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Freewrite Firmware Update 1.6: 16 New Languages and 48 Keyboard Layout Variants Added

February 22, 2023 | 2 min read

Welcome to Freewrite Firmware 1.6, released today, February 23, 2023.

This firmware introduces a massive update to our supported languages and keyboard layouts. In addition to the 40 variants supported, we have added 16 new languages and 48 new keyboard layouts, bringing the total to 88 layout variants and 60+ unique languages.

Freewrite keyboard layout variants now include: (* = added in 1.6)

  1. Albanian*
  2. Arabic
  3. Armenian*
  4. Azerbaijani*
  5. Bambara*
  6. Belarusian*
  7. Bosnian*
  8. Bulgarian
  9. Bulgarian phonetic*
  10. Canadian Multilingual*
  11. Chinese (Simplified)
  12. Chinese (Traditional)
  13. Croatian*
  14. Czech
  15. Danish
  16. Danish (Dvorak)*
  17. Dutch
  18. English
  19. English (Colemak)
  20. English (Dvorak)
  21. English (International AltGr)*
  22. English International
  23. Esperanto*
  24. Estonian*
  25. Eurkey*
  26. Faroese*
  27. Finnish*
  28. French
  29. French (Belgian)
  30. French (Bepo)
  31. French (Canada)
  32. French (Dvorak)*
  33. French (Swiss)
  34. Georgian*
  35. German
  36. German (Dvorak)*
  37. German (Swiss)*
  38. German Neo
  39. Greek (modern)
  40. Hausa*
  41. Hebrew
  42. Hungarian
  43. Icelandic*
  44. Irish*
  45. Italian
  46. Japanese
  47. Kazakh*
  48. Korean
  49. Kurdish*
  50. Kyrgyz
  51. Lao*
  52. Latvian (AltGr)
  53. Latvian (Apostrophe)
  54. Lingala*
  55. Lithuanian*
  56. Macedonian*
  57. Malay*
  58. Maltese*
  59. Mongolian*
  60. Norwegian
  61. Norwegian (Dvorak)*
  62. Pashto, Pushto*
  63. Persian (Farsi)*
  64. Polish
  65. Polish (Programmers Dvorak)*
  66. Polish (Programmers)*
  67. Polish (QWERTZ)*
  68. Portuguese
  69. Portuguese (Brazil)*
  70. Portuguese (Nativo)*
  71. Romanian*
  72. Russian
  73. Serbian (Cyrillic)*
  74. Serbian (Latin)*
  75. Slovak*
  76. Slovenian
  77. Spanish
  78. Spanish (Dvorak)*
  79. Swahili*
  80. Swedish
  81. Swedish (Dvorak)
  82. Tajik*
  83. Turkish
  84. Turkmen*
  85. Ukrainian*
  86. Uzbek*
  87. Vietnamese
  88. Wolof*

Tip: To see a graphic of the active keyboard layout on your device, hold down the space bar.  We call this the Heads-up Display!

For more help, visit our support topic on how to change the language on your Freewrite device.

 

There are also numerous bug fixes under the hood, including:

  • Improved performance for large documents
  • Fixed status LED not turning off while in sleep mode

For a full list of v1.6.0 new features, improvements, and fixes visit the Release Notes page.

 

To manually check for a firmware update:

  • Option 1: Press right [new] + right [shift] + F
  • Option 2: hold the power button down for 3 seconds (version 1.5.0 or later) and select 'Firmware Update' in the device menu

If an update is available, your device will begin downloading the update immediately. To perform the manual check, your device must be running on firmware version 1.1.6 or higher.
 

For more detailed instructions, visit our support topics:

 

August 22, 2025 3 min read

Most of us are surrounded by screens all day. To get your writing done, take writer Shannon Liao's advice and unplug.

July 21, 2025 2 min read

It’s literary legend Ernest Hemingway’s birthday week, and we’re throwing "A Moveable Feast" in his honor. Purchase a Hemingwrite this week and be entered to have your purchase completely refunded.

July 21, 2025 2 min read

Official Rules for the Promotion

No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not increase your changes of wining. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

1. Eligibility

The Purchase Refund Giveaway ("Promotion") is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees, officers, and directors of Astrohaus ("Sponsor") and its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and/or those living in the same household are not eligible. The Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

2. Promotion Period

The Promotion begins at 8 a.m. EST Monday, July 21, and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 27 ("Promotion Period"). Sponsor's computer is the official timekeeping device for this Promotion.

3. How to Enter

There are two (2) ways to enter:

a) Purchase Method:

During the Promotion Period, make a purchase of any product through https://getfreewrite.com/. All eligible purchasers will automatically be entered into the Promotion. Limit one (1) entry per purchase.

b) Free Alternate Method of Entry (AMOE):

To enter without making a purchase, fill out the form here.Limit one (1) AMOE entry per person.

4. Prize

One (1) Grand Prize: A refund equal to the amount of the winner’s eligible purchase (not to exceed $1,099.00 USD). If the winner entered via the AMOE method, they will receive one Ernest Hemingway Signature Edition Smart Typewriter.

Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): up to $1,099.00 USD.

5. Winner Selection

One (1) potential winner will be selected in a random drawing on or about August 15, from among all eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. Odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received.

6. Winner Notification

The potential winner will be notified by email within five (5) business days following the drawing. The potential winner may be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability & Publicity Release within seven (7) days of notification. If a selected winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible, fails to claim the prize, or fails to timely return the required documents, the prize may be forfeited and an alternate winner selected.

7. General Conditions

By participating, entrants agree to abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final. The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Promotion if it becomes technically corrupted or cannot be conducted as planned. The prize is non-transferable. All federal, state, and local taxes are the responsibility of the winner.

8. Limitation of Liability

Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, damaged, or illegible entries or for any technical or human error that may occur in the administration of the Promotion.

9. Privacy

Any personal information collected will be used in accordance with the Sponsor’s Privacy Policy located at https://getfreewrite.com/pages/privacy-policy.

9. Sponsor

Astrohaus
1632 1st Avenue #29179
New York, NY 10028