Image by iStock

By Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt November 1, 2017

Will Bar Refaeli start posting in Hebrew now?! Image by Instagram/Bar Refaeli

Instagram has finally added support for languages that are written and read from right to left. Now, all Arabic, Hebrew and Farsi speakers can “tell their stories in the way that is more authentic for them”, said Instagram COO Marne Levine in a post last night:

Right to left is here! And that means more people who speak Arabic, Hebrew, and Farsi can tell their stories in the way that is more authentic for them. I can’t wait to see this community continue to grow and share their stories with the world. تبریک میگم مبروك ברכותי to the launch team!

A post shared by Marne Levine (@marnelevine) on Oct 31, 2017 at 3:02pm PDT

It’s quite overdue, given the app until now has supported 36 languages, including Tagalog and Bahas Melayu. According to TechCrunch, Instagram had to reconfigure the entire app to support right-to-left languages.

“I’m proud of our efforts to make Instagram one of the most inclusive and diverse platforms in the world,” said Mike Krieger, Instagram’s co-founder. “With this update, we hope even more Arabic, Hebrew and Farsi speakers are able to use Instagram to connect with the people and interests that matter to them.”

The feature has launched on Android already (given that over 70% of the Arabic-speaking community uses Androids), and iOS is next.

Mazal tov, Israeli Insta-divas of shakshuka and Shenkin Street chic.

This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.

We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.

This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.

With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Make a matched gift today.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT