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!

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

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.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount