Used HebCal & Widget for Android?
Editors’ Review
Experience a blend of calendar and astronomical tools with HebCal & Widget, by BotenSoft, designed to track Hebrew dates and liturgical times. The app displays a clear monthly grid that maps Hebrew dates to Gregorian equivalents and lists festivals, fasts, and moon phases for selected days. It provides location-based sunrise and sunset calculations, English transliteration, and personal event entries. Observant individuals and community members benefit from its extended historical range and Diaspora formatting cues.
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HebCal presents a full-month view that shows Hebrew dates alongside Gregorian counterparts and enumerates Jewish holidays and fasting days. Practical items include English transliteration for Hebrew years, months, and festival names, Diaspora variations marked in square brackets, and the ability to mark personal events on individual dates. The layout supports quick scanning of a month and long-click access to date-specific data.
What the app displays and how it arranges dates
How astronomical times and location data are handled
The app calculates sunrise, sunset, and moon phases using either device GPS or manual coordinate entry, which lets the app produce location-based times for any selected date. Long-pressing a date reveals the astronomical details for that day. Compatibility notes state it runs on modern Android devices and installs with a lightweight footprint, so location queries are the main runtime interaction with the system.
Safety, data handling, and maintenance practices
Event persistence and update safety are addressed by an export/import option labeled "EXP/IMP" intended for recurring events prior to applying updates. The app targets personal, non-commercial use and includes a troubleshooting menu to fix Hebrew right-to-left character rendering or word order problems on some devices. Location permission prompts occur when GPS is used, so users can choose manual coordinates instead.
Who can operate it and how much technical setup is needed
Navigation relies on month-by-month scrolling and a menu to jump to specific years or months, so non-technical users can perform common tasks; English transliteration supports readers who do not read Hebrew. Advanced steps, such as entering coordinates manually or using the troubleshooting menu for RTL issues, require modest technical confidence. The app covers dates from 1800 through 2200, useful for historical or long-range planning.
Pros
- Full month grid showing Hebrew and Gregorian dates
- Location-based sunrise/sunset and moon phase calculations
- English transliteration for Hebrew years, months, and holidays
- Historical coverage from 1800 to 2200
Cons
- Designed for personal use, not for shared institutional scheduling
- Manual coordinate entry required if GPS is unavailable
- Some devices require RTL troubleshooting for correct Hebrew display
Bottom Line
Practical reference for private observance, with a personal-use limitation
HebCal is a focused calendrical reference suited to individuals who need accurate Hebrew-Gregorian coordination and date-specific astronomical information; it matches that narrow purpose without adding organizational scheduling features. The main caveat is its orientation toward personal use, which limits shared or institutional workflows. Tip: confirm device location settings when checking candle-lighting or sunrise/sunset times for best accuracy.
Used HebCal & Widget for Android?
