Name: HelloTalk - Language Learning
Rating: 4.62022 (37556 reviews)

User Reviews for HelloTalk - Language Learning

4.62 out of 5

37.6K Ratings

4 years ago, madeline (@halycons_)

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!

3 years ago, Leigha Babineau

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.

4 years ago, Pewdie111

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

7 years ago, DommiArt

Overall good!

I have used this app for over two years now. I think this app is a great idea, and overall implemented very well. I use Hellotalk to practice Japanese, and find that overall people are courteous and honestly want to learn. I quite like the Moments function, and in my experience people use it to share pictures of where they live, or ask many people for language corrections, which is great. Now, there are many superfluous posts like “ Please teach me English!!!”, but I think it is a small price to pay. I do wish that Moments allowed for video posting, though. Many times there are short clips of concerts or scenery that I would love to share with people. As for sexual harassment, whenever it has happened, it is generally handled quickly in my experience. However, I do know of a few notorious people that keep rejoining the app despite being blocked many times. There is not much that can be done for those people, but hopefully they will learn someday. There are some people that are more interested in finding a foreign girlfriend/ boyfriend, but it is easy to find these people and kindly decline or misdirect them. I have had this issue on an off, but sometimes my app will show unread messages, but I cannot see them. Before I would have to delete and redownload to fix it, but as of today when it did it I was able to fix it by closing and reopening the app. It isn’t a huge inconvenience, but a bit annoying at times.

3 years ago, 14911776

Absolutely amazing

I’ve used pretty much every language method, tool, and book out there, and while some have been very good, none compare with HelloTalk. I joined ten days ago and think I’ve spent more hours studying than in the previous two months. For example, I’ve already done six hours of zoom chats, when until now I’ve only done an hour a week because tutoring is so expensive. And the only reason I haven’t done more is because I joined right before Christmas and got busy for a few days. Part of the reason the app works is that people keep talking to you. It’s too easy to put an ebook or Anki or LingQ or whatever on your phone and promptly forget it exists. I was concerned when I joined that there might be a lot of creeps and weirdos using it as a dating site, but out of 217 people that have visited my profile (in ten days!) only two were obnoxious and their accounts got deleted soon after, so HelloTalk is doing a really good job keeping it clean. You’re basically guaranteed to find at least a handful of normal people you hit it off with and talk to regularly. If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m really impressed with the app and can’t recommend it highly enough.

5 years ago, bodhizinka

Best language app for learning Russian and Mandarin Chinese

I can not say enough good things about this app, especially as it applies to Russian and Chinese (which is rare in terms of language apps). I really think it’s the best thing for language immersion next to actually living in a different culture. Hellotalk actually makes me motivated to practice everyday without noticing I’m doing some really hardcore studying. The social media platform, group audio chats, voice recording so I can hear myself and native speakers talk, watch live classes, high quality lessons, and the ease at which you can look up words and grammar HelloTalk has improved my language skills more than four years of college classes... Plus I have made some very meaningful friendships through the app. Suggestions: please allow photos in comments; if possible allow for opening comments, photos and translator while doing audio recordings; and improve navigation to messages and notifications (after looking at mine or browsing other moments and users’ pages, I always have to hit the back button a hundred times to get back to messages and lessons... am I missing something on that?) Hope this review helps.

4 months ago, Player247577

Banned for no reason, beware, China app

Horrible app, super biased, based in China and censor you for saying anything “wrong.” I made a post asking people what they think of my favorite dance group Shen Yun. HelloTalk accused me of promoting religion and banned me for life. I didn’t even know Shen Yun practiced some random unusual religion, I just made a post about the dance itself not anything religious at all. Hello talk kept sending automated messages to explain why I’m banned and I had to do all this research to understand why. HelloTalk refuses to give my account back when I tried to explain that I did f know the dance group was religious and even if it is why does it matter? They didn’t even give me a warning. I’ve never “violated” anything in the 4 years of having this app and now, I’m banned for life for “promoting religion.” Again, didn’t you can mention anything about it, wasn’t aware that Shen Yun practiced something called “Falun Dafa.?” Never heard of it. Apparently Shen Yun is banned in China and the app being based in China doesn’t like it when you mention anything against there communist agenda. Stay away unless you want to be banned for the most unreasonable reason. Lots of other people have been banned as well for saying anything China doesn’t like. Not sure why this app is advertised in USA App Store if HelloTalk has no tolerance for anything different. Also it seems they keep mysteriously removing this revtas well

5 years ago, MoOnLiGhTsUn7511

Love it

I love it no complaint it’s not anything bad but I would like some help because I had this app a while ago and I deleted because I wanted to get another app and then now I remembered about it so I installed it and tried signing in but I couldn’t because I didn’t remember the password , so I decided to create another one ... I tried and it said that you can only make one account on each device . So the problem with that is that I don’t know how to make a new email to use , so I want to ask if you could help me get rid of the other account with my email so I could create the new one , or help me find my password because I tried the thing that said “ forgot password?” , Or something like that and it wouldn’t send me an email ( now that I realize maybe it is because I don’t have the mail app ) and said that it was non registered . So that’s it it is a great app overall . UPDATE: Ok so I downloaded the mail app and it still didn’t work which I know feel like I was being dum about that so my only thug is that if you could erase my previous account. But I am blaming myself because I don’t remember it and apparently my only email doesn’t work .

3 years ago, Wolfman 2020

Another China based app company asking copy of your ID!!!!

Read the privacy policy and data processing before using this app!!! I have been using this app for awhile. Yesterday I got a message from HT team saying my account is suspended because someone complained about me. They are asking send them a document to show my identity. My question to HT is what proof you have from that person who complains about me so that you suspend me sending message? Why would I share my Id with you while I did not do anything wrong? If you look are my moments I havent post anything that is not related to the language and grammer. Can you please check if I had any message exchange with the person who complained about me? You can do that right. If that is a person who complained about me had exchange messages me would you please ask the person reveal the messages to see if anything wrong? Or just check the messages if there is any between us. I give you the permission. It is ridiculous the way you process this. If you are really concern about the members identity then ask everyone provide the ID when while joining the app. Also can you please check everyone's id in this app because it is also my concern now that your app is full of trolls and fake ppl, criminals, hackers. How will you deal with that now???? I will also complain about your improper practice to App store.

2 years ago, Wikisz

Another developer blinded by greed

Hopefully this app will see a mass exodus of its users since its developers, blinded by greed, have decided to add pay-walls on what used to be freely available features. It makes me not want to reward that kind of money-grabbing behavior by buying another 1year pro membership. It feels like a feature is taken away with each update I am forced to make. Previously I was rewarded a pro membership for a month but none of the pro features worked. TRANSLITERATION worked fine for me before and now doesn't work most of the time (it comes up blank or is in the wrong language. I feel cheated and it seems like it's a sneaky ploy to make you pay to upgrade. I've been using this app since day one and have used it on a Note2, LG G3, S6 (all with some glitches) and had high hopes for it on my iPhone 10. It would be great if you could add two languages spoken without paying extra. I would be helping more people at least and surely that's a positive. I have improved greatly in my Spanish and Portuguese partly due to this app so I continue to recommend it to people but I have not had one person start a conversation since paying for the VIP subscription. This is bizarre as I did when I was an ordinary member.

7 years ago, Iheartthisappsofreakinmuch

My favorite app!

I have been a member on this app since 2014 and I honestly have not gotten bored or tired of it. It still continues to be a fun and interactive way to learn languages. I love the new features added with every update. This app seriously has come a long way from when I first became a member. You learn a language through a sort of social media platform, where you post statuses similar to Facebook or twitter, but with the added bonus that native speakers actually get to read and correct your texts, and you can help out as well by doing the same with people learning your language. I have met so many fun and intelligent people on this apps from so many countries, and I love hearing their ideas and sharing each other’s cultures. It’s exciting getting a message from someone and engaging in a fun conversation with them. Sure, it has its downsides. Like for example, may girls report getting harassed, but in all honestly, you choose who you want to talk to and who you don’t want to talk to. Anyone can easily be blocked. Anyway, I really love this app and I thank its developers for making learning languages fun!

5 years ago, Scrapples-the-coo

Network errors and issues but otherwise great app

Love the potential of the app and met some really good people however as of late I have been getting frequent crashes and apparently some people (not all) had been able to contact me for about 30 days and thought I was disconnected. As of today constant network errors (really bad since the last update) until finally I was considered completely disconnected and unable to do anything despite getting a few messages in return yet unable to send or view any myself (but could still see the message previews on the iphone home screen). Now having tried clearing cache and doing all the network stuff on my end, I decided to try reinstalling (after hard copying the ids of friends should I need to create a whole new account). Now I cannot log into Hellotalk as it seems my password was entered incorrectly too many times even though I just reset it once. I’ll see what happens after the needed 24 hour wait period to try again. It’s a shame as I loved helping others learn, meeting people from other countries, and sharing culture. Edit: thanks Hellotalk team, the issues were solved and thank you for the timely responses

12 months ago, OpenStarRunner

Ignore the other reviews

Other people writing reviews on here (especially if you look at the most recent ones) are being unreasonable. It’s not HelloTalks fault that other idiots in the voice rooms say things that upset you… just block or report them, ITS NOT THAT HARD! Every good app like this is gonna have people who use it as a dating app… so I recommend just block people that you don’t wanna talk to. I have had people make more accounts after I blocked them, but just keep blocking them. Also using a profile picture of your face is a bad idea because if you aren’t looking for attention this is a bad way to stop it. HelloTalk is a wonderful and more than helpful app and people need to realize that it’s not HelloTalks fault. Please stop leaving bad ratings when it’s not their fault! Another thing you should note is while you may have great friends on the app, they may not last too long so don’t get to upset, and don’t let it discourage you from making new friends! 🫶🏻

3 years ago, kcraft73

This app is amazing - the users can be overwhelming

The features of this app are incredible. It has everything you need in one place to communicate with someone who speaks another language, and to practice speaking another language. I love the translate feature which can translate an audio recording into text of its native language, and then provide a translation into an alternative language. You can check sentences you’ve typed through a translator to make sure you said what you thought you said. It’s incredible. I took one star off because of issues with users. The app does not have an easy way to change my profile settings to avoid this problem. I am a 47 year old married woman. I am overwhelmed by the number of men from other countries who reach out. You can’t reply to them all, but of the handful I did reply to, 90% try to get romantic and they do it fast. Uggh! Two have told me they are looking for true love - which apparently only exists in The US with a woman who barely speaks their native language. If you can find a good partner - this app is amazing and totally worth it.

2 weeks ago, Miloburrito

Just a weird vibe

So I got this app to help me learn a new language because many ppl said it would help me. so I get in at first it was really easy to make an account but then when I went to go like finish my account, it was asking me weird questions that app shouldn’t be asking and I remember that one of them was what was my blood type. I thought it was a little weird, but like I didn’t think anything of it, and I didn’t fill it out when I went to go talk with people first of all it’s really annoying how much you have to pay and like the free version just isn’t even fun. so I start talking to this girl that was my age. You’re hitting off really well and then I go onto another app and I’m just like looking on the app waiting for like respond to me until I realize that my microphone is being used. The good thing about Apple is that it shows you when your microphone is being used so I was really weirded out when the only other app that I had opened was this app. mind you this app literally never asked me if they could have access to my microphone so that was when I immediately went to go delete the app. I had a really bad experience. I don’t know if anyone else at this experience overall I don’t think this app is safe.

4 months ago, GodzillaToons

HelloTalk doesn’t allow freedom of religion

I didn’t get HelloTalk so that I could convert people. I only had my religion (Latter-Day Saint) mentioned once in my description. The only time I ever told someone about it, was after I asked them if they wanted to hear about how the whole religion started. I never planned on condemning others because of their beliefs, you do whatever works for you. I wasn’t condemning my language partner (who’ll go unnamed for privacy reasons). We weren’t arguing over religion at all! My language partner was the only person I ever explained further (slightly) on how the church was founded. I told no one else a single thing about it. I only put that I was a Latter-Day Saint in my description because I hoped it would be a simple conversation starter. Not necessarily to convert or condemn others! Someone could only want to find other members of their religion, and put their religion in the description to hopefully do so, but then get banned from their account! I think HelloTalk needs to do a massive overhaul on how they ban people, like actually looking at what said person even said and did, and not just assuming that someone isn’t being a troll! And don’t think I didn’t try to get unbanned, I tried. They said no in the email.

4 years ago, Juanita119

Fantastic! Wish I could give it 10 stars!

This app has completely changed my motivation for practicing Spanish. I’ve always wanted to learn to speak and dreamed of having fluent conversations in Spanish. But it is intimidating to speak with people when you are first learning the language. This app covers literally everything you could want when learning a language. 1). Real people. You are having conversations with real people from all over the world who want to practice with you and will help you learn...no matter what level you are. 2). Texting. At first, it can be a bit scary to just hope on and try your hand at speaking. You don’t have to. You can spend time texting with people and creating “moments” were people can correct mistakes and guide you through the process. Plus, you get to read so many posts and chats in the language you want to learn that you get used to doing it and become more comfortable. 3) Audio messages. Still worried about having a tough time conversing? Don’t because you can ease into it by just recording audio and leaving it up. You can talk to other people or in the moments. You can also use this feature to ask others how to pronounce words/phrases. Brilliant tool! 4) Call people! You can make friends from all over the world and practice your English practically any time you want. This app is one of the best apps I have ever used. I absolutely recommend it for anyone learning a new language.

5 years ago, Farsome

Anti-American, Anti-LGBT

First, I am a paid VIP member of HelloTalk, and am very experienced with this platform. This app’s high rating causes me to question who’s doing the rating and how the ratings are compiled and/or manipulated. The fact of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of users are from parts of the world which view the US negatively. Thus, slurs against Americans are commonplace, and —from my experience — administrators do nothing to remove or even discourage anti-American posts. It should be noted that I never once saw a US user use any language even remotely approaching an ethnic slur against anyone. Worse yet is the harassment aimed at those who identify as LGBT in their profiles. Other users can say what they want — both in public and private chats — and they go unpunished. LGBT users, however, can have their account suspended for any reason, based simply on a false report from a homophobic user who suddenly realizes they’re talking to a gay person. Appeals to administrators are either ignored, meet with insensitivity, or result in further harassment. Perhaps this app simply reflects the attitude of the country where the owners are based, and I am projecting my values onto them. But I feel my values are shared by many others in the western world, and that potential HelloTalk users should be forewarned.

6 years ago, An Eckename

Get this app NOW

This app is so totally awesome ❤️❤️❤️!!! Finally a new way to learn languages that isn’t just taking boring classes... It’s a perfect modern way to learn languages, cultures and make friends from all over the world 🌎 I’m learning Japanese on this app and now I have tons of friends from Japan and other countries,( I’ve been really good friends with a girl from Ageria, and a boy from the U.S too ever since I started this app ) It’s amazing being able to talk to people your age from all over the world about your hobies, and even help each other with their school work😂, and it doesn’t matter what language you speak ! The translation function on this app is super accurate👍. Also, I really enjoy the fact this app is very secure and you don’t have to worry about cyber bullying or harassment or inappropriate language or anything! Seriously, this is my favorite app ever... I learnt so many things about the Japanese language and their culture ( one girl even thought me how to make Mochi cookies😋) Thank you sooooo much HelloTalk !!!!!!

3 months ago, 想太多王

I wouldn’t recommend this app

If you’re serious about learning a language, I wouldn’t bother with this. To me it seems like most people just want to treat this app like any other social media app and post photos, complain about their relationships, and ask about things that have nothing to do with learning their target language. I’ve seen a ton of posts (“moments”) that just don’t get corrected. Very few people actually seem interested in learning. I often see non-native English speakers correcting English posts as well, and native speakers of other languages posting in their native language instead of their target language. When posting in a target language that’s not English, people will often respond in English, as if they’ve forgotten what the app is for, and how communication works in general. They’ve even added a feature like TikTok or Instagram live, but it’s not being used in any way related to language exchange. And don’t even ask about where their lesson content comes from. Some of it sounds very familiar even though they don’t have any agreements with any other company or language platform.

5 years ago, Jazie797

Great app :)

Overall it’s great and, as with everything, there are pros and cons. Pro: This app is an amazing way to practice the #1 language that you’ve been learning even if you already have people around who speak it. Though it can be difficult to find people who will stick with you for the long haul, you can meet some pretty incredible people! There are so many different countries represented that you’ll even be able to learn about many different accents and cultures in your new language. Con: The con is that you should probably be close to the intermediate level before joining. I’ve learned that this is not a place to find teachers as a novice, but a place to practice what you’ve already learned. There will most likely be times when your partner doesn’t know how to express themselves in your language, so you have to have a basic understanding in order to get the general idea of what they’re saying. The translator is great, but sometimes it makes no sense.

4 years ago, Katieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeq

Great potential… too many creeps

I downloaded this app per a recommendation from my Spanish professor. The first message I received immediately commented on my appearance. Unfortunately, this was a common occurrence. I felt so harassed that I changed my profile picture multiple times in an attempt to stop people from commenting on it. Unfortunately this did not stop the comments, and I decided to delete the app after only having it for 2 days. Additionally, I was extremely overwhelmed by the number of people messaging me; at the time that I deleted the app, I had 67 unread messages. The tools that this app provides are awesome, and they would be a great tool to practice my Spanish, however I cannot being myself to use an app that makes me feel ashamed just for using a photo of my face as my profile picture. One of the top rules of the app are that it is not to be used as a dating app, but there is no way to stop people from using it in such a way. One message I received said “I like women from the USA, they’re pretty like you.” I wish I could take advantage of the resources on this app, but there needs to be changes before I can bring myself to download it again.

6 years ago, Damikesta

They do not tell you how to cancel your VIP subscription

My review of HelloTalk would be good, but their is a big issue that makes any of its benefits useless. I purchased a VIP subscription, because unless you already know the language you are studying well you will struggle. The VIP subscription is very useful with many cool features. The problem is that I want to cancel my VIP subscription, but keep my account. My goal of learning Spanish is going to have to wait for a few months. I am in college and at the moment getting into medical school requires all of my attention. Anyways, I tried to cancel my subscription to HelloTalk, but there is no way to cancel it inside the app itself. After doing a google search I figured out that you have to cancel the auto renewal in iTunes that apparently is automatically selected when you purchase the subscription. (Pretty convenient for them). The problem is when I view my subscription in iTunes, HelloTalk does not show up. I looked on reddit, Apple support etc. if HelloTalk had a customer support number I could call it would be great, but it seems like they do not. I canceled my Netflix subscription via iTunes with no issues. So why is this App any different. VERY DISHONEST!!!!!

5 years ago, That Disney lover Kwaii

Maybe an accident??

I love this app, it’s very helpful and makes me want to learn. You meet other people who make you feel better about learning a language. I’m in my younger years so I get help from people closer to my age group. It makes me more comfortable to talk to people my age, I’m glad that you can be any age and not have any restrictions. But here’s the problem! A notice keeps coming up on my screen to tell me dating is not allowed. I’m not talking to anyone sexually, I’m using the app for what it’s meant to be. It annoys me that it comes up so many times when I’m not doing anything wrong! I also help people learn my native language English, but when I try to message people it comes back it interrupts me from chatting. It probably makes the other people think I’m leaving them on read. It’s confusing. I didn’t know if it’s meant to be there just to tell me, or if is accidental. OR if it thinks I’m really doing something wrong! Please help!

6 years ago, Tundras21

Developer changes features without giving warning

I have been using HelloTalk for a few years now. At first, I only used the features for one-on-one conversations, but last year (in May) I started to use the public feed every day in order to post a daily journal and get feedback. I didn't know, though, that these posts were being filtered by the HelloTalk system. There have been a handful of time when my posts were blocked because of, in my opinion, overprotective measures. More recently, though, I learned that they're also filtering the photos that can be posted with the writing. They've apparently decided that selfies are somehow at war with language learning, so these are blocked from the public feed. I skyped with a friend a few days ago, took a screenshot of us chatting and posted that along with my daily journal, and apparently the filter thought it was a selfie, so it was also blocked. I have been a paying subscriber to their app and a very active user, but when these changes were made, I was not made aware of them, nor did I even get a pop-up or something to be notified when my post was blocked/caught in the filter. I am currently very disappointed by the developers.

2 years ago, ajrt2118

SOLVED: “Feature Not Available in your Area” Makes app unusable

Edit: I was able to get in touch with customer support and they were very quick to resolve the problem once they saw my ticket. Note to self and others, don’t use a VPN when using the app to prevent any confusion. I can’t wait to use it this weekend and continue my language journey and conversation practice! ….. I’ve been getting this error message for two days now. I’ve tried to contact support via email, Twitter, and the app and haven’t heard anything. I’m in the US and even allowed the app to track my exact location. Deleted and uninstalled the app as well. It was working a few days ago which is what makes me sad since I really enjoyed the live event I attended and loved that there were live captions in my target language. But this app is now unusable and I can’t figure out why or get help from app support. I haven’t even been able to find any support forums online to help me troubleshoot this further.

1 year ago, Phantomg007

Used to be an amazing app

This app used to be really good, but with their updated policies this app is become communist and really really stupid. You have to be careful what you talk about anymore or you could end up getting kicked out. For example, you can’t say anything about China and you can’t say anything about religion you can’t say anything about politics. Even if it has to do with culture or anything else. These three things are part of culture and sometimes are subject of conversation. As a broadcaster sometimes I like to use the Bible as a form of teaching English because it is a perfect form of English. But when someone doesn’t like it, they decide to report it then all of a sudden you get notified that you’re talking about religion, and threaten to be kicked out. if people don’t wanna talk about it, all they have to do is leave and move on not use the admin as a tool to try to get you kicked out. We should have the freedom to talk about whatever we want to and if somebody uses threats or violence, then that’s a crowns to be picked out but not just because the subject was talk about.

11 months ago, MakeupByNatali

Poor Customer Service and Unjust Treatment

Update: I’ve changed my rating from 2 to 1. To add insult to injury, my account was falsely reported and it resulted in having my voiceroom privileges taken away. I host a popular voiceroom for English practice and all I do on this app is try to teach and help people and I’m met with further injustice. Also, don’t promote or mention any other social media platforms on your page or you’ll have posts taken down and be threatened to be removed from the app altogether. It is the only platform that does this and it just forces people to use other apps instead. HelloTalk keeps getting worse. I was a teacher and user of the app and voiced suggestions on how to better teacher experience as well as made complaints about the poor customer service that I had received and I was removed from the live teachers chat and from having my classes promoted. The Customer Service team including Judy, Fay in Payments, and HelloTalk support contributed to this unjust treatment and have done nothing to rectify it. They have proven that they are more concerned about making money than the teachers and users that make the app what it is.

5 months ago, Rosyposy109

Practice with natives for FREE!

HelloTalk has been a game changer for my Spanish learning. I have the opportunity to practice with natives every day without spending any money. Whether by listening and speaking in Voicerooms, or doing calls with Spanish friends I have made on the app, I get more practice here than any other way. Learning a language can be very expensive, and I love that HT is very user friendly for those who are not paid subscribers. There are a few features that only paid subscribers can access, but overall the experience if quite nice in the free version. That means a lot when every app and program usually requires a portion of your paycheck. There are some strange people on the app, and I know some people have had bad experiences. For myself, I’ve gotten lucky and made many good friends. There is a block option if you are having trouble with one person in particular, and you can also set your profile so only people of your gender can see it. I did this, and it cut out the DMs from people looking for a “relationship”. Overall this app has been my best find in my learning journey, and I highly recommend it. If you have the extra money, the premium version would be a good investment too. But be assured, you don’t need to spend any money to learn in this app.

3 years ago, RockStarKmm

IDK 🤷‍♀️

I have been using the app for only about 4 days now, and I don’t feel comfortable on the app and I’m not sure why. It may just be me but I am trusting my gut and logging out of account and also deleting it off my phone. Overall, it is amazing for language learning and actually pretty safe! There isn’t lot of learning material to study from but lots of people you can chat with! I was very overwhelmed by the amount of people trying to chat with me which is amazing but it started interfering with my day to day life and I had it for less than a week 😂 One person on the app did make me feel very uncomfortable when I chatted with them and I think that’s one of the main reasons I deleted it. You can report those people, turn of their message notifications, and even remove them or block them. I definitely don’t discourage using the app but just be careful and safe as you should be on every other social media or messaging platform!

5 years ago, Kaps07

It’s so good!

So the thing is that since you’re talking to actual people you’re forced into learning practical speech and things that you’d actually say all the time, which is absolutely not a bad thing. Any anyways it’s much more fun talking to an actual person. When you sign up you have to give your birthday and I’m pretty sure it’s because all of the people you end up talking to are around the same age as you (assuming you don’t lie about your birthday), which makes talking about pop culture and things you like to do a lot easier since it’s much more likely you’d have something in common with some one the same age as you than some 20 years older than you. It also makes making friends around the globe na lot easier in general (even for someone who isn’t very sociable like me). Everyone I’ve talked to was super excited to try to improve my language skills.

3 years ago, Jr198283

Don’t waste your time

I have been using the app strictly to help English learners and I posted videos to help people with their English and they suspended my account. I’ve been following the rules and even pay for a VIP subscription. This also happened to a friend of mine who paid for the VIP subscription. I think HELLOTALK is just out for people’s money. So disappointed, all I wanted to do was help people with their English, I do it completely for free and this is how I’m treated. Added to the developer response: Again, don’t waste your time, why pay for a VIP subscription if you’re only limited to post a moment once or twice a week. Maybe, instead of suspending an account remove the post like how YouTube/Facebook/Instagram does. It’s not fair to people who pay for a subscription and is following the rules. Basically, you’re saying someone can ask people to report a person and they can target that person and you’ll suspend the reported account. Please do more investigating before suspending an account, posting three different helpful videos within 24 hours shouldn’t make someone’s account be suspended.

4 years ago, angela roatch

Overall good, but some fixing up!

I think the app is great and all but I don’t like how we have limits of translations, I don’t need you to fix it I would just appreciate that you would. So I say the game is 4 stars and I know some users may disagree with me, and that’s okay! I don’t really mind anything else. But I feel like what if you met someone and you forgot that this is a learning app not a social app, this is not a complaint I was just thinking that there is some users, for example my sister she has hello talk and she has a Friend that she made in the app and she doesn’t really seem to be learning anything by her friend. I am just pointing out that there is users who do that! I don’t mind if they do it’s just that if this is a learning app why are they just talking and not teaching each other. If you users disagree that’s okay, we all have different opinions for all kinds of things! Anyways have a good one!

7 years ago, Cole0800

Must have but needs some tweaks

I have had this app for almost two years, it is amazing for meeting people who genuinely want to learn. Yes as most other apps with a social aspect there are some problems when people decide to get on the inappropriate side, however the Hellotalk team has been amazing with blocking, and removing people that you report. Really I have made some amazing international friendships from this app that not only allows you to learn your target language, but to also exchange culture as well! Mostly everyone I have talked to on here is glad to help and we all are learners so nobody can judge! I love this app. The only problem i and others have is that the software needs updating, it loads slow and recently it has been showing notifications for messages but mot loading said messages. Please fix!! The app can be slow at times, if these can be fixed i will definitely continue to spread the word on this app!

7 years ago, QBsince1933

A must have for language learners!

HelloTalk is probably the best language learning app you could download. I use it everyday and have learned so much Spanish because of it. One of the best features is the wall of moments (this is a feature Tandum doesn’t have as of no), which I’ve used to ask questions to the HelloTalk community about grammar, vocab, and to post advice and lessons about English. The correction feature is also great and I like how you can save the corrections people give you. In the past year I’ve visited Mexico, Spain, Peru, Chile and Argentina, and I was able to meet up with friends I met on HelloTalk while I was there! My only critique would be I wish you could make video calls without having to pay for the premium versoin (this is something you can do in Tandem). Nevertheless, I’ve literally recommended HelloTalk to anyone I’ve met trying to learn a language. It’s a must.

2 years ago, Gusher1334

Issa no

Honestly worst app for language learning. I’m never able to find a language partner but people love texting me because I’m american to help them learn English but won’t help me learn my desired language ( Spanish ) . This app is treated like a dating app from the masses and most of the time texting people to learn language exchange never go anywhere, I have to text first and if I don’t keep the convo a float the ship is sinking. This will be my last and final time downloading this app. Luckily I met a few people who would actually help me learn Spanish but besides that I would rather just self-educate and use the few resources I have such as friends. This app for Americans is not fair game your pretty much used as a teach to others and it’s not reciprocated in most cases in my opinion for the language learning experience. This is pretty much just an online dating app just be honest… finding a language partner is like finding a diamond in a pile of rocks. If you actually wanna grow language wise and not be up stagnant in your language learning I wouldn’t recommend.

3 years ago, Rose.01

Super fun & engaging app! :D

This app is super fun! It’s basically social media for learning a language. I have the free version and have already gotten so much out of it. Imagine it working like a more academic-focused version of instagram: you can “follow” people/have “friends”, make posts, see what other people post (but you can see anyone’s posts, not just the people you follow), etc. You are able to see when native speakers of the language you want to learn are on the app and can message people to practice speaking each other’s languages. You also have the option to choose who is able to contact you. For example, I set my account so that only other females who are in my age range are able to contact me. I’ve been able to learn a lot through using this app and have made a couple friends! Highly recommend!

10 months ago, Jay Parcelewicz

Great language app, meet cool people!

So I used HelloTalk to help me learn Japanese my first three semesters of college. It’s amazing at what it does and sometimes what it accidentally does. It’s crazy how easy it is to meet people and just start talking. This app truly has a global reach. Also, I’ve ended up making real friendships on this app that are going to last me past my use for it. I’m really appreciative of the developers for connecting people like this. It truly makes the world a smaller place. I’ve used the app both as a normal and premium member. From what I can tell, this app has alot of people working on it so that probably justifies all the adds and constant pushing for you to buy premium. I would say that premium is worth the 80 dollars but I would also ask the developers to tone down the sales pitch for it.

5 months ago, Pesnu

It’s 50/50

I don’t totally hate this app. I’ve had it for a few days and have already found a good group of friends who will teach me Korean in a very light hearted, friendly manor. Which I’m thankful for. My biggest issue is the 90 minute time limit on the voice room. And once your 90 minutes is up, you have to wait 12 or 24 hours (I forgot which) to join another voice room. When you find a nice group to chat with, time flies by so easily and you’ll be mid conversation when all of a sudden you’re kicked from the room. My second biggest issue is the pricing for vip. ~9-12 dollars a month is just over too expensive. The benefits of vip are immense and very tempting. However, I’m sure there are more people out there (talking about the whole world here) that would definitely pay the monthly fee if it were just a bit cheaper. And in the end the profits would likely come out to being the same. My solution, and I hope you take this into consideration, is to lower the monthly price (not raise the discount percentage. The actual price) and give non-vip people an optional 2-3 60 second ads that can let people continue to chat even after the 90 minutes. Perhaps 30-45 minutes. That way you’re receiving revenue while users are able to continue to chat with friends pay free. Personally, if the monthly payment was 5-6 dollars, I would buy it

2 years ago, MasterTaco

Disturbing number of ads

I loved this app for a couple of months and then I noticed that I was getting increasing amounts of ads. I couldn’t turn off the notifications so I always thought I was getting messages from people but it was just hellotalk harassing me constantly. I have never been so irritated by an app. I turned off notifications so I could get some peace but then I started missing messages from friends. I told all my friends to start messaging me on another app because this one was too annoying and many of them agreed that the app has become impossible to use. I’ve never written a review in my life but I just had to say something. I will give this app another chance maybe in a year to see if it has improved but I’m deleting it for now. Also if you are considering tandem it had less ads for a long time but lately it has become almost as bad as hellotalk. It started out so well, it’s a shame they had to get greedy. It’s like AOL all over again.

3 years ago, InuChan0523

Good for practicing with native speakers

It looks like the app expanded and added courses and games you can do in-app. That being said, I don't see how one can justify a $150 USD lifetime subscription for basically a social media app without including the courses and games with that pricing. The price basically allows you to search for people nearby, unlimited translations (you can copy and paste outside the app so this is not really a perk), make more phone calls (again, you can do this outside the app with other options). All in all, aside from getting rid of apps that take up a good chunk of the timeline feed, I don't see how else $150 justifies the few benefits aside from saying "thank you" to the developers. From what I can tell, it looks like the courses provided through the app are all third-party companies and those are charged separately from the subscription options.

1 year ago, Austinjb8

I used to like it

This app used to be great, but the amount of censorship and restriction is getting out of hand. I’m an American living in Taiwan and this app severely discriminates against users located in Taiwan (this app is headquartered in China). More than half of my posts get blocked and no one can see them, and I don’t mention anything political or offensive at all except maybe the word “Taiwan”? The app is almost unusable for me now because I can’t share much of anything, unless I only share things completely unrelated to my life. It’s understandable to limit political discussions since it’s a language exchange app, but preventing users from sharing anything about where they live because you deem their location to be political is unacceptable. I am also completely unable to contact anyone in China due to my location in Taiwan. I regret that I had purchased the lifetime VIP membership years ago because it makes it hard to delete my account and waste that purchase. If you value freedom of speech then I would recommend not downloading or using this app.

7 years ago, Missbvalid

Best language exchange app

I use this to learn Spanish and mainly to practice my speaking skills. It’s great when you don’t have anyone to speak with at home or you don’t have the opportunity to go to a different country and learn the language. Hellotalk is my favorite language learning app because of all of the cool features, translator, corrector, voice notes, calls, etc. They even have a timeline like twitter where you can post anything and also see posts in the language you’re learning. One of my favorite things about the app is being able to search for people by country or city. I prefer to speak with people from PR, DR, or Cuba because I’m working on trying to improve my accent as well as learn the Caribbean dialect. So being able to easily search that way is a plus! I’ve tried many language apps and this is by far my favorite!

1 year ago, MissHapas

Not Worth IT

This application records your conversations in VRs and of course, has logs of all your chats. If you continue to police people’s conversations and slap them with bans and it doesn’t go against community guidelines you are stealing money when people have VIP accounts. Also, there is no appeal process either. You just get a ban. They don’t speak English that well, so when they provide proof it doesn’t even make sense and it’s always out of order and context. They don’t answer either. I wanted to change my flag because I’m from two countries and they wanted me to send a video recording of myself stating my name and in the language of said country. When creating an account you don’t have to do that and if you did I would never use it. You pay for a lifetime, yearly, or monthly and receive 0 customer service. Why spend all that money? You also pay for stickers, sending gifts and room/mic/chat bubble effects. Just use the free version and don’t waste your time and money. A lot of better apps with less policing involved.

1 year ago, _Messiah_

Great, but…

I like this app!! I’ve been able to talk with native Spanish speakers and make some new friends! This app is helpful with connections! Of course, they’re are in app purchases (VIP) that grant you more features, but one that I don’t think should be behind a paywall is limited time in voice rooms. It’s really irritating and unnecessary. I was just having a really good conversation with someone and got cut off by the horrid limit, and because of that, I may never speak to that person again. We didn’t follow each other. So here I am now. Can’t talk to that person, or anyone else. This is very discouraging for me, because I want to speak with people in real time, and now I have to find somewhere else to do that. I’m sure out of the thousands or millions of users, im not the only one. If anything, I think that the one☝🏾 thing that shouldn’t have to be paid for is time to speak with others. I rest my case.

11 months ago, Dej.KURDISH~

Unfortunately

At first, when I created an account in HT I saw it as really interesting You can have a conversation with native speakers of the language that you want to learn, and through their Flags, you can easily know where are they from and which language they speak, I also had a flag in there but then all of a sudden they removed our flag even though we have an independent autonomy region and we have our government and an official language, so it causes too much confusion, by removed KURDISTAN flag the Kurdish people had to put the flags they are not belongs to them and when we join voice rooms they keep talking us the language that we are not native speakers, there are many other region that's are also don't have an independent country but they still have their flag, so that's a really bad point for an app that there goals to help people learn the languages and different cultures, so u should bring back the KURDISTAN flag and stay away of politics. so everyone focuses will be into the language that they want to learn or teach others.

2 years ago, CrazyDude_YT

Good Idea, Could Be Better in Practice

The idea is fantastic and needs little adjustments. However, some of the things are just not right. For example, if you want to use HelloTalk with no cost, then you are only allowed to have one native language and one language that you are learning. And then there is another feature that allows you to "hide your views" which means your profile viewing history is private. It's already weird that it's public to the person anyway. Finally, your messages are not backed up and you may only use one device for one account. Your messages are only backed up on that specific device. So if you log onto another device then those messages are basically wiped. But that's it, you should still use this app due to its popularity and its help to your language learning. Ignoring all of the negatives I just listen, this app would be 5 stars.

4 years ago, Mikschmity

Good Overall

In my opinion, this is the best app on the market for finding language partners to talk with. There are a lot of people and A LOT of activity in the moments area. It’s a language specific social media platform, and it really makes it easy, even if you’re a little uncomfortable, to at least find some place to use your target language. My only complaint, and what keeps it from the full 5-stars, is it’s inability to sync your data effectively. Occasionally you’ll get a notification but be unable to read it. If you reinstall, then you can see it BUT you’ll lose your chat history. It has a similar problem with using both the iPad and iPhone apps. One message will get sent to the iPad, the other the iPhone. It would be worth it to me to save my chat history/data in iCloud. But it’s a fantastic app otherwise, with a pleasant community.

2 years ago, FIDJITS

HT Doesn’t Abide By Their Own Rules

Hellotalk is an app focused on language learning, or so they state. The following unacceptable behaviors will lead to permanent account removal, which doesn’t happen. Here are their “Unacceptable Behaviors”: (1) Attempted/committed fraud, (2) Provided fake information, (3) Sent Spam, (4) Used abusive language, (5) Sent sexual content, (6) Used the app for dating purposes, (7) Sent religious/political content. Multiple times I submitted reports & even directly messaged HT with provided proof in order to report multiple individuals using HT for dating purposes & for posting religious/ political content, and HT did absolutely NOTHING about it. Instead they blocked me from being able to report anyone further. As a woman using the HT language learning app for the 1st time, I was hoping for a “safe environment” where languages could be exchanged while learning, unfortunately this isn’t the case. DO NOT JOIN HT - if you’re a woman who doesn’t want to be dating harassed or exposed to others religious/ political beliefs —GO TO TANDEM INSTEAD, BECAUSE THEY WILL TAKE ACTION!!

4 years ago, always called on in class

Was better before

As a VIP member for years, I have watched the experience decline. Changes and updates come as the company tries to improve I’m sure, the motives are good but the company has removed many standard features that made it fun and more resourceful in terms of social connections and friends. No longer are you able to search for connections once lost. For whatever reason, maybe your phone was stolen or you updated etc... sometimes chats get deleted and you lose it all. Before you could try to reconnect and search. Now it’s impossible so that is definitely a failure in my opinion. They have made updates requiring you to purchase VIP if you want like 10-15 useful features. Over time I have seen how they have controlled the supply of benefits and keep finding ways little by little to make more money and give people less options. The learning programs inside the all are great but again that’s even an extra cost, even for an already VIP customer So... the app works good and it’s fun but it has definitely lowered the experience and resources and it seems just to get more money But the removing the searching ability, that was just simply a bad idea. If someone feels harassed they need to report it, block them and move on. Don’t punish all for one or few mistake. One person poops their pants and everyone is forced to wear diapers.

Description

Practice languages with native speakers on HelloTalk! We recently introduced HelloTalk Live and Voiceroom - interactive language and culture events to help you master languages through the content you love! HelloTalk, the original language exchange app, connects you with native speakers to practice languages (English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese and 150+ more) for FREE! HelloTalk equips you with learning tools such as translation and instant captions so you can learn by chatting with native speakers. Learn languages from locals around the world through livestreams and Voicerooms. Connect with expert hosts to discuss interesting topics with language partners in the learning community! Why HelloTalk? ► Real language learning atmosphere Whether you're focused on a widely spoken language or a less common one, HelloTalk caters to your needs. The system smartly matches you based on your native language and proficiency, while allowing you to filter ideal language partners according to various criteria such as age, location, and gender. Plus, with built-in translation and transliteration tools, you can communicate confidently without any language barriers. ► A powerful tool for sharpening your language skills Acquiring new words through conversations with native speakers is more effective than rigid memorization. Whether you're a student preparing for exams like the CET, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, planning to study abroad, or a professional seeking career advancement through language skills, HelloTalk offers native speakers who match your proficiency level for engaging interactions and valuable learning experiences. ► Immersive multi-person language chat rooms If you choose to learn Spanish, for example, every Voiceroom you enter on HelloTalk gathers Spanish learners and Spanish native speakers from around the world to discuss interesting topics. Here, only your voice needs to be heard, creating a comfortable, introvert-friendly atmosphere. Here, sharing mutual interests allows everyone to freely express themselves and share personal experiences, fostering both language intuition and authentic expression skills. It's incredibly addictive! ► Diverse global Livestreams HelloTalk features handpicked foreign language hosts who offer online video lessons, share language insights, and provide glimpses into their lives abroad. You can even join them on stage for one-on-one video conversations with fellow language learners. Whether you're grappling with pronunciation, speaking speed, or shyness, these hosts will assist you in refining your language skills and guiding the conversation. For rapid improvement in spoken language, there's no substitute for direct communication with native speakers! ► International Moments HelloTalk's Moments offers real-time posts covering learning, lifestyle, and cultural insights from around the world. It's your ticket to discovering fresh perspectives and gaining deeper insights into diverse cultural customs, all from the comfort of your home. Don't forget to engage with posts that catch your interest! What the world is saying about HelloTalk “One of the best apps to help you learn a new language.” - 9to5Mac "When you're ready to experiment with a foreign language, HelloTalk provides an excellent opportunity for interaction with other speakers." –PCMag "HelloTalk, which connects native speakers with an apprentice, also offers language exchanges to its 20 million users in more than 150 languages." -Forbes START PRACTICING LANGUAGES RIGHT AWAY!!! Learn more about the HelloTalk app: - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hellotalk/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellotalkapp Send any feedback to [email protected] - Privacy Policy: https://www.hellotalk.com/privacy-policy - Terms of Use: https://www.hellotalk.com/terms-of-service