Building an Arabic-first app: 6 RTL mistakes to avoid
Right-to-left is more than flipping the layout. The details that make Arabic users trust your product.
For customers in Saudi Arabia and the GCC, an app that feels "translated" loses trust fast. Arabic-first means designing for right-to-left from the start, not adding it at the end.
1. Mirroring everything
Layouts flip, but some things should not: media controls, phone numbers, charts with time axes and brand logos.
2. Forgetting directional icons
Back arrows, chevrons and "next" icons must point the right way in RTL.
3. Using a Latin font for Arabic
Pick an Arabic typeface designed for screens, with the right line height — Arabic needs more vertical space.
4. Hard-coded text lengths
Arabic and English strings differ in length. Buttons and labels must grow without breaking.
5. Mixed-direction text
Emails, numbers and English brand names inside Arabic sentences need proper bidirectional handling.
6. Testing only in English
Every release should be tested in both languages, on real devices.
We build Arabic-first, bilingual products by default — talk to our team.
