A kosher phone is a cell phone whose internet browser, app store and unfiltered media are removed or sealed at the system level — not merely switched off — so the user cannot restore them. Ani Choma, born-kosher, filtered WhatsApp, TAG, vaad configurations — every term you'll hear when shopping for a kosher phone, defined in plain English. Kosher phones start at $110 · Updated August 2026.
Hebrew for “I am a wall” (Shir HaShirim 8:10). The strictest kosher phone standard: the device makes and receives calls and nothing else — no texting, no camera, no media. Phones are sold pre-configured to this standard; see the TCL Flip 2 Ani Choma edition.
A phone designed and manufactured as a kosher device from the start — the operating system ships without a browser or app store — as opposed to a regular consumer phone that is modified and sealed afterward. The Megalife Zen f1 and Megalife Core are born-kosher devices.
The general (non-religious) term for a phone limited to basic functions. Kosher phones and dumb phones overlap heavily, and many buyers of kosher-configured devices are simply looking for a distraction-free phone rather than a religious standard.
Where a phone sits on the spectrum from most restricted to least: Talk-Only, Talk & Text, Talk & Text with approved apps, and filtered touchscreen phones. The same phone model is often sold at several levels — full explanation at filter levels explained.
A modified WhatsApp configuration in which photos and videos cannot be sent or received in either direction, while text messages, voice notes, calls, and video calls work normally. Currently available as an on-request option on the Megalife Zen f1; details at kosher phones with WhatsApp.
A rabbinic certification that a device, as configured, meets a community's technology standard — the same concept as a food hechsher applied to electronics. Certification is issued by communal technology committees and organizations, and certified devices typically carry a seal or are listed in a community directory.
A small set of pre-approved utility apps installed on an otherwise sealed phone — typically Waze, weather, zmanim, and a siddur. On button phones this is sold as a variant (e.g. “Talk Only With Apps”); use the phone finder quiz to see which package fits.
A phone that has been configured, sealed, and usually certified so that internet browsing, app installation, and unfiltered media are impossible — not merely turned off, but removed in a way the user cannot undo. Kosher phones range from talk-only flips to filtered touchscreen devices.
A touchscreen device with the browser removed, app installation sealed, and only approved apps present. Examples include the Wonder Phone, Fig Flip II X, and Megalife Zen f1; see all at kosher smartphones.
A variant tier that adds a camera and music playback to a talk-only or talk-and-text phone, while remaining sealed against internet and outside media. On many kosher devices, video playback is limited to videos taken on the device itself, so nothing can be loaded onto it from outside.
Describes filtering that is built into the phone's software and cannot be removed, reset, or bypassed by the user — factory-reset protection included. Not to be confused with a carrier lock (see Unlocked).
A volunteer community organization with walk-in offices in most large Orthodox communities that helps people filter, configure, and verify devices, generally free of charge. TAG offices service devices from any seller.
A filter level that allows calls and SMS text messaging but nothing else — no internet, no app store, and in the basic version no apps at all.
The classic kosher phone: calls only, with texting disabled entirely. Sold with or without a camera and with or without the approved app package — a talk-only phone with Waze is a common configuration.
A phone that works with any cellular carrier — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or their prepaid brands. This is about the SIM card, not the content filtering: kosher phones are typically carrier-unlocked and content-sealed at the same time.
A device configured to the published standard of a specific community's technology vaad (committee). Some models ship in a dedicated vaad edition — the Wonder Phone Star variant is one example.
Halachic times — sunrise, latest Shema, candle-lighting, and so on, calculated for your location. A zmanim app is a standard part of the kosher app package.