Unlock Duolingo’s Hearts and Bypass Ads with This Easy Hack!

While I was initially skeptical about Duolingo’s latest developments, it’s evident that the platform has deteriorated in recent years. The engaging gamification that once inspired learners now seems overwhelming, particularly for those using the free version. Users on the no-cost plan are inundated with advertisements for Super Duolingo and other games, which are unskippable for several seconds. Moreover, the original heart system, which allowed for practice until five mistakes were made, is now replaced by an energy bar that depletes regardless of correctness in answers.

I was eager to discover a straightforward method to revert to an earlier, more user-friendly version of Duolingo—one that features the heart system, lacks ads, requires fewer clicks between lessons, and is less gamified.

Have you explored the Duolingo web app?

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A Reddit user, OverallPlatypus9880, introduced me to the idea of creating a Duolingo web app. A fellow subscriber of Super Duolingo, they pointed out some benefits of this approach. I decided to test the web app both on my Super Duolingo account as well as a free one, comparing the experiences between both the app and web versions.

The insights shared by Platypus were promising—though the Premium version is indeed less gamified and involves fewer clicks, the real advantages are more pronounced for free users. I’ll detail how you can implement this method yourself and share the benefits I discovered, along with certain trade-offs that I believe are worthwhile.

A web app is a website you can install, allowing it to function similarly to a traditional app. Instead of needing to access Duolingo via your browser repeatedly, you can create a dedicated icon on your home screen to launch it in its own window. Beneath the surface, you’re still utilizing Duolingo’s web interface, which many users might not even be aware exists.

Setting up the web app is straightforward. On Android, open Chrome and navigate to Duolingo.com, then sign into your account as you usually would. Tap the three-dot menu located in the top right corner, select “Install and create shortcut,” and then choose “Install.” Chrome will then add a new Duolingo icon to your home screen. If you’re using another browser, the steps will be quite similar, albeit with possibly different wording.

Once set up, simply open Duolingo using the new icon instead of the standard application. The experience closely mirrors the regular version so you shouldn’t have much difficulty transitioning, but you’ll be benefiting from the web interface.

The web version closely resembles an earlier format of the app, reminiscent of how it functioned two to three years ago. Many users I’ve spoken to have a consensus that the app has progressively worsened, making a transition back to the web app feel refreshing.

Both paying and free users can find benefits in the web app, but free users will first notice the absence of the energy bar. As a long-time Super Duolingo user, experiencing the energy bar for the first time was frustrating; I ran out of energy before completing my third lesson despite minimal errors, which is extremely limiting for an app designed to teach languages. Additionally, users face various animations each lesson where Duo briefly boosts your energy in a token gesture of goodwill.

The web app reverts to the heart system, meaning that the number of mistakes made dictates how long you’re able to continue practicing, instead of the number of lessons. In this model, if your session is interrupted, it’s primarily due to your own errors.

Furthermore, the ads disappear entirely. After experiencing them for just a short time, it became obvious how disruptive they could be for those trying to meet daily practice goals. The benefits for free users here significantly outweigh the drawbacks that may arise, and I welcome differing opinions in the comments.

All users can also notice subtler advantages. While the original claim stated that the web app has “No chests, gamified and forced elements” wasn’t completely accurate in my experience, the gamified aspects are certainly reduced. Chests may still be present, but there are fewer and they don’t involve tedious interactions required to open them. Although leagues and daily challenges persist, unnecessary distractions like certain mini-games are absent, leading to a faster, less distracting learning experience.

While it may feel that each iteration of Duolingo detracts from the app’s quality, not every change is negative. Reverting to an earlier format does come with its downsides—some helpful features, like receiving detailed explanations after each question, are lost.

Additionally, while using the web app, focusing solely on learning rather than accruing XP becomes imperative since points are less prevalent. If beating others in competitive leagues is not your focus, this shouldn’t be an issue.

As expected, the web app does have a more cluttered and less visually appealing interface. For instance, when asked to type responses, users need to dismiss the keyboard to access the ‘Check’ button, adding a minor inconvenience. None of these drawbacks are particularly egregious, but once utilized, you might notice these quirks.

Lastly, while the lack of animations and side queries results in fewer clicks between lessons, users will still receive prompts asking if they want to switch to the regular app. This requires a click to dismiss, which may feel unnecessary given your intention to use the browser version.

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