Why I Hate the New Duolingo: What Users Dislike About the Update

If you have recently opened Duolingo and thought, “I hate the new Duolingo,” you are not alone. Across user discussions and personal experiences, the frustration is not about just one small change. People have complained about the interface, learning path, Hearts, XP, streaks, rewards, subscriptions, and the growing focus on gamification.

The strongest criticism is simple: Duolingo used to feel more like a language-learning app, while the newer experience can feel more like a game designed to keep you playing.

That does not mean every user dislikes the changes. Some people find features such as XP boosts useful, and some users prefer the newer structure. But the complaints reveal several recurring problems that are worth understanding.

The New Interface Feels More Complicated

One of the biggest reasons users say “I hate the new Duolingo” is the redesigned interface.

Users have described the newer experience as more cluttered and confusing. Important features can feel harder to find, while navigation may not seem as straightforward as it once was.

The concern is not simply about appearance. It is about user control.

Previously, some learners felt they could decide what they wanted to study, review, or practice. After major changes, that feeling became weaker for some users.

The criticism is especially clear when comparing the old learning-tree structure with the newer linear path.

Instead of choosing between different branches, learners were moved through a more predetermined sequence. For users who preferred reviewing a particular topic or moving between different skills, this could make the experience feel restrictive.

The Learning Path Became More Linear

The 2022 first-person experience provides one of the clearest examples of this complaint.

The writer had previously used Duolingo’s learning trees to move between different areas of a course. After the redesign, the experience became a linear path.

The new structure was described as containing 45 units, with 10 individual modules or nodes per unit.

For a learner who wants control over what to study next, that can make a big difference.

The frustration becomes stronger when previous progress does not appear to fit neatly into the new structure. One learner specifically described having made progress with past tense but feeling that the new path disrupted that progress.

For these users, the problem is not that a structured course is automatically bad. The problem is losing the ability to decide what deserves attention right now.

Duolingo Started Feeling More Like a Game

The most repeated theme across the sources is the conflict between learning and gaming.

Duolingo has long used gamification to make language practice engaging. But some users believe the balance has moved too far toward:

• XP
• leagues
• streaks
• quests
• gems
• rewards
• badges
• boosters
• Hearts

The criticism is that these systems can become the goal instead of supporting the goal.

A learner may start thinking about how to earn more XP rather than whether they actually understood the lesson.

One Reddit discussion includes users describing dramatically increased XP competition. Examples included around 2,000 XP for a league leader, while another user reported around 300 XP by the end of a league.

Another user said they were doing approximately 8 lessons per day, while someone else felt they needed roughly 10 lessons per day to remain competitive.

That creates an important question:

Are you studying because you want to learn the language, or because you do not want to lose your position in the game?

The 3× XP System Added to the Competition

The XP system is another source of frustration, although not everyone sees it negatively.

In the Reddit discussion, users explained a system where completing the third daily quest could unlock a 10-minute 3× XP booster.

The first and second daily quests could also contribute 10 minutes each, potentially producing up to 30 minutes of 3× XP.

For competitive learners, this can make XP races even more intense.

For others, however, the same system may be useful because it allows them to earn more XP without spending as much time completing additional lessons.

That difference matters. The feature itself is not universally bad; the problem is how it changes the motivation to study.

Morning and Night Chests Were a Major Complaint

Another recurring complaint involved the removal of the Early Bird and Night Owl chests.

For some users, these rewards were connected to an actual study routine.

One learner described a routine involving:

• 1 lesson in the morning
• 1 lesson in the evening

Other comments described studying before 12 PM and again between 8 PM and 11 PM.

Removing those rewards therefore felt like more than removing a game feature. For some learners, it disrupted a routine that had encouraged them to practice consistently.

This is an important distinction: gamification can be useful when it supports a learning habit. Users become frustrated when they feel the reward system is changing without preserving the habits that worked for them.

Long Streaks Do Not Always Feel Like Language Progress

Streaks are one of Duolingo’s strongest engagement mechanisms, but they also appear frequently in user complaints.

The Reddit discussion includes examples of:

• 500+ days
• 670 days
• 1,175 days
• 1,400 days
• 1,425 days
• 1,800 days

The Android Police describes a user with a streak approaching 1,900 days.

Those numbers show how deeply streaks can become part of a learner’s routine.

But some users raised an uncomfortable issue: maintaining a streak does not necessarily mean becoming better at speaking the language.

One user with a 670-day streak described having achievements such as 60 consecutive friend quests and Diamond League accomplishments while still questioning their actual ability to speak the language.

Another user with a nearly 1,175-day streak said they sometimes focused on completing the fastest possible lesson simply to preserve the streak.

This explains why some users say “I hate the new Duolingo” even after spending hundreds or thousands of days with the app.

Their frustration is not necessarily with consistency. It is with the possibility that streak maintenance becomes more important than meaningful learning.

The Hearts System Can Make Mistakes Feel Punishing

The Hearts system is another repeated complaint.

The basic frustration is straightforward: language learning requires mistakes, but users can feel punished when mistakes consume Hearts.

One Reddit user described being worried about losing a 1,425-day streak after running out of Hearts while working through a difficult level.

Another user mentioned having more than 5 streak freezes previously but only 1 remaining, with a refill period of 66 days.

The Android Police takes the criticism further, arguing that learners should not have to wait for Hearts after making mistakes.

That argument is based on a simple learning principle: mistakes are part of learning.

When a learner is afraid to make mistakes because mistakes have a cost, the game mechanics can start working against the learning experience.

Super Users Also Feel Pressure From Max

Another source of frustration is the relationship between Super Duolingo and Duolingo Max.

Some paying users in the Reddit discussion complained that they were already paying for Super but were still exposed to promotions for Max.

The complaints focused on:

• Max promotions
• Max-only lessons
• AI features
• video calls
• pressure to upgrade

The Android Police adds a larger numerical perspective. It describes approximately 700,000 Max users compared with 117 million active users, while also arguing that fewer than 1% of monthly active users had access to the AI video-call feature.

From the user’s perspective, the issue is simple: paying for one level of the service can still leave you seeing features that are positioned behind another payment level.

That can create the feeling that the app is continually asking for another upgrade.

Monetization Became Part of the User Experience

The complaints about gems, subscriptions, quests, and paid features are connected.

The 2022 first-person article describes a subscription payment of £80.39 made in December 2021.

Before the major update, that learner reported receiving several dozen gems per day, around 30–50 XP, and spending approximately 15 minutes using the app each day.

The learner also had a personal goal of around 50 XP per day.

After the update, the writer reported lower XP payouts, lower gem rewards, and the disappearance of self-set learning goals.

The same article connects Side Quests, gems, and revenue, arguing that these systems encouraged users to spend more.

For a paying learner, that can change the emotional experience of the app.

Instead of thinking:

“I am here to learn Danish.”

the experience can begin to feel more like:

“How much am I earning, what have I unlocked, and what do I need to pay for next?”

Losing Features Can Feel Worse Than Gaining New Ones

A major reason for the backlash is not simply that Duolingo introduced new features.

It is that some users believe they lost useful features they already had.

The complaints include:

• Early Bird and Night Owl chests
• greater control over learning paths
• older lesson access
• writing exercises
• Duo outfits
• certain rewards
• self-set learning goals

The Duo outfit example is particularly clear.

One learner said they had purchased every available outfit, with prices ranging from tens to hundreds of gems. After the update, the outfits disappeared, and the writer said the spent gems were not refunded.

When a familiar feature disappears after a user has invested time or in-app currency into it, the change can feel much more significant than a normal redesign.

Writing Practice Was a Particular Concern

The criticism was not only about interface design.

For the learner studying Danish, writing practice was an important part of the experience.

The older course regularly included:

• English-to-Danish translation
• Danish-to-English translation
• writing exercises

After the update, the writer felt that full writing exercises appeared mainly through Personal Learning, became less frequent, and offered less variety.

This matters because reading, listening, speaking, and writing are different skills.

A learner who specifically wants to write in a new language may feel underserved when the redesigned experience focuses heavily on progression, rewards, or other forms of engagement.

Not Every Language Gets the Same Experience

Another important complaint concerns differences between language courses.

The Danish learner argued that Danish subscribers were paying the same subscription price while receiving fewer features than learners studying languages with more developed course content.

The article specifically mentions the absence of:

• Stories
• Grammar tips or grammar lessons

It also notes that Stories were added to iOS in 2019.

This creates another user-experience problem: two people can both pay for Duolingo but feel that the quality or depth of their learning experience depends on the language they selected.

Some Users Still Defend the Changes

A useful discussion of “I hate the new Duolingo” should not pretend that every learner dislikes the redesign.

The Reddit discussion contains counterarguments.

Some users suggested that removing certain chests could actually mean less gaming, not more.

Others found the 3× XP system useful because it could help people who did not have time to complete specific morning or evening activities.

Some users also reported still having older features because updates were apparently rolled out differently.

This shows why the backlash should not be reduced to “the new Duolingo is bad.”

The real issue is fit.

A feature that helps one learner may frustrate another.

Why Users Say “I Hate the New Duolingo”

When all five sources are considered together, the complaint becomes much clearer.

Users are not angry about one button, one reward, or one interface change.

They are reacting to a broader shift they perceive:

language learning → engagement → gamification → monetization

The strongest complaints involve four connected areas.

First, users want more control over what they study.

Second, they want the app to prioritize actual learning over XP, leagues, and streaks.

Third, they do not want existing features and progress to disappear without a satisfying replacement.

Finally, paying users want to feel that their subscription provides meaningful value without constantly pushing them toward another tier.

What Would Make Duolingo Feel Better Again?

The proposed solutions across the are surprisingly consistent.

The strongest suggestions include removing or reducing restrictions for free users, reconsidering the Hearts system, making useful AI roleplay more accessible, improving grammar explanations, and creating more personalized lessons.

The Android Police also argues that rewards should support learning rather than become the reason for learning.

That philosophy addresses the central complaint better than simply adding another feature.

If a learner wants to practice buying a train ticket, finding a hotel, or handling another practical situation, the lesson should help them practice that situation.

The goal should remain the language.

How to Avoid an Update You Do Not Want

Some Reddit users discussed disabling automatic updates because they wanted more control over when the app changed.

On Android, Google Play provides settings for controlling automatic app updates, including an option to disable automatic updates for an individual app.

Google Play Help: How to update apps on Android

However, controlling updates does not restore an old Duolingo interface once the newer version has already been rolled out. The material specifically describes users who could no longer return to the previous version after the new experience was fully rolled out.

The Real Problem Is the Learning Experience

The strongest lesson from these five sources is that users do not necessarily hate change.

They hate feeling that the change makes learning harder.

A redesigned interface can be successful if navigation becomes easier. A reward system can be useful if it encourages meaningful practice. Streaks can be motivating if they help learners build a sustainable routine.

But when the learner starts feeling that:

XP matters more than understanding,

streaks matter more than speaking,

rewards matter more than practice,

or subscriptions matter more than learning,

the purpose of the app becomes less clear.

That is why the phrase “I hate the new Duolingo” appears so strongly in user discussions.

The frustration is ultimately about control, learning value, and trust.

Final Thought

The complaints across these five sources point to the same underlying concern: Duolingo’s newer experience can feel increasingly focused on gamification, engagement, and monetization instead of giving learners the simple control and learning-focused experience they valued before.

The numbers make that frustration easier to understand. Users describe streaks ranging from 500+ to nearly 1,900 days, XP examples reaching around 2,000, potential 30-minute 3× XP periods, 45 units with 10 nodes per unit, and subscription costs such as £80.39.

But the numbers are not the real story.

The real story is whether those numbers represent language progress or simply progress inside the app.

For many frustrated learners, that distinction explains exactly why they say: “I hate the new Duolingo.”