Returning to Duolingo After a Year: More Ads, Energy Limits, and a Switch to Gemini
A writer returning to Duolingo after a year found more ads, subscription prompts and energy limits, then switched to Gemini for German study.
The writer had previously used Duolingo daily and had a streak of more than 500 days. About a year before the report, the lessons felt redundant and the daily tasks repetitive, so the writer uninstalled the app. The report said the experience no longer felt like learning anything new.
On returning, the writer was asked to subscribe to Duolingo Super before checking previous progress. The app then promoted Brawl Stars, a Supercell game with a Duolingo collaboration, offering in-game rewards for completing Duolingo tasks. The writer said the goal was only to assess current German proficiency.
The app's energy system remains a constraint. The writer received 25 energy, enough for two to three lessons; mistakes cost more energy, and recharging required watching an ad or spending gems earned through lessons and challenges. The writer said previously 25 charges lasted at least five lessons, which fit a busy work schedule, but now three lessons without gems or ads was a good result.
Third-party ads can be avoided with workarounds, the report said, but Duolingo's in-house ads replace them, repeatedly urging upgrades to Super or Max. The writer tried a seven-day Super free trial. It allowed unlimited learning, but the app emphasized streaks and higher ranks, making gamification a priority over learning, according to the account.
After the trial ended, the writer returned to Gemini, citing Gemini Notebook and built-in presets. The writer has Gemini AI Plus through a Google One subscription. In Gemini, a user can ask for a study plan and provide goals and proficiency. The writer named a notebook Learn German, set it to Study and Learn, and used past chats about visiting Berlin and conversational German. The notebook filled with priorities and practice quizzes, and the writer could adjust difficulty or lesson amount through follow-up requests.
Gemini does not pressure daily study, according to the writer. The writer can choose when and how long to learn, sometimes skipping German entirely and other times studying for an hour. The report said there are no streaks or energy, so grammatical mistakes do not trigger anxiety or energy loss. The main drawbacks cited were that the user must build a curriculum and that Gemini is poor at voice lessons.