diff --git a/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm2015.js b/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm2015.js
index 47de5e87133b3..3c9b0a8fee2e9 100644
--- a/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm2015.js
+++ b/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm2015.js
@@ -13,5 +13,5 @@ const __global = "undefined" !== typeof global && global;
 const _global = __globalThis || __global || __window || __self;
 
 if (ngDevMode) _global.$localize = _global.$localize || function() {
-    throw new Error("The global function `$localize` is missing. Please add `import '@angular/localize';` to your polyfills.ts file.");
+    throw new Error("It looks like your application or one of its dependencies is using i18n.\n" + "Angular 9 introduced a global `$localize()` function that needs to be loaded.\n" + "Please add `import '@angular/localize';` to your polyfills.ts file.");
 };
diff --git a/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm5.js b/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm5.js
index d5fd28b2d86ec..ba58f35bd71c1 100644
--- a/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm5.js
+++ b/integration/side-effects/snapshots/core/esm5.js
@@ -15,5 +15,5 @@ var __global = "undefined" !== typeof global && global;
 var _global = __globalThis || __global || __window || __self;
 
 if (ngDevMode) _global.$localize = _global.$localize || function() {
-    throw new Error("The global function `$localize` is missing. Please add `import '@angular/localize';` to your polyfills.ts file.");
+    throw new Error("It looks like your application or one of its dependencies is using i18n.\n" + "Angular 9 introduced a global `$localize()` function that needs to be loaded.\n" + "Please add `import '@angular/localize';` to your polyfills.ts file.");
 };
diff --git a/packages/core/src/core.ts b/packages/core/src/core.ts
index 598d681e4b728..4b66d5f5f3b27 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/core.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/core.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ if (ngDevMode) {
   // tslint:disable-next-line: no-toplevel-property-access
   global.$localize = global.$localize || function() {
     throw new Error(
-        'The global function `$localize` is missing. Please add `import \'@angular/localize\';` to your polyfills.ts file.');
+        'It looks like your application or one of its dependencies is using i18n.\n' +
+        'Angular 9 introduced a global `$localize()` function that needs to be loaded.\n' +
+        'Please add `import \'@angular/localize\';` to your polyfills.ts file.');
   };
 }