Home > iPhone, Mobile > Big News – Free Hebrew For iPhone Is Available Once Again

Big News – Free Hebrew For iPhone Is Available Once Again

March 23rd, 2009 Leave a comment Go to comments


During the past month there have been a few important developments related to the availability of free Hebrew fonts and localized interface for iPhone and iPod Touch. First, HebDev, a group that developed a popular free open source solution suspended their project, leaving users with only one alternative – pay about $60 to a competitor. Second, Apple released iPhone 3.0 to developers and based on early previews, it looks like Hebrew support will finally be part of it. However, this version will become available to the public only in the summer, so this does not help those who have recently bought an iPhone or iPod Touch or those who have upgraded to firmware 2.2.1.

But today a new solution called OpenHebrew was released to the public. OpenHebrew is a package of basic Hebrew support (fonts and keyboard but not a localized interface) and it supports iPhone and iPod Touch running firmware 2.2 & 2.2.1. The creators used the Hebrew translation made by project iVrit (fully localized interface) and made it possible to install the iVrit package from the same source.

Installing OpenHebrew requires that you have a jailbroken device. If you have not done it, download QuickPwn and use it to jailbreak (5 min task even for non-techies). Then do the following:

Step 1 – Launch Cydia

Step 2 – add this new source: http://tom.zickel.org/openhebrew

Step 3 – Pick one of the two options:

  • To install a fully localized Hebrew interface – search for the package iVrit and install it
  • To install Hebrew fonts & keyboard only – search for the pacakge OpenHebrew and install it

Personally I prefer the second option which keeps the iPhone interface in English but properly handles right to left display of everything within applications that is written in Hebrew, like email subject lines and content, iPod song titles and artist names, text messages, contacts, etc.

Kudos to the iVrit team and to Tom Zickel at OpenHebrew (and in english) who worked hard on this and made Hebrew free to all iPhone & iPod Touch users once again. You can follow OpenHebrew on twitter as well.

Now, show some digg love.



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  • Pingback: Finally, my iPhone displays Hebrew fonts again | Life Mashup

  • moshe

    thanks god someone care!! chizzes!
    I hope its works. And if not , Thanks for just thinking about it.
    |We bought iphone for something like 400Euros and its not fair to take another 60$ from us!

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    It works great!

  • nira

    Thanks!!!
    It DOES work

  • steve Davis

    ???? ???!
    thanks so much

  • Barbara

    Hi – So I have firmware 1.1.4 on my iphone and want to read and write in Hebrew (besides the default English). Is there a way to do so without upgrading the Firmware? Thanks for the help.

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    No, the url that hosted the resource file for 1.1.4 (http://repo.
    hebrew4iphone.com) is no longer working.

    Why won't you upgrade? Apple has made so many improvements in ver 2.X, plus
    the Hebrew works seamlessly.

  • thanks

    many! many thanks!! it works great.
    I started losing hope when i saw heb-dev shot down!
    good work!

  • Yossi

    BRILLIANTT!! but the only probleme is that the other phone i text cant read it lol it has to be a phone that reads hebrew!

    not that many phones do..

    THANKSSS

  • Tom

    It is better to wait the 3.0 version and install it. Then, there will be full support for Hebrew on everything (email, browser, etc.)

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    I disagree with you on that. OpenHebrew works seamlessly and supports all
    of the apps you mentioned a more.

  • http://kampanyedamaipemilu2009.web.id/ kampanye pemilu damai

    yes, i wanna it.
    thanks for the info

  • Ben

    Hi, first of all let me say thanks for posting this information… I've been looking everywhere for this..
    I just got a brand new simfree 3g iphone but I'm having problems installing QuickPwn.. i can't find that ipsw file anywhere.!!!

    i'm working on xp.. and i tried to download the ipsw file (iPod2,1_2.2.1_5H11a_Restore.ipsw)

    but QuickPwn doesn't recognize it….

    do you have any idea what shoul i do???

  • Ben

    well.. i actually got it to work now…

    just dowloaded the same file from a different server and it worked!!

    many thanks

  • Sean

    Hi,

    I just removed HebDev as it has no future and I wanted to see how stable Safari is unjailbroken. It's infinitely more stable, though I do not have Hebrew.

    I'm tempted to wait for 3.0 as I'm worried that jailbreaking it again will mean that Safari crashes every minute like it used to. What's your experience? Is Safari usable?

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    I have not noticed any Safari problems. Perhaps you had other apps for
    jailbroken phones that caused the problems.

  • Sean

    Hi Jay,

    Perhaps though I only really used themes and Hebrew. Didn't actually use any apps (nothing I needed though I did tinker around with some). I think I'll install tonight – I miss being able to use Milon Morfix whilst out 'n' about.

    I'll post my results just in case anyone reading is interested.

  • Harold Azencott

    I have dowloaded the source from the link you ve specified but as I am trying to instal OpenHebrew on my ipone 3G (2.2.1) I am getting the following error message: MD5sum mismatch.
    Any thoughts any one?

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    No idea. I suggest you follow the link that leads to the openhebrew
    website and contact the developer.

    Thanks,
    -jay

    —
    This message, including any attachments, is for the use of the
    intended recipient(s) only and may include privileged, confidential
    and/or proprietary information. Any distribution or use of this
    communication by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is
    strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you are not the intended
    recipient, please notify me by replying to this message and then
    delete it from your system.

  • Harold Azencott

    i ll try. Thanks anyway

  • Harold Azencott

    I ll try. Thanks anyway

  • eran

    thanks!!!
    great post that helped me a lot to solve the heb problem ;-)

  • Hesh Nosaff

    I've been trying to get my old iPod Classic to display hebrew. I used Multiplugin in the past, which was great, but it only supports itunes 7.02 and for a variety of reasons I have had to upgrade to v 7.4 (would love to upgrade to version 8, in fact). Anyway, suggestions on how to see Hebrew again will be highly appreciated.

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    iDigital, the Apple distributor in Israel, offers iPodHeb for free. This
    software was developed by some developer long time ago and upgrades to it
    are no longer available so your iPod firmware might not be supported by it.
    Check it at and download from http://idigital.co.il/ipodhe/

  • Hesh Nosaff

    Thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately their website says that this software doesn't support the iPod Classic (nor iTunes 8, which I could live with). Any other suggestions will be MUCh appreciateed.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Amatzya-Ran/1304859025 Amatzya Ran

    its so good thank you

  • http://openhebrew.wordpress.com/ Tom

    A. I do not think there is any solutions anymore for the iPod Classic and new iPod Nano regarding Hebrew support.
    B. You are all more then welcome to contact me with issues you are having with OpenHebrew on the comments on my web site (you may leave there comments in english with an email in any of the posts and i'll get back to you).
    C. The person with the MD5sum problem, this is usually an issue on your ISP end.

  • Gil

    I love this app,
    works perfectly except for one thing,
    It turned my Calender into Hebrew,
    And I don't know how to change it back to english?
    Any ideas?
    Thanks

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    Select “Settings”->”General”->”International”->”Region Format” and change it
    from Israel back to United States.

  • Gil

    ???? ??? =)

  • john

    is open hebrew3 works with firmware 3.0.1 on iphone2G???
    i have trouble to see name contact on my screen when israeli contacts call me.
    do you know a software that can fix that???????

    THX in advance

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    Not sure what you mean.

    You no longer need OpenHebrew if your iPhone runs ver 3.0. Apple
    included Hebrew fonts and keyboard in this firmware and all apps
    support Hebrew.

  • john

    allright good to know…
    but it doesn't fix my trouble in the display of contact's name saved with international format (+972 XX XXX XXXX).
    Is anybody has an idea to solve that??? software? setting?

    phone number saved with regular format (XXX XXX XXXX) works good and are displayed properly.
    I used to travel and need to store phone number with international format in order to be able to call them whatever the country I am.
    It works properly before I upgrated to firmware 3.X.X

    THX for your help

  • john

    is open hebrew3 works with firmware 3.0.1 on iphone2G???
    i have trouble to see name contact on my screen when israeli contacts call me.
    do you know a software that can fix that???????

    THX in advance

  • http://www.meydad.com jaymeydad

    Not sure what you mean.

    You no longer need OpenHebrew if your iPhone runs ver 3.0. Apple
    included Hebrew fonts and keyboard in this firmware and all apps
    support Hebrew.

  • john

    allright good to know…
    but it doesn't fix my trouble in the display of contact's name saved with international format (+972 XX XXX XXXX).
    Is anybody has an idea to solve that??? software? setting?

    phone number saved with regular format (XXX XXX XXXX) works good and are displayed properly.
    I used to travel and need to store phone number with international format in order to be able to call them whatever the country I am.
    It works properly before I upgrated to firmware 3.X.X

    THX for your help

  • Jo

    Hi Jay, I posted a comment on your forum about year ago.
    I would need you to remove it since I signed with my real name and it comes out in google.
    Could you send me an email address where i could contact you regarding this matter.
    Thanks in advance.