# Dotok (도톡)

> Dotok is an Android app that floats over WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, KakaoTalk and Messenger. It translates the messages you receive, in the context of the conversation, and writes replies in the other person's language from a short instruction in your own language. 20 free uses a day. Made by Dotorisoft (도토리소프트), Republic of Korea.

## What it does

- Translate received messages: tap a message bubble and it is translated into your language. Tapping again cycles between the original and up to 4 languages.
- Context-aware translation: Dotok sends up to six earlier messages with the one it translates, so pronouns, places and slang are resolved the way the chat means them (e.g. "I'm dying 😂" after a funny video is translated as laughing, not literally).
- One line of meaning: when a translation is correct but the phrase reads differently in its culture (e.g. Japanese 「前向きに検討させていただきます」 is usually a polite no), a one-line note is added. Most messages get translation only.
- Write for me (AI reply): type what you want to say in your own language ("thank them, say I'll pay next time") and Dotok writes a reply that fits the conversation, in their language, with a read-back in your language.
- Pre-send check: text you wrote yourself is shown back as the other person will read it.
- Dotok never sends messages. It only puts the sentence you choose into the chat input field; you press Send.
- No copy and paste between a translator app and the messenger.

## Languages

Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French — translation works between any of these.

## Requirements

- Android 8.0 or later. Not available on iPhone.
- Supported messengers: WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, KakaoTalk, Facebook Messenger.
- Permissions: "Display over other apps" (to show the button and panel) and an Accessibility service (to read the chat on screen and insert the chosen sentence). Only the four messengers above are read, and only while the Dotok panel is open.

## Pricing

- Free: 20 uses a day (one translation or one written reply = one use). No sign-up, no payment details.
- Plus: 100 uses a day. Pro: 300 uses a day. Monthly or yearly Google Play subscriptions; price shown in local currency on Google Play.

## Privacy

- No account, no name, phone number or email. The server stores use counts only, not conversations.
- Translation and writing are done by OpenAI models; under OpenAI's API policy data is kept up to 30 days for abuse monitoring and not used for training.
- Only the tapped message and up to six earlier messages are sent.
- No ad IDs, cookies or analytics in the app or on the website.

## Guides

Step-by-step articles on translating and replying in foreign-language chats (WhatsApp, KakaoTalk, Messenger). Free built-in options are covered first.

- [번역기에 복사·붙여넣기 없이 WhatsApp으로 외국어 대화하는 방법](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/translate-without-copy-paste) (ko): WhatsApp 외국어 메시지를 번역기 앱에 복사해 붙여넣지 않고 읽고 답장하는 방법 4가지. WhatsApp 기본 번역, Gboard 번역, 갤럭시 AI 채팅 번역, 메신저 위에 뜨는 번역 앱을 비교합니다.
- [WhatsApp 메시지를 오는 대로 자동 번역하는 방법](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/whatsapp-auto-translate) (ko): WhatsApp에서 받은 메시지를 하나씩 누르지 않고 자동으로 번역하는 방법 3가지. WhatsApp 자동 번역 켜기, 갤럭시 AI 채팅 번역, 메신저 위 번역 앱의 조건과 한계를 짧게 정리했습니다.
- [WhatsApp 번역 앱, 상황별로 고르기](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/whatsapp-translator-apps) (ko): WhatsApp 대화 번역에 쓸 앱과 기능을 상황별로 추천합니다. WhatsApp 기본 번역, Gboard, Google 번역·파파고, 갤럭시 AI, 메신저 위 번역 앱을 한 표로 비교했습니다.
- [WhatsApp 영어 메시지, 번역하고 답장하는 법](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/whatsapp-english-translate) (ko): WhatsApp 영어 메시지를 번역하는 쉬운 방법과 번역기가 자주 틀리는 영어 채팅 줄임말·슬랭(lol, ngl, wyd, I’m dead) 정리. 영어로 답장 쓰는 법까지 짧게.
- [답장하기 귀찮을 때, AI에게 한 줄로 맡기기](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/ai-reply-when-lazy) (ko): 외국어 답장이 귀찮을 때 한 줄 지시나 말 한마디로 AI가 답장을 대신 쓰게 하는 방법. 자주 쓰는 짧은 지시 예시와 보내기 전 확인하는 법까지.
- [AI 답장, 시킨 대로 나오게 하는 지시 요령](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/ai-reply-as-instructed) (ko): AI에게 외국어 답장을 맡길 때 원하는 대로 나오게 하는 지시 쓰는 법. 할 말·말투·빼야 할 말 세 가지만 넣으면 됩니다. 예시와 함께 짧게 정리했습니다.
- [외국인 WhatsApp 대화, 번역은 맞는데 뜻이 다를 때](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/foreigner-chat-misunderstanding) (ko): 외국인과 WhatsApp으로 대화할 때 번역은 맞아도 속뜻이 다른 표현들. 일본어·영어·인도네시아어 예시와 오해를 줄이는 번역 요령을 짧게 정리했습니다.
- [WhatsApp 인도네시아어 메시지 번역하는 법](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/whatsapp-indonesian-translate) (ko): WhatsApp 인도네시아어 메시지를 번역하는 방법과 번역기가 자주 놓치는 채팅 줄임말(wkwk, gpp, otw, bsk) 정리. Kak·Pak·Bu 호칭과 답장 쓰는 법까지 짧게.
- [WhatsApp 베트남어 메시지 번역하는 법](https://dotok.app/ko/blog/whatsapp-vietnamese-translate) (ko): WhatsApp 베트남어 메시지를 번역하는 방법. 성조 기호 없이 쓴 문장, ko·dc·j 같은 채팅 줄임말, anh·chị·em 호칭과 답장 쓰는 법까지 짧게 정리했습니다.
- [How to chat in another language on WhatsApp without copying into a translator](https://dotok.app/en/blog/translate-without-copy-paste) (en): Four ways to read and answer foreign-language WhatsApp messages without copying them into a translator app: WhatsApp’s built-in translation, Gboard, Galaxy AI and an overlay translator.
- [How to auto-translate WhatsApp messages as they arrive](https://dotok.app/en/blog/whatsapp-auto-translate) (en): Three ways to translate incoming WhatsApp messages automatically instead of one by one: WhatsApp auto-translate, Galaxy AI Chat translation and an overlay translator, with their limits.
- [WhatsApp translator apps: which one fits your situation](https://dotok.app/en/blog/whatsapp-translator-apps) (en): Which app or feature to use for translating WhatsApp chats, by situation. WhatsApp’s built-in translation, Gboard, Google Translate, Galaxy AI and an overlay translator compared in one table.
- [How to translate Korean chat messages and reply in Korean](https://dotok.app/en/blog/kakaotalk-korean-translate) (en): How to translate Korean messages on KakaoTalk and WhatsApp, the Korean texting abbreviations translators get wrong (ㅋㅋ, ㅇㅇ, ㄱㅅ, ㄱㅊ), and how to write a reply in Korean.
- [Too tired to write the reply? Hand it to AI in one line](https://dotok.app/en/blog/ai-reply-when-lazy) (en): How to have AI write a reply in another language from a one-line note or a spoken sentence. Short instructions that work, and how to check the draft before you send.
- [AI replies that come out the way you asked](https://dotok.app/en/blog/ai-reply-as-instructed) (en): How to instruct AI when it writes a reply in another language for you. Put in three things: what to say, the tone, and what to leave out. With examples.
- [Chatting across languages: when the translation is right but the meaning isn’t](https://dotok.app/en/blog/foreigner-chat-misunderstanding) (en): Phrases that translate correctly but mean something else when you chat with someone abroad. Japanese, Korean and Indonesian examples, and how to translate so less gets lost.

## Links

- [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.dotok): install Dotok
- [Website (English)](https://dotok.app/en)
- [웹사이트 (한국어)](https://dotok.app/ko)
- Other languages: [日本語](https://dotok.app/ja), [中文](https://dotok.app/zh), [Bahasa Indonesia](https://dotok.app/id), [Tiếng Việt](https://dotok.app/vi), [ไทย](https://dotok.app/th), [Español](https://dotok.app/es), [Português](https://dotok.app/pt), [Deutsch](https://dotok.app/de), [Français](https://dotok.app/fr)
- [Privacy Policy](https://dotok.app/privacy?lang=en)
- Contact: support@dotok.app

Dotok is an independent app and is not affiliated with WhatsApp, Messenger, Meta Platforms, Inc. or Kakao Corp.