HelloTalk - Language Learning 9+

the absolute BEST app for language learners

when i tell you i NEVER write reviews i mean in my entire decade of using the App Store i have never felt strongly enough about any app to even consider writing a review but this app is honestly better than any app out there for language learning and i have used them ALL (the money costing ones too). it’s literally a form of social media for people who want to learn languages! like, i don’t know about anyone else but that is my dream come true. you can set it to show you people in your general age range too which is awesome because you’re socializing and talking about things that are relevant to you while also becoming more and more fluent in a language. i swear I’ve had the app under 24 hours now and i’ve learned more words than i think i’ve learned in total from other apps. even the actual lessons are interesting because they’re immersive and teaching words that you are interested to learn using scenarios you will actually find yourself in. and that is coming from someone who just listened to 20 minutes tops of lessons in a language i’d been putting off learning for years! and i DESPISE studying!
it seriously feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders especially now that i have something to do that isn’t frying my brain while i’m locked up in my house for quarantine. thank you so much to whoever thought up such a marvelous concept!

A Good Intro and Good in Theory

If you're looking to expose yourself to more native content or speakers in a language you're learning, this is a great place to start! But actually finding solid advice and explanations is much harder haha.

I'm learning English > Japanese so my experiences may not be universal among the community, but the user-base as a whole could stand to be far more critical when giving feedback. People will let small mistakes slip through and give learners a pass despite the fact that what they are saying IS incorrect, probably to try and seem polite. And I've seen more than a few people giving straight up WRONG advice- mostly non-native English speakers explaining English to others, but theres been a few native speakers who explain things poorly or give incorrect feedback as well. I think the moments feature is really hindered by the inability to edit comments or corrections after you send them, and the way comments are ordered under posts can be really confusing. The fact that you can't reply to a comment, only tag them in your own under the same post, is mind boggling, especially because they're in reverse chronological order. There's also no way to "downvote" other peoples corrections in those instances where they're giving the wrong advice, which can lead to misunderstanding and misinformation. You basically just have to take all the advice you get from this app with a grain of salt.

Developer Response ,

Greetings! We're glad you like HelloTalk and totally understand that it still needs more work. To help us further improve and give you additional support, please contact us via email (support@hellotalk.com )with your HelloTalk ID or email registered with your HelloTalk account and we'll be able to help you further.

The best app on the App Store in my opinion

If you are learning a language, this app is a MUST have. Not only will you learn the language that you’re studying faster than on any other app, but you’ll have fun in the process. You’ll forget you’re even learning a language it’s so much fun. Because of this app, I now not only know how to speak German near fluently, but I also have made some of the best friends I could ever ask for. Ultimately, that matters to me more than learning any language. I also mentioned this app during my college essay. This app helped me grow as a person and broadened the horizons for me in terms of new friendships, a curiosity to explore the world, wisdom and linguistic knowledge. The essay was recently returned with an acceptance letter. I owe it to Hello Talk. I was recommended this app by one of my classmates who was using it, and I decided to give it a try a few weeks later, without too much excitement. The days that followed were some of the most productive, fun and eye-opening of my life, I swear, this app is awesome. Even now, one of my best friends in Germany and I laugh about how boring life would’ve been had we not downloaded this app at the right time and had never even gotten to say “hallo” to each other for the first time hahahahahaha