---
title: "How do I get the current app or device language on Android?"
description: "`Locale.getDefault()` returns the locale your app is running in, including a per-app language. `AppCompatDelegate.getApplicationLocales()` tells whether a per-app language is set (empty means follow the system), and on Android 13+ `LocaleManager.getSystemLocales()` gives the device language."
category: android
date: 2026-10-09
canonical: https://localizely.com/i18n-questions/android/how-do-i-get-the-current-app-or-device-language-on-android/
---

# How do I get the current app or device language on Android?

For most code, `Locale.getDefault()` is the answer. Android sets the process default locale when the app starts and again on every configuration change, from the first locale of the app's resource configuration, so it reflects a per-app language on Android 13+ as well as one applied by AppCompat on older versions.

```kotlin
import java.util.Locale

val locale = Locale.getDefault()
locale.language          // "pt"
locale.toLanguageTag()   // "pt-BR", a BCP 47 tag
locale.displayName       // the locale's name in the current language
```

The locale your resources were resolved for sits in the configuration. `Configuration.locales` holds the user's preferred languages, and the system moves the best match among your app's translations to the front, so index 0 is the language your strings come from:

```kotlin
val resourceLocale = resources.configuration.locales[0]   // API 24+
// Below API 24: ConfigurationCompat.getLocales(resources.configuration)[0]
```

`LocaleList.getDefault()` returns the full preference list in order; `Locale.getDefault()` is guaranteed to be in it but not necessarily first, which is how you can tell that the user's first choice is a language you do not ship.

Whether the user picked a language for your app specifically:

```kotlin
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatDelegate

val appLocales = AppCompatDelegate.getApplicationLocales()
val appLanguage = appLocales[0]?.toLanguageTag()
// null: no per-app language, the app follows the system
```

The device language, as opposed to the app language, when a per-app language is active:

```kotlin
import android.app.LocaleManager
import android.content.res.Resources
import android.os.Build

val systemLocale = if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.TIRAMISU) {
    context.getSystemService(LocaleManager::class.java).systemLocales[0]
} else {
    Resources.getSystem().configuration.locales[0]
}
```

`LocaleManager.getSystemLocales()` returns the system locales ignoring app-specific overrides. Below Android 13 the override exists only inside AppCompat, which applies it to `AppCompatActivity` contexts, so the system `Resources` object still carries the device configuration.

Pitfalls:

- On Android 12 and lower, read `resources` through an `AppCompatActivity` context. The application context does not see the AppCompat per-app locale.
- Use `toLanguageTag()` (`zh-Hant-TW`) rather than `toString()` (`zh_TW_#Hant`) when sending the language to a server or comparing it with a list of supported tags.
- `Locale.getDefault()` can be changed by any code in the process through `Locale.setDefault()`; the configuration value cannot.

References: [LocaleManager](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/app/LocaleManager), [Locale](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Locale.html) and [Per-app language preferences](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/resources/app-languages).

Source: https://localizely.com/i18n-questions/android/how-do-i-get-the-current-app-or-device-language-on-android/