You own an iPhone and think, is there any way that I can learn German on the go?
Check out the best app to learn German on the iPhone.
But before you start, check these other suggestions for other devices.
General apps for learning German
With the smartphone that has almost replaced laptops and desktops, you can continue learning German while you’re on the go.
A mobile version is very handy for businessmen and students who may be super busy working or studying and wants to pick up a new language or two.
But, not all of them are available on the iPhone.
Rocket Languages – Although this app is worth every penny, it doesn’t have a stable or functional (according to its reviews) iPhone app equivalent.
So, if you would like to improve your German phrases and sound like a native German speaker, check Rocket Languages on your laptop or desktop.
There are also some short stories, news press sites like Deutsche Welle Learn German and radio which you may not have a mobile version (or functional rather) of, particularly with an iOS/Apple equivalent.
So, let’s check out which apps for learning German are available on the iPhone.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is arguably one of the most popular apps for all devices where you can make your target language look like your native language.
In a span of 25 years, Rosetta Stone has given lots of opportunities to people that lacked books and other resources to learn a new language.
Hence, this app is a suitable resource for people learning all German levels for languages.
Many German-language experts recommend Rosetta Stone for its research-based dialogues, for example, situations for their audio learning.
It also features an accurate pronunciation of German words.
However, the biggest issue that most German learners, especially if you are an absolute beginner, is that it starts at $11.99/month which is kind of pricey for people who just want to test the app first.
If you are opting for the lifetime price, it is $179 (discounted price) for unlimited languages.
Despite the expensive price, Rosetta Stone is ad-free forever. You only need to pay premium to access the content at intermediate and advanced levels and not because it’s filled with ads.
There is a 30-day moneyback guarantee for those who aren’t satisfied with their progress in German.
Learn German: Language Course by Mondly
Beginner level students for German enjoy this app by Mondly. It features state-of-the-art speech recognition, verb conjugations, and games to help you enjoy its course materials.
Moreover, it is likened to a very modern Rosetta Stone with tech-savvy ways to memorize vocabulary and uses real one-on-one conversations that you can use for everyday life.
Of course, you can’t find the same features of the website version of Mondly (or other features like MondlyAR) per se in this app, for now.
We’ll keep you updated with future articles once Mondly has updated too.
If you want to unlock all the premium content that Mondly has, you might as well pay for the premium version on their website.
Busuu – Learn to speak German
Busuu, another German learning app is available on the iPhone.
With almost the same features, the key feature that we love the most is that native speakers of your target language will correct any speaking or writing exercise for the lessons.
They also provide a conjugation table and a concise explanation of the changes in grammar and sentence patterns.
There is also Busuu membership where you can use premium Busuu to set a goal while learning German.
At €5,83 / Month / Year, you can enjoy learning German with an offline mode, grammar lessons, and an AI-powered review.
The only downside of using Busuu is that some of its review sections get repetitive. Especially for advanced learners that use this app on a daily basis.
Nevertheless, you can supplement your learning methods with other ways to improve your German.
VidaLingua
Dictionaries and pocketbooks for basic conversations, engaging with new people, and greetings are all the rage back then.
Usually, there are also travel guides that contain language and grammar for any language
If you are a fan of these forms of learning, then you’ll definitely enjoy VidaLingua.
VidaLingua has a mobile version where you can check these features:
- Offline German English Dictionary with 648,000 words where you can check usage examples, parts-of-speech, and more.
- Verb conjugator with 4,044 German verbs and 4,318 English verbs for the translation
- iPad Split Screen support
- Photo translator
- Text/Voice translator
- and so much more!
This beginner-friendly app is also free but has in-app purchases if you want to remove the ads or more dictionary examples and a bigger phrasebook.
Radio Germany Online by Ruben Silva
If you want intermediate to advanced lessons, you should start learning by listening to German radio.
Radio Germany Online by Ruben Silva is a handy app to listen to local German radio stations.
With over 100 working Deutschland radio stations, you won’t be running out of diverse topics to listen to.
However, since this is a German radio station app only, you won’t expect features like an automatic translator or a dictionary for German phrases.
Radio Germany Online by Ruben Silva is available on the iPhone App store for free.
LingQ
If you like German reading and grammar exercises with achievements and a rewards system, then you might enjoy LingQ.
LingQ separates words that you will need to know in German. Words in a blue highlight mean it’s a new word that you haven’t encountered before.
A yellow highlight on a word or phrase means these are the words you’re learning at the moment with the help of LingQ.
On the other hand, those words with a white background are the ones you’ve already (or are supposed to have) memorized before that lesson.
LingQ has a familiar language learning method, spaced repetition system (SRS), and a flashcard layout that will make your learning easier and more fun.
Duolingo
Duolingo, which is intended for both children and adults, seeks to assist in the development of fundamental vocabulary and grammatical abilities.
This software is one of the greatest free German learning applications, with little bite-sized courses that make learning fun and effective.
You participate in a variety of games and race against the clock to win rewards and compete.
This aspect of gamification fosters a competitive spirit while also allowing for improved learning.
Duolingo’s personalized learning has enabled you to stay motivated to study and adapt to your active learning, making the process quick and easy.
It focuses on the gamification feature as it is almost a flashcard-only app. It helps you retain words with the correct audio pronunciation.
Duolingo also has a different layout when you level up from beginners to intermediate to advanced levels.
You can also discuss what you think about Duolingo and other topics with the community of users with a point system.
HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a free chatting app where you can send over recorded audio files, short text messages, and audio clips to other native speakers in any target language you want to learn.
HelloTalk is available on the iPhone for free but has in-app purchases to remove ads or unlock more audio courses in languages like Russian, French, Italian, Arabic, and so on.
You can really practice real-life conversations since you will be talking to different people all over the world.
Although this isn’t a language learning app but more of a chatting app where you can meet native Germans and do a language exchange.
So don’t expect Germans to be always online. In most cases, there are more German learners than German teachers.
Moreover, you may have to protect your data information online as there might be scammers or rude people that you can come across chatting apps like this.
Use a German language app every day
There is no one strategy that you can use to learn any language. Especially, if you are just at the beginner level for German.
With the rise of apps, you can use these methods as an additional learning resource for German, especially if you have a busy schedule.
There are also additional features in some of these apps that you might enjoy as you progress beyond learning the correct pronunciation.
Don’t stick to boring vocabulary books, learn with an app!