The greatest language learning app the world has never seen

Let's start with some simple facts:

• 1 Billion people downloaded one of the top 5 language-learning apps

• Duolingo, at the top of the list, had 365 million $ in revenue and 4.2 million in paid subscriptions in 2022.

• Second/third Language acquisition has become accessible, possible, and even a desirable life goal for most people.

• In spite of all of that, most people don't achieve their learning goals, stop learning and never reach fluency.

• No one has ever learned a language to fluency using a learning language app.

The last one should hit hard. Product-wise, this is a huge market failure. How come there are so many apps out there, yet there is not even a single app that can get a learner from zero to fluency/conversational? Why in the age of decentralized and free education there is still a big gap between people's learning needs and the current solutions?

As always, a lot of questions with few answers, though one thing is certain:

The language apps world is begging for disruption.

Before I would share my vision for this imaginary ideal app, I would like to divide learning language apps into 3 categories:

1. The Classics - This is how the majority of us learn a language (Duolingo, Babbel, etc). The hard truth is that they don't work, and every serious user will tell you the same. Also, since gamification took over "the classics" people are fighting for badges and leagues instead of focusing on the actual learning. You might say this these apps are helping a little bit so it's better than nothing. However, I think that these apps get people into a vicious cycle of unsuccessful learning that leaves them frustrated and skeptical about the possibility of learning a new language.

2. The Specific - Flashcards and spaced repetition apps belong to this category. It's the kind of app that helps you learn or improve a very specific aspect of a language, sometimes only for one language (e.g learning how to write Chinese characters). These apps might be useful, but the common problem is that isolating a language skill is not an easy task to do. This results in a lot of bad apps, and a few that are good but can only be integrated with other learning routines.

3. The Advanced - Language exchange apps and online classes are the types of apps that can be super useful but are usually either too expensive or too tiring to be used exclusively. In addition to that, there are mainly relevant for a certain level of language competence.

So how do people learn a language today? What most people do today is mainly switch from one learning source to another, learn a little from songs, a little from movies, and a little from this app, until finally, they manage to break some sort of glass ceiling and reach a good conversational level, an intermediate level (B1-B2) that allows them to communicate in the language in a relatively wide variety of subjects and fields. From level B1 you can already start using language exchange websites and private lessons more widely. Also, this is the stage where any content in the language - YouTube channels, books, podcasts, etc., become a quality learning resource. Therefore, the most significant challenge will actually be to reach this medium level and break the glass ceiling and the language barrier.

This process varies from person to person, and polyglots around the world have perfected different methods and techniques that help them to get over these stages faster, but the general rule stays the same.

The Lingo Franca Dream App

We need an app that takes learners from zero to B2 (basic fluency). this is my secret recipe:

My ideal learning app should be an app so good that learning will come naturally and spontaneously. The app must create an engaging and immersive environment, rich in native content, in which the user interacts, do tasks, solve riddles and experience a variety of language uses in a super high volume and intensity. This shouldn't feel like "studying", it should feel like discovering a new place, grabbing a drink with an old friend, playing a game, and learning through interest. Heck, it should feel like LIFE.

Don't get me wrong, this thing will not be easy. meaningful language learning is not easy. But I believe that with the current progression in AI, virtual reality, language understanding, and other technologies we can create an engaging world where users are sweating out of cognitive effort, relentlessly pushing their language boundaries all while staying curious, active, happy, and with the wish to come back at it the next day.