Aneni Kosher WhatsApp: what a kosher messenger looks like, and how Aneni does it
Aneni, by LeHallel · November 8, 2026
A kosher WhatsApp is a messenger that keeps what families rely on - the chats, the groups, the free calls - and leaves out the ads, the strangers' feeds and the pictures nobody asked for. Aneni is one: free on the App Store and Google Play, every photo checked before it is shown, men's and women's spaces kept apart, no ads, and your own free ten-digit number that you can choose yourself.
What people mean by "kosher WhatsApp"
Ask a frum family what they would keep from their phone and the answer is almost always the same: the chats. The family group, the shul group, the chavrusa, the voice note from a grandmother. What they would happily lose is everything that grew around those chats.
And more keeps growing. In June 2025 WhatsApp announced ads in Status, promoted channels and paid channel subscriptions in its Updates tab, and its help pages say ads in Status and Channels are rolling out gradually, labelled "Ad" with the advertiser's name (sources below). A family that only wanted the group chat now gets a storefront next to it. That is what people mean when they search for a kosher WhatsApp: the messenger, without the rest.
The everyday things, all there
Aneni is LeHallel's messenger, built kosher from the ground up. Chats and groups with replies, reactions, read ticks and "typing...". Voice messages and photos. Channels to follow. A Status for a photo or a few words, kept for 24 hours. Calls that ring your phone like a real call even when the app is closed. It looks and works the way people already expect a messenger to work, so nobody has to be taught.
Calls, by video or by voice, from anywhere
Every place you can start a call offers both, video or voice: the keypad, every recent call, a call link you send to anyone, a whole group, or one person inside a group. A recent call rings that person again with one press. A video call can be answered by voice alone, with the camera off.
Your own number - ten digits, and you can choose it
You do not need a phone number to sign up: an email is enough, and Aneni gives you your own free ten-digit number, like any phone. Every Aneni number starts 613-1, so it is never somebody's real phone line. Three choices: keep the number you are given, choose the last six digits yourself (Aneni says at once whether the number is free), or keep the cell number you already have, checked with a text code.
What is different, and why it matters
- Every photo is checked before anyone sees it. A photo sent in a chat passes through Aneni's own picture filter first; one that cannot be checked is not sent.
- Men's and women's spaces are kept apart. People find people of their own side, and only those who choose to be found are listed.
- No ads, no strangers' feeds. Nothing in Aneni is paid placement. Status is there, but only your own side sees it, and every photo in it is checked first.
- Report and block on everything. Every person, message and group has Report and Block, and every report is reviewed by the LeHallel team within 24 hours.
- Calls are not recorded. Nothing said in a call is kept.
- The learning is one tap away. Because Aneni comes from LeHallel, a chat that names a daf - "Kesubos 62" - offers to open it on everyone's screen inside the group's call, and the whole LeHallel library sits at the top of your chats.
Aneni and WhatsApp, side by side
| What you get | Aneni | |
|---|---|---|
| Chats, groups, voice messages, photos | Yes | Yes |
| Free video and voice calls, one on one or a group | Yes | Yes |
| Calls ring when the app is closed | Yes | Yes |
| Every photo checked before it is shown | Yes | No |
| Men's and women's spaces kept apart | Yes | No |
| Ads in the Updates tab | None | Ads in Status, promoted channels (rolling out) |
| Choose your own number | Yes - ten digits, free | No - it uses your phone number |
| A sefer open for both of you in a call | Yes | No |
WhatsApp's column follows what WhatsApp itself publishes (sources below). WhatsApp is a trademark of WhatsApp LLC; Aneni is not connected with WhatsApp or Meta.
Moving a family or a shul group over
- Get Aneni on the App Store or Google Play, or open it in any browser.
- Sign in with your email or cell - a code comes by email or text. Take your Aneni number, choose one, or keep your cell.
- Make the group in Aneni and send its link into the old group chat. Everyone who taps it is in.
Aneni is free. You can delete your account at any time in Settings, and your Aneni messages go with it.
Questions people ask
Is there a kosher WhatsApp?
Aneni is a messenger built kosher from the ground up: chats, groups, channels, free video and voice calls and voice messages, with every photo checked before it is shown, men's and women's spaces kept apart, and no ads or strangers' feeds. It is free on the App Store and Google Play.
Is Aneni free?
Yes. Aneni is free with a free LeHallel account, and there are no ads in it.
Can I keep my own phone number?
Yes. Keep the cell number you already have, take the free ten-digit Aneni number you are given, or choose the last six digits of your Aneni number yourself.
Can I message people who are still on WhatsApp?
Aneni talks to Aneni. To bring someone over, send them your invite or your group's link.
Are Aneni calls recorded?
No. Calls are not recorded or kept.
What happens to the photos I send?
Each photo is checked by Aneni's picture filter before it is sent, then kept privately so only the people in that chat can open it. The privacy policy has the details.
Does Aneni work on a computer?
Yes. Open Aneni in any browser and sign in - your chats are there.
Sources
- WhatsApp Blog, Helping you find more Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp (June 2025): ads in Status, promoted channels and channel subscriptions in the Updates tab.
- WhatsApp Help Center, About seeing ads on WhatsApp Status: rolling out gradually; ads labelled "Ad" with the advertiser's name.
- WhatsApp Help Center, How to register your phone number: an account is registered to a phone number you own, confirmed by a code sent by text or call.
- Aneni, the real app against lehallel.com, photographed on Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max simulator on November 8, 2026: every picture on this page.