The Koren Tefilla App

I tried this last Purim, and then again today - this Purim. It has improved - last time it didn't include al hanissim or birchos hamegillah. It's still lacking. Hazarat hashatz isn't integrated, and even though I ordered the translation/commentary it doesn't appear and there's no restore button to put them on my wife's phone. But it's handy.

As the title says, I can’t purchase an English translation or commentary. When I try, the app tells me that it’s only available for a particular nusach, and asks me if I’d like to switch to that nusach. I say yes *even though that nusach is already selected*, but nothing happens. No purchase option ever appears. An iPad-optimized version of the app would also be good. I love the idea of this app. It’s beautiful to look at and simple to use, but it needs work.

I’ve been trying it for a couple of weeks. For my part I say it’s best experienced on the largest font size, where you have just a few words on screen and can focus better and appreciate the Koren letterforms (i understand that in any review of a koren product you’re supposed to mention the font). It’s new and there are bugs - my beracha mei’ein shalosh is a blank screen, and the app put candle lighting at the same time as shekiah. It would also be helpful if they had an explainer of where their zemanim are coming from. The slider that you use to speed through the parts of the tefilot could be more specific. Finally, the “praying with a minyan” setting is too clever by half, which is also a koren habit. People want to see the words of Kaddish, not just know that they’re answering amen at some point. Still I wouldn’t spend the time reviewing it if I didn’t think it was going to improve. And because I know they care I’ll point out that the dagesh in the taf is sometimes nicely centered and sometimes drifts to the right. Haven’t yet figured out the reason for that one.