diff --git a/config-templates/config.php b/config-templates/config.php
index 1fa9d3b40f8d1dfd764b319413a0266452135336..09117a875692dbf102ced407c8b185d262346c51 100644
--- a/config-templates/config.php
+++ b/config-templates/config.php
@@ -727,17 +727,6 @@ $config = [
     'language.cookie.httponly' => false,
     'language.cookie.lifetime' => (60 * 60 * 24 * 900),
 
-    /*
-     * Which i18n backend to use.
-     *
-     * "SimpleSAMLphp" is the home made system, valid for 1.x.
-     * For 2.x, only "gettext/gettext" will be possible.
-     *
-     * Home-made templates will always use "SimpleSAMLphp".
-     * To use twig (where avaliable), select "gettext/gettext".
-     */
-    'language.i18n.backend' => 'SimpleSAMLphp',
-
     /**
      * Custom getLanguage function called from SimpleSAML\Locale\Language::getLanguage().
      * Function should return language code of one of the available languages or NULL.
diff --git a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php
index 9a4543d37ae95fc21553d8653eaf39867440179d..66427da457578cc1cb8ea9e4f398bf0e1d3bae58 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php
+++ b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ class Localization
         $this->localeDir = $this->configuration->resolvePath('locales');
         $this->language = new Language($configuration);
         $this->langcode = $this->language->getPosixLanguage($this->language->getLanguage());
-        $this->i18nBackend = $this->configuration->getString('language.i18n.backend', self::SSP_I18N_BACKEND);
+        $this->i18nBackend = ($this->configuration->getBoolean('usenewui', false) ? self::GETTEXT_I18N_BACKEND : self::SSP_I18N_BACKEND);
         $this->setupL10N();
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php b/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php
index 042f068305c2a45fd88ff3f00a91a37b12049afe..903076ff67f701a2d66f6bcb691e8305fb1b69d5 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php
+++ b/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ namespace SimpleSAML\XHTML;
 use JaimePerez\TwigConfigurableI18n\Twig\Environment as Twig_Environment;
 use JaimePerez\TwigConfigurableI18n\Twig\Extensions\Extension\I18n as Twig_Extensions_Extension_I18n;
 use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;
+use SimpleSAML\Locale\Localization;
 
 class Template extends Response
 {
@@ -265,7 +266,7 @@ class Template extends Response
         // initialize some basic context
         $langParam = $this->configuration->getString('language.parameter.name', 'language');
         $twig->addGlobal('languageParameterName', $langParam);
-        $twig->addGlobal('localeBackend', $this->configuration->getString('language.i18n.backend', 'SimpleSAMLphp'));
+        $twig->addGlobal('localeBackend', $this->useNewUI ? Localization::GETTEXT_I18N_BACKEND : Localization::SSP_I18N_BACKEND);
         $twig->addGlobal('currentLanguage', $this->translator->getLanguage()->getLanguage());
         $twig->addGlobal('isRTL', false); // language RTL configuration
         if ($this->translator->getLanguage()->isLanguageRTL()) {
diff --git a/templates/sandbox.twig b/templates/sandbox.twig
index 316c855cfba98e398a8237ed4dc77567505efdf5..1ff8134fd7e0a2d08a1b1be18f7623549cce2ef3 100644
--- a/templates/sandbox.twig
+++ b/templates/sandbox.twig
@@ -15,17 +15,6 @@
     </p>
     <h2>Localization</h2>
     {% set variable = 'Hello, Untranslated World!' %}
-    <p>SimpleSAMLphp lets you choose which translation backend to choose, thanks to the
-        <code>language.i18n.backend</code> configuration option. Two possible values are supported there:
-    </p>
-    <ul>
-        <li><code>SimpleSAMLphp</code>: to keep using the old SimpleSAMLphp translation system. This is the
-            default, and will disappear as an option in SimpleSAMLphp 2.0.</li>
-        <li><code>gettext/gettext</code>: to use a <em>gettext</em> implementation written entirely in PHP, allowing
-            you to use any locale, no matter if they are installed on the system or not.</li>
-    </ul>
-    <p>Note that <code>gettext/gettext</code> <strong>will become the default</strong> in SimpleSAMLphp 2.0.
-        Currently, you are using the following backend: <code>{{ localeBackend }}</code>.</p>
     <p>This page is written in english only, but the examples used here are translated to several languages. The current
         language is <strong>{{ currentLanguage }}</strong>. Change to other languages to see the examples change.</p>
     <h4>Usage examples</h4>
diff --git a/tests/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/LocalizationTest.php b/tests/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/LocalizationTest.php
index cc58f1ebe66632efcd6ffac4b9d4ce21e5391c8a..ceeb823fba12480b83cf812efed375eee9fc3b48 100644
--- a/tests/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/LocalizationTest.php
+++ b/tests/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/LocalizationTest.php
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class LocalizationTest extends TestCase
     {
         // The constructor should activate the default domain
         $c = Configuration::loadFromArray(
-            ['language.i18n.backend' => 'SimpleSAMLphp']
+            ['usenewui' => false]
         );
         $l = new Localization($c);
         $this->assertTrue($l->isI18NBackendDefault());
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class LocalizationTest extends TestCase
     public function testAddDomain()
     {
         $c = Configuration::loadFromArray(
-            ['language.i18n.backend' => 'gettext/gettext']
+            ['usenewui' => true]
         );
         $l = new Localization($c);
         $newDomain = 'test';
diff --git a/tests/modules/core/lib/ControllerTest.php b/tests/modules/core/lib/ControllerTest.php
index ff7c959f8555efea2b7056efcacea1d17b31ffc5..9f2edea91b9409784e2b0f97e2161d634d32fca5 100644
--- a/tests/modules/core/lib/ControllerTest.php
+++ b/tests/modules/core/lib/ControllerTest.php
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class ControllerTest extends ClearStateTestCase
             [
                 'baseurlpath' => 'https://example.org/simplesaml',
                 'module.enable' => ['exampleauth' => true],
-                'language.i18n.backend' => Localization::GETTEXT_I18N_BACKEND,
+                'usenewui' => true,
             ],
             '[ARRAY]',
             'simplesaml'
diff --git a/tests/www/TemplateTest.php b/tests/www/TemplateTest.php
index 06dfe10808c2ea612f0050eeb3c20a915fd99f72..2e9e3a4f4fc2d06e7e241136ba2e170dda5695f6 100644
--- a/tests/www/TemplateTest.php
+++ b/tests/www/TemplateTest.php
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class TemplateTest extends TestCase
     public function testSyntax()
     {
         $config = Configuration::loadFromArray([
-            'language.i18n.backend' => 'gettext/gettext',
+            'usenewui' => true,
             'module.enable' => array_fill_keys(Module::getModules(), true),
         ]);
         Configuration::setPreLoadedConfig($config);