Ling - Language Lessons 4+

Learning through Korean

I’m using this to learn Korean and so far it’s simple to understand and remember the words through its ways to teach. I haven’t walked through any problems so far and hope I don’t while using the app. I hope this can help other learners aside from me!

Please bring back the old version

Just a year ago, I rated this app 5 stars. 😭 As much as I used to love this app, I have to be honest. Ever since the update, the quality of the app has decreased dramatically for the following reasons:

1. In the previous version, you could take short exams for each vocabulary lesson which made reviewing what you learned easy. In the updated version, there is only one exam for an entire module. Not only is the said exam faulty (repeating the same questions twice or thrice) but also covers only a small portion of what you learned.

2. The option to take a short exam that covers everything you learned so far is no longer available. This was a separate exam from those in the vocabulary lessons and helps users test their memory and understanding of the language WHEN THEY’RE READY.

3. The speaking test keeps lagging. This has never happened to me before the update.

4. Nothing was really added to the app. I think a good use for an update would be to add more vocabulary lessons or activities instead of just changing the appearance of the app. Plus I miss the predominantly banana yellow that used to be the app’s trademark.

Overall, I think the app has become less user-friendly and unfortunately for me, I had just renewed my subscription right before the update and now, I feel like I wasted my money. 😭

Developer Response ,

Hi Poch! I’m saddened to hear that you had a negative experience with our app. I’m sorry that our app didn’t work well for you. I understand how frustrating it can be when an app doesn’t suit your preferences or doesn’t help you learn effectively. I understand why you like the previous version, and we are always listening to our customers to know what worked previously and what didn't, so this type of candid feedback really helps. We're always working hard to learn how to improve our app and make language learning more effective and fun with new options like various language games. I want to make sure that you have the best possible app for your learning style and level, and that you can learn in an interactive and enjoyable way. Please email me at support@ling-app.com if you have any suggestions or questions. I’d love to hear from you and help you in any way I can. Cheers! Nick

Method of teaching Cantonese is not really natural.

In Chinese, we don’t always have to say “one” (「一個」) every time we want to say “_a_ girl” or “_a_ boy” (「一個男仔」，「一個女仔」). We only need to say the word itself. “You are a girl” needs only be 「你係女仔」instead of 「你係一個女仔。」Adding the word for “one” makes it sound like emphasizing the fact that you are a girl.

Also, the speaking game? I saw the FAQ. Didn’t work for me. There is literally no way I can stop background apps on my phone, so I guess I'm stuck with no speaking exercises. Whatever; didn’t need those, and I’m sure I’ll just learn the proper pronunciation from Cantonese-as-a-first-language speakers, anyway.

Also, this app teaches you words in Cantonese that will probably sound kinda weird to natives. We don’t have to use 「二十」, we only have to use 「廿」.

Generally wonderful app, but has quite a few flaw as, both in functionality (the speaking game) and in native-like teaching of words.

Developer Response ,

Hi there! I’m glad that you generally enjoy the app, but I'm very sorry to hear that you had a negative experience with Ling, in some ways. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or frustration that it caused you.

I understand how disappointing it can be when an app doesn’t work as expected or doesn’t meet your needs. We’re always working hard to improve our app and make language learning fun and easy for everyone with various language games to help you along with way to the mastery of the lingo of your choice. With that being said, that is why we implemented an ! inside of a circle on most screens, so that you can tap on that and then tap on "Error Report." This is where you can tell us how we can do better, and we will share it with our language team to see if an update makes sense.

I want to make sure that you have the best possible experience with Ling and that you can learn any language you want in an enjoyable and effective way. Please email me at support@ling-app.com and tell me what we can do better, as we want to learn to provide a better customer experience. I appreciate your honest feedback, and I hope you’ll give us another chance to impress you. Cheers! Nick