Duo now forces users to use AI
- worked before an update
Captured on . See reviews on the App Store
DuolingoReported repeatedly
People are interrupted mid-lesson by prompts they cannot close
3 people raised this across 3 weeks, on both iOS and Android.
iPhone and Android learners in the UK and United States, across three app versions.
In their own words
Neither app store gives a review a permanent public link, so each entry is a snapshot taken on the date shown and the link goes to the app's review listing.
Some ads cannot be closed after watching them
- described a workaround
Captured on . See reviews on the App Store
constant pings and dings slowing down the entire experience; spamming rewards
- about billing
- worked before an update
Captured on . See reviews on Google Play
What people do instead
- force close and restart the app
What you could do with this
These four are written from the reviews above. Everything else on this page is quoted or counted.
written
BUILD IT
Every interruption carries a close control, and it is tested.
See how3 points
- Treat an undismissable prompt as a release-blocking failure
- Give the close a hit area that survives a slow advertisement load
- Start with the ads reviewers say cannot be closed after watching
Why it might not workThe prompts that convert best are the hardest to dismiss, so the pressure runs against this.
written
START IT
Not a company. This is a policy question, not a product gap.
See how2 points
- A published test for whether an interruption can be dismissed
- Applied across apps rather than sold to one
Why it might not workNobody funds a standard that only costs its adopters revenue.
written
STUDY IT
Does an undismissable prompt change lesson completion?
See how2 points
- Compare completion when a prompt can be closed and when it cannot
- Separate the interruption's cost from the advertisement's
Why it might not workRunning this requires the app to deliberately ship the worse variant.
written
WRITE IT
Learning interrupted by the thing that sells you learning.
See how2 points
- Sit through a session and count what is asked of the learner
- Use the reviews about prompts that will not close
Why it might not workAdvertising criticism is everywhere; the narrow story is interruption inside a learning task.
Related challenges
Duolingo
People lose a daily streak when the lesson will not load
it also won't load kana or other character / writing lessons
Build itA lesson that is fully on the device before it starts.
Start itOffline-first practice for people with unreliable connections.
Study itDoes an outage break a learning habit, or only pause it?
Write itGamified learning that punishes you for its own outage.
Reported repeatedly
Duolingo
People who cancelled a trial were billed for the year anyway
just take hundreds of dollars off your card with no consent and no way to get it back
Build itA trial that names the charge date and the amount before it starts, and again before it lands.
Start itA subscription record kept outside whoever is selling the subscription.
Study itHow many people who believe they cancelled were still charged?
Write itThe week between cancelling and being charged for the year.
Early signal
Duolingo
People run out of energy before they finish two lessons
my app is broken and it's putting me at a huge disadvantage
Build itA free tier metered by time practised rather than by mistakes made.
Start itPractice software where the daily amount is fixed and paid for once.
Study itWhat happens to a practice habit when a meter sets the session length?
Write itThe lesson that stops in the middle of itself.
Early signal