Bridgi: Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the questions people ask before they install Bridgi. Still stuck? Support is here.
What does Bridgi do?
Bridgi is an Android keyboard that translates between English and Hebrew, right where you're typing. Write in English in any app, tap Translate, and the keyboard replaces your text with Hebrew, ready to send. It works the other way too: copy a Hebrew message you received, paste it into Bridgi, flip the direction, and tap Translate to read it in English. You never leave the conversation to do it.
How does the gender feature work?
Hebrew verbs and adjectives change form depending on the speaker's gender. “I'm tired” is אני עייף for a man and אני עייפה for a woman: different words, both correct. Most translation tools guess, and they often guess wrong. Bridgi asks you to set your own gender once during setup, and from then on it is built to reflect that in your first-person Hebrew, flagging anything it's not sure about. It is also built to handle who you're texting: a tap switches the message between talking to a man and talking to a woman, since that changes the Hebrew too.
How is Bridgi different from Google Translate?
Google Translate and similar tools are separate apps: you leave your chat, paste your text in, copy the result, and go back. They also don't know your gender, so they pick one form for everyone and often get it wrong. Bridgi lives inside your keyboard, so there's no switching apps and no copy-pasting. And because you set your own gender, Bridgi is built to make the translation sound like you.
Does Bridgi need any special permissions?
Bridgi needs an internet connection to translate, and on Android that network access is granted automatically when you install the app. There's no separate Full Access prompt to accept or decline the way iPhone keyboards work. Translation happens through our cloud service, so a connection is required for Translate to produce a result. Bridgi turns itself off on password fields.
Is my typing private?
Bridgi doesn't keep what you type. Only the message you tap Translate on is sent, to produce the Hebrew result, and it's discarded immediately on our side. The one exception is a message you explicitly Flag for review, which we keep so a human can fix that translation. Nothing else you type is sent anywhere. There are no ads and no accounts. Bridgi does send an anonymous weekly count of how you use the app, on by default and switchable off in Settings, and this website uses privacy-respecting page analytics. The full detail is at bridgi.app/privacy.
Does Bridgi work offline?
No. Bridgi needs an internet connection to translate, since translation happens through our cloud service rather than on your device. Without a connection, the keyboard still opens for regular typing, but Translate won't produce a result until you're back online.
Which apps can I use Bridgi in?
Bridgi works in any app that accepts keyboard input on Android: WhatsApp, Messages, Instagram, Telegram, Gmail, Signal, Messenger, and so on. You switch to Bridgi with the globe or keyboard-switch key, type your message in English, tap Translate, and send.
What languages does Bridgi support?
Version 1 covers one language pair, Hebrew and English, in both directions: type in English and send Hebrew, or copy a Hebrew message you received, flip the direction, and read it in English. More language pairs are planned; if you're on the waitlist, you'll hear about them first.
Is Bridgi a subscription?
Yes. Bridgi is a subscription at $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial to start, no card required. Billing follows the platform you're on: today that's Android, so you cancel any time from your Google Play account settings; iPhone billing details will be published once that version ships.
How do I install Bridgi as a keyboard?
After you install the app, open it once and follow the in-app setup, or go manually to Settings › System › Languages & input › On-screen keyboard › Manage keyboards and turn on Bridgi. Then in any chat, tap the globe or keyboard-switch key to switch to Bridgi, type in English, and tap Translate. Bridgi comes with the internet access it needs to translate, so there's nothing extra to turn on.
When will Bridgi be available?
Bridgi is starting on Android: it's in closed testing on Google Play now, with public launch coming soon, and iPhone is coming after. Join the waitlist and you'll get an email the moment Bridgi launches.
Who is Bridgi for?
Bridgi is for anyone who thinks in English and texts in Hebrew: people who moved to Israel, diaspora members staying in touch with family, partners of Israelis, Hebrew learners, travelers. If you've ever spent five minutes going back and forth between a translation app and your chat, Bridgi is for you.