Drops, the popular language-learning app, was published on the Play Store in 2015. It has over 15 million users and an excellent rating of 4.7 out of 5. It lets users learn up to 32 languages. The Drops app’s rating on the app stores proves it has established itself as an excellent alternative to other language learning applications. But is it better than Memrise, Duolingo, and Babbel? Is it beginner-friendly? Let’s find it out!
Drops app review
The Drops app consumes up to 150 MB of storage memory on iOS devices and 67 MB on Android phones/tablets. It is compatible with the iOS 9.0+ and Android 4.4+ operating systems.
First impression
Unlike many apps that prompt users to register an account, Drops displays a list of languages it helps users to learn. Once you select a language, Drops will open its main interface, where you’ll find a button with a label Start and a list of topics. If you tap the button, the app displays instructions that you must follow to use its features. The application makes heavy use of icons, fonts, and animations. It doesn’t have a menu bar.
How the Drops app teaches languages to the users?
If you select the topic “vowels”, Drops will display a vowel. The app will also pronounce the letter. When the user chooses other topics, Drops will show a word and its English meaning. It will also pronounce the word and display a picture/icon that best describes it. The app enables users to skip the word. It also allows users to pause the chapter.
To skip a word, place your finger on it and move it on the button displayed at the top of the screen. To mark the vowel as learned, drag it to the button shown at the bottom of the phone’s screen.
Although the app flaunts plenty of topics on its main user interface, non-paid users are given access to only a few topics. The locked topics in the Drops app are denoted by greyed thumbnail. Buying a subscription is the only way to unlock these topics.
When you complete a lesson, Drops will update its user milestone data. The app rewards users one of the following milestones when they learn a set of words:
Newcomer: This is the first milestone users of the Drops app can reach. Users are rewarded with this milestone when they complete the first chapter.
Novice: Users who have reached this level have a good idea about the app’s features. They have learned 50 words or letters.
Tourist: To reach this level, you’ll have to learn up to 80 new words.
Conversationalist: This is the highest milestone a person can reach. You may have to complete every test the Drops app puts forward to you to reach this level.
The application keeps a count of the new letters and words it has taught you.
Collections
Collections is a premium feature that you can unlock after buying a monthly/annual subscription. Drops will add a word/letter to the user collection when you mark a word/letter as learned. If you don’t want to note down the words you’ve learned, you can use this feature.
Must see: Best Android note-taking apps
Profile
As mentioned earlier, users can learn 30+ languages with the Drops app without registering an account. If you’ve changed your mind and want to learn a different language, you can change the language from the profile settings interface.
If you’ve learned the basics of the language offline, you can learn more complicated words/letters by changing your expertise level from beginner to intermediate.
The Drops app boasts the weekly activity of the users on its profile interface. This interface also has an option to disable the sound played by the app, prevent the phone from vibrating, etc.
Also read: Best learning apps for Android and iOS
Ads
The Drops app opens a pop-up box containing brief details of its premium plans and an option to upgrade the account when the user switches interfaces.
Screenshots
Pros
- Beautiful animations.
- You won’t get bored.
Cons
- Not too many words to learn. (non-premium users)
Final Thoughts
Learning letters is the first step most of us take while learning a new language. This is because words and sentences are made up of letters. The Drops app covers basic as well as advanced topics of a language. Hence, it is suitable for newbies as well as advanced users.
