageFormat.format and wrap in a helper:

@Composable
fun icuStringResource(@StringRes id: Int, vararg args: Pair<String, Any>): String {
    val template = stringResource(id)
    return remember(id, args) { MessageFormat.format(template, args.toMap()) }
}

4. Right-to-Left (RTL) Support

In AndroidManifest.xml:

<application android:supportsRtl="true" ... >

In Compose:

• Use start/end alignment (already default in Compose; Arrangement.Start flips automatically).
• Mirror directional icons: Icon(Icons.AutoMirrored.Filled.ArrowBack, null) — note the AutoMirrored package.
• Test with Developer Options → Force RTL layout direction and with Arabic (values-ar) locale.

5. Per-App Locale (Android 13+, AppCompat 1.7+)

// Set from Settings screen
AppCompatDelegate.setApplicationLocales(LocaleListCompat.forLanguageTags("pt-BR"))

// Read
val current = AppCompatDelegate.getApplicationLocales()[0]

Declare the supported set so the system can expose a per-app language picker:

<!-- res/xml/locales_config.xml -->
<locale-config xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
    <locale android:name="en"/>
    <locale android:name="es"/>
    <locale android:name="pt-BR"/>
    <locale android:name="ar"/>
</locale-config>

<application android:localeConfig="@xml/locales_config" ... >

For Android 12 and below, AppCompat stores the choice in a backing store and re-applies it at each Activity create.

6. Dates, Numbers, Currency

Never format these manually. Use java.text.NumberFormat, java.text.DateFormat, or kotlinx.datetime combined with the user's locale:

val money = NumberFormat.getCurrencyInstance(Locale.getDefault()).format(19.99)
val day   = DateTimeFormatter.ofLocalizedDate(FormatStyle.MEDIUM).withLocale(Locale.getDefault()).format(LocalDate.now())

7. Pseudolocales for Testing

Enable Developer Options → "Force pseudolocale", pick en-XA (accented) or ar-XB (RTL-bidi). This catches:

• Hard-coded English.
• Strings that overflow at +40% length.
• Layouts that don't flip for RTL.

Also add to your debug build:

android.defaultConfig { /* ... */ }
android.buildTypes.debug { pseudoLocalesEnabled = true }

8. Translation Workflow

• Keep strings.xml sorted alphabetically by key; use translatable="false" for non-translatable identifiers.
• Use tools:ignore="MissingTranslation" only for intentionally untranslated keys (e.g., brand names).
• Integrate with a TMS (Crowdin, Lokalise, Phrase) via their Gradle plugin so translators pull and push directly.

Checklist

• supportsRtl="true" and a locales_config are declared in the manifest.
• All strings come from resources; no hard-coded English in Kotlin or XML.
• Plurals and selects use ICU MessageFormat.
• Directional icons use Icons.AutoMirrored.*.
• Dates/numbers/currency format with the current Locale.
• pseudoLocalesEnabled = true in debug builds; screens tested at en-XA and ar-XB.
• Per-app locale API is wired for Android 13+.