Index: src/OFApplication.m
==================================================================
--- src/OFApplication.m
+++ src/OFApplication.m
@@ -115,11 +115,11 @@
 }
 
 int
 OFApplicationMain(int *argc, char **argv[], id <OFApplicationDelegate> delegate)
 {
-	[[OFLocale alloc] init];
+	[OFLocale currentLocale];
 
 	app = [[OFApplication alloc] of_init];
 
 #ifdef OF_WINDOWS
 	if ([OFSystemInfo isWindowsNT]) {

Index: src/OFLocale.h
==================================================================
--- src/OFLocale.h
+++ src/OFLocale.h
@@ -93,13 +93,12 @@
 @property (readonly, nonatomic) OFString *decimalSeparator;
 
 /**
  * @brief Returns the current OFLocale.
  *
- * @warning If you don't use @ref OFApplication, this might be `nil`! In this
- *	    case, you need to manually allocate an instance and call
- *	    @ref init once.
+ * @note If you don't use @ref OFApplication, you need to call this as early as
+ *	 possible to initialize the locale!
  *
  * @return The current OFLocale instance
  */
 + (nullable OFLocale *)currentLocale;
 
@@ -145,21 +144,12 @@
  *
  * @param IRI The IRI to the directory to scan for localizations
  */
 + (void)addLocalizationDirectoryIRI: (OFIRI *)IRI;
 
-/**
- * @brief Initializes the current OFLocale.
- *
- * @warning This sets the locale via `setlocale()`!
- *
- * @warning You should never call this yourself, except if you do not use
- *	    @ref OFApplication. In this case, you need to allocate exactly one
- *	    instance of OFLocale, which will become the current locale, and
- *	    call this method.
- */
-- (instancetype)init;
+- (instancetype)init OF_DEPRECATED(ObjFW, 1, 1, "Manually creating an OFLocale "
+    "is no longer necessary. Use +[OFLocale currentLocale] instead.");
 
 /**
  * @brief Adds a directory to scan for localizations.
  *
  * @param IRI The IRI to the directory to scan for localizations

Index: src/OFLocale.m
==================================================================
--- src/OFLocale.m
+++ src/OFLocale.m
@@ -21,10 +21,12 @@
 #import "OFArray.h"
 #import "OFDictionary.h"
 #import "OFIRI.h"
 #import "OFNumber.h"
 #import "OFString.h"
+
+#import "OFOnce.h"
 
 #import "OFInitializationFailedException.h"
 #import "OFInvalidArgumentException.h"
 #import "OFInvalidFormatException.h"
 #import "OFOpenItemFailedException.h"
@@ -35,12 +37,23 @@
 # include <proto/exec.h>
 # include <proto/locale.h>
 # undef Class
 #endif
 
+@interface OFLocale ()
+- (instancetype)of_init OF_METHOD_FAMILY(init);
+@end
+
+static OFOnceControl initLocaleControl = OFOnceControlInitValue;
 static OFLocale *currentLocale = nil;
 static OFDictionary *operatorPrecedences = nil;
+
+static void
+initLocale(void)
+{
+	currentLocale = [[OFLocale alloc] of_init];
+}
 
 #ifndef OF_AMIGAOS
 static void
 parseLocale(char *locale, OFStringEncoding *encoding,
     OFString **languageCode, OFString **countryCode)
@@ -310,14 +323,17 @@
 @synthesize languageCode = _languageCode, countryCode = _countryCode;
 @synthesize encoding = _encoding, decimalSeparator = _decimalSeparator;
 
 + (void)initialize
 {
+	void *pool;
 	OFNumber *one, *two, *three, *four;
 
 	if (self != [OFLocale class])
 		return;
+
+	pool = objc_autoreleasePoolPush();
 
 	/* 1 is also used to denote a unary operator. */
 	one = [OFNumber numberWithUnsignedInt: 1];
 	two = [OFNumber numberWithUnsignedInt: 2];
 	three = [OFNumber numberWithUnsignedInt: 3];
@@ -335,34 +351,46 @@
 	    @"&&", three,
 	    @"||", four,
 	    @"!", one,
 	    @"is_real", one,
 	    nil];
+
+	objc_autoreleasePoolPop(pool);
 }
 
 + (OFLocale *)currentLocale
 {
+	OFOnce(&initLocaleControl, initLocale);
+
 	return currentLocale;
 }
 
 + (OFString *)languageCode
 {
+	OFOnce(&initLocaleControl, initLocale);
+
 	return currentLocale.languageCode;
 }
 
 + (OFString *)countryCode
 {
+	OFOnce(&initLocaleControl, initLocale);
+
 	return currentLocale.countryCode;
 }
 
 + (OFStringEncoding)encoding
 {
+	OFOnce(&initLocaleControl, initLocale);
+
 	return currentLocale.encoding;
 }
 
 + (OFString *)decimalSeparator
 {
+	OFOnce(&initLocaleControl, initLocale);
+
 	return currentLocale.decimalSeparator;
 }
 
 + (void)addLocalizationDirectoryIRI: (OFIRI *)IRI
 {
@@ -369,20 +397,30 @@
 	[currentLocale addLocalizationDirectoryIRI: IRI];
 }
 
 - (instancetype)init
 {
+	/*
+	 * In the past, applications not using OFApplication were required to
+	 * create an instance of OFLocale manually. This is no longer needed
+	 * and +[currentLocale] creates the singleton. However, in order to not
+	 * break old applications, this method needs to just return the
+	 * singleton now.
+	 */
+	[self release];
+
+	return [OFLocale currentLocale];
+}
+
+- (instancetype)of_init
+{
 	self = [super init];
 
 	@try {
 #ifndef OF_AMIGAOS
 		char *locale, *messagesLocale = NULL;
 
-		if (currentLocale != nil)
-			@throw [OFInitializationFailedException
-			    exceptionWithClass: self.class];
-
 # ifdef OF_MSDOS
 		_encoding = OFStringEncodingCodepage437;
 # else
 		_encoding = OFStringEncodingUTF8;
 # endif
@@ -482,24 +520,14 @@
 	} @catch (id e) {
 		[self release];
 		@throw e;
 	}
 
-	currentLocale = self;
-
 	return self;
 }
 
-- (void)dealloc
-{
-	[_languageCode release];
-	[_countryCode release];
-	[_decimalSeparator release];
-	[_localizedStrings release];
-
-	[super dealloc];
-}
+OF_SINGLETON_METHODS
 
 - (void)addLocalizationDirectoryIRI: (OFIRI *)IRI
 {
 	void *pool;
 	OFIRI *mapIRI, *localizationIRI;