Duolingo Ditches Hearts for Energy Bar in Major App Update, Enhancing Learning Experience

Duolingo, the popular language-learning app, has announced a major update to its in-app system, replacing the controversial heart system with a new "energy bar."  The move is aimed at improving the user experience by offering a more flexible and less frustrating approach to learning. 

Previously, Duolingo users were limited by the heart system, which penalized mistakes by deducting hearts.  

If users ran out of hearts, they were forced to wait, watch ads, or use in-app gems to continue their lessons.

The heart system, while designed to encourage careful learning, often led to frustration, particularly among users who wanted to progress without interruptions. 

With the new energy bar, users will no longer be penalized for mistakes. Instead, the energy bar fills up as users' complete lessons and tasks, giving them more freedom to continue their learning without the pressure of waiting or spending additional resources. 

The energy bar system is designed to create a smoother and more continuous learning experience, allowing learners to progress at their own pace. 

Duolingo has made it clear that this change is driven by user feedback, with many expressing dissatisfactions with the previous heart system.  

The company hopes that the energy bar will make language learning more accessible and enjoyable for users of all levels, whether they are beginners or advanced learners. 

"We listened to our community and are excited to introduce a feature that better reflects how people want to learn languages,” said a Duolingo spokesperson.  

“The energy bar provides more flexibility, fewer interruptions, and encourages consistent progress in a way that feels more natural." 

The update is rolling out globally and will be available to all users, replacing the heart system with the energy bar across both the mobile app and web versions.  

This change marks one of Duolingo’s most significant updates in recent years, and it is expected to improve user satisfaction and retention as the app continues to evolve.