Hebrew Word Clock - שעון מילים עברי

An Android home screen widget that displays the current time as flowing Hebrew text.

Features

• Hebrew Time Display: Shows time in natural Hebrew language with full diacritics (nikud) (e.g., "הַשָּׁעָה שְׁתַּיִם וּשְׁלוֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם דַּקּוֹת")
• Natural Hebrew Expressions: Uses special time forms (וָחֲמִשָּׁה, וָעֶשְׂרָה, וָרֶבַע, וָחֵצִי, רֶבַע לְ, עֲשָׂרָה לְ, חֲמִשָּׁה לְ for :05, :10, :15, :30, :45, :50, :55)
• Minute Precision: Updates every minute with all 60 possible minute values
• Material You Integration: Automatic color themes that adapt to your Android 12+ system theme (light/dark mode)
• Auto-Scaling Text: Font size automatically adjusts to fit the widget dimensions
• Compact Layout: Optimized for 1 row × 4 columns (minimum size)
• Customizable Display Options:
  • Toggle "השעה" prefix (show/hide "The hour is...")
  • Add time-of-day context (בַּבֹּקֶר, בַּצָּהֳרַיִם, אַחַר־הַצָּהֳרַיִם, בָּעֶרֶב, בַּלַּיְלָה)
• Battery Efficient: Uses hybrid update mechanism (AlarmManager + WorkManager)
• RTL Support: Proper right-to-left layout for Hebrew text

Requirements

• Android 12+ (API 31+)
• Supports Android 12, 13, and 14

Installation

1. Clone the repository
2. Open the project in Android Studio
3. Build and run on your device or emulator
4. Long-press on your home screen → Widgets → Hebrew Word Clock
5. Configure your preferred display options

Configuration Options

When adding the widget, you can customize the following settings:

• Show 'השעה': Display the word "הַשָּׁעָה" (the hour) at the beginning of the time
• Time of Day: Add contextual suffixes based on the hour:
  • 6:00-11:59 → "בַּבֹּקֶר" (in the morning)
  • 12:00-13:59 → "בַּצָּהֳרַיִם" (at noon)
  • 14:00-17:59 → "אַחַר־הַצָּהֳרַיִם" (in the afternoon)
  • 18:00-20:59 → "בָּעֶרֶב" (in the evening)
  • 21:00-5:59 → "בַּלַּיְלָה" (at night)

All settings have a live preview that updates in real-time.

Built-in Features (Always Enabled)

• Diacritics (Nikud): Full Hebrew vowel points for accurate pronunciation
• Special Time Forms: Natural Hebrew expressions for common times:
  • 5 minutes past → "וָחֲמִשָּׁה" (and five)
  • 10 minutes past → "וָעֶשְׂרָה" (and ten)
  • 15 minutes past → "וָרֶבַע" (and a quarter)
  • 30 minutes past → "וָחֵצִי" (and a half)
  • 45 minutes past → "רֶבַע לְ" (quarter to)
  • 50 minutes past → "עֲשָׂרָה לְ" (ten to)
  • 55 minutes past → "חֲמִשָּׁה לְ" (five to)

Technical Details

Architecture

• HebrewTimeConverter: Core logic for converting numeric time to Hebrew text with formatting options
• WordClockWidget: AppWidgetProvider managing widget lifecycle
• WidgetUpdateScheduler: Hybrid update mechanism (AlarmManager + WorkManager)
• WidgetConfigActivity: Configuration UI with live preview and Material Design switches
• ThemeManager: Automatic Material You dynamic color support based on system dark mode
• WidgetPreferences: Per-widget settings storage using SharedPreferences

Update Mechanism

The widget uses a hybrid approach for updates:

• Primary: AlarmManager with exact timing at minute boundaries
• Backup: WorkManager periodic updates every 15 minutes
• Boot Recovery: Reschedules updates after device reboot

Hebrew Number System

• Hours use feminine forms (אַחַת, שְׁתַּיִם, שָׁלשׁ...)
• Special cases for exact hours, quarter past, half past, and quarter to
• Singular, dual, and plural forms handled correctly
• 12-hour format with AM/PM conversion
• Full diacritics (nikud) for accurate pronunciation
• Optional time-of-day context for clarity

Testing

Run unit tests:

./gradlew test

Tests cover:

• All 1440 time combinations (24 hours × 60 minutes)
• Edge cases and invalid inputs
• All formatting options (with/without prefix and time-of-day suffix)
• Special time forms (quarters, halves, and special minute values)

License

MIT License - Feel free to use and modify.

Author

JBWorks - 2026