[Android 0]

Credit: Matt Horne / Android Authority

Even as one of the last remaining Duolingo holdouts on the team, I can see how much worse Duolingo has become in recent years. The once-motivating gamification certainly appears to have been kicked up a few notches, and it’s the free users who’ve had it much worse. On the free plan, you’re bombarded with adverts for Super Duolingo and third-party games that you can’t skip for several seconds. Even worse, the heart system that allowed you to keep practicing until you made five mistakes was replaced by an energy bar that runs down even if you’re nailing the answers.

That’s why I was excited to learn about a very simple trick that returns you to a simpler version of Duolingo — one with the hearts system, no ads at all, fewer clicks between lessons, and less gamification.