Frequently Asked Questions

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What is Shabbat Screen?

Shabbat Screen is a free weather and news display built to run untouched through Shabbat and Yom Tov. You set it up before candle lighting on a tablet, laptop, or monitor, and it refreshes the forecast, the hourly charts, Shabbat times, the clock, and the news feed on its own for as long as it is left open.

Is Shabbat Screen free?

Yes. It is free to use, with no account, no subscription, and no trial. The site carries advertising, which is what covers its running costs.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Shabbat Screen runs entirely in a web browser. There is nothing to download and no account to create. Open the page, set your preferences, and leave it running.

Which devices can I use it on?

Anything with a modern web browser. It is most often used on a tablet propped up in a kitchen, a wall-mounted screen, an old laptop, or a spare monitor. The layout adapts to the screen size and is readable from across a room.

How often does the screen update?

You choose 1, 5, or 15 minutes, and a visible countdown shows when the next refresh is due. There is also a Manual setting that stops automatic updating. For a screen left running unattended, 5 or 15 minutes is usually the sensible choice.

Does it show candle lighting times for my city?

Yes. Candle lighting, havdalah, the weekly parsha, and upcoming holidays are fetched for the location you set, using the Hebcal API. Because the times follow your chosen location rather than a fixed city, they are still correct if you are away from home for Shabbat.

Does it work outside Israel?

Yes. Weather, Shabbat times, and the clock are all based on the location you set, anywhere in the world. The news panel includes both Israeli and international outlets, and you choose which of them appear.

Which news sources can I choose from?

Times of Israel, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC News, CNN, Associated Press, Axios, and Financial Times. You pick which ones appear, and headlines are pulled from each outlet's public RSS feed.

What languages does Shabbat Screen support?

Thirteen: English, Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, Farsi, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Ukrainian, Hungarian, and Russian. Hebrew, Yiddish, Arabic, and Farsi are shown in a proper right-to-left layout.

Does it track my location?

Your location is used to fetch the weather and Shabbat times for where you are, and it is stored in your own browser so the screen loads faster next time. It is not kept on a server. You can skip the browser location prompt entirely and search for your city by name instead. Full details are in the privacy policy.

Is it permissible to leave a screen running on Shabbat?

That is a halachic question, and practice varies between communities and poskim. Shabbat Screen is a tool built so that no interaction is needed once it is running; whether and how to use it is a question for your own rabbi.

Does it work on Yom Tov and chol hamoed?

Yes, in exactly the same way. The Shabbat times panel also shows upcoming Yom Tov dates, and the screen keeps refreshing across multi-day festivals for as long as the device stays on and connected.

Still stuck?

Read how Shabbat Screen works for the full setup walkthrough, or use the Contact Us link in the footer of the main screen to send a message directly to the developer.