Duolingo: Learn Languages: What Users Actually Complain About

Users express frustration with frequent, unannounced updates that disrupt their learning experience and progress.

“The new update is NOT motivating...I cannot get my daily exercises in since it changed.”

“Constant unannounced changes the leadership team places on its users...no real way to use this app without waiting long”

Issues with the app's gamification elements including streak systems, energy/heart mechanics, and reward structures.

“The gems, chests, "watch an ad to open another chest", and streak rewards with gems is a bit much.”

“I went on vacation...When I came back, I was back at day 0. I had completely lost my streak.”

Problems with the app's monetization including unwanted ads, subscription limitations, and paywalls on essential features.

“Bought Super so I could learn faster...Super not supposed to have ads, yet still getting ads for Super Family & Max.”

“many useful features, such as practicing past mistakes, have become off-limits, reserved for only those who pay”

Issues with course content quality, progression difficulty, and lack of proper explanations for grammar rules.

“there is no clarification or teaching on when to use the different forms of the words”

“The Arabic course leaves much to be desired...never even teaches the past tense of verbs, which is one of the most basic”

Bugs, crashes, and technical problems that disrupt the learning experience and cause data loss.

“It constantly freezes but the time keeps going so you don't successfully complete it. It will always take your voice inp”

“the program deleted several years of my hard work and changed me from approximately level 69 to level 26”

Problems with the app's voice recognition system and audio quality affecting the learning experience.

“it does not hear you properly whenever you pronounce the words back I'll say the same thing four or five times”

“The audio is not always understandable because either it is too quiet or something seems to slur the words together.”

Issues with how content is organized, user placement levels, and curriculum flow.

“Where I am in the new format is much different than the content I was studying...placed me back at expressing more basic”

“curriculum out of order...you are expected to know phrases and words you have not yet b”

Overly strict grading systems that penalize minor mistakes and provide unhelpful feedback.

“Sometimes it'll get you a problem entirely wrong for being one letter off on a single word...you shouldn't be given a lo”

“You are marked wrong for very nitpicky things...the things I most often get wrong are things that don't actually affect”