HelloTalk

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

1. [R1] 5/5 · US accessibility!: i love how the app is still usable without premium. i ended up buying premium anyway because the features are worth it for me and i believe this app truly supports learning and doesn't just want your money. additionally, absolutely LOVE how the AI is completely optional. too many platforms want to shove AI usage in every corner it does or doesn't fit. while i think AI can be revo
2. [R21] 5/5 · US Great Language App!: I love this app because I get to speak with native speakers who help me learn their language and I also help them learn mine. In addition, I get to meet new people and make friends.
3. [R24] 5/5 · US New Job, New Country: I originally downloaded this app to learn Spanish to broaden in my résumé. However, this ended up eventually allowing me to meet a friend (now boyfriend) who helped me get a teaching job in Colombia! I now teach English, and have a great life. This all happened within the span of 6 months of downloading the app. 10/10, I owe HelloTalk! LOL.
4. [R49] 5/5 · US Truly the best: I downloaded this app a couple days ago. I was skeptical when I downloaded it, because so many language learning apps aren’t very good. but this app is truly the best. I get to speak with other people that are very serious and learning a new language. And the love and the support that I get is amazing. I even paid for a monthly subscription, and it’s really affordable. I am picking
5. [R134] 5/5 · US HelloTalk isn’t just a language learning platform, it’s community: I’ve met so many good people on HelloTalk. Yes, this app is filled with people seeking love, which is a con, but also, I’ve met some of the best humans on earth here, even having met several in real life having traveled thousands of miles to meet new friends. They aren’t just friends, it’s like family around the world. Language bre
6. [R137] 5/5 · US Great for making friends!: HelloTalk has been my go-to app since 2019-2020. Through it, I’ve made countless friends and learned some fantastic tips and tricks for learning Japanese. It’s an excellent platform for exploring different cultures, making new friends, and even helping someone learn your native language. :)
7. [R146] 5/5 · US Met my wife on this platform, how could I not give 5 stars 😂: But actually though, in addition to that I’ve made a bunch of friends throughout China. And I’ve gotten a huge improvement in both my Japanese and Chinese!
8. [R175] 5/5 · US Great app: I have like 4 or 5 transnational girlfriends in Europe because of this app Thanks guys
9. [R13] 3/5 · US Money hungry: See i would give it 5 stars but mannnnn you literally have to pay for everything just to talk and learn and you can’t even switch languages without paying for vip. It’s like the only way to really have fun on this app is if you have vip and im not gonna give yall my money just so I can communicate and learn. Like your limited on friend making as well. But the app is great it’s just I
10. [R14] 1/5 · US Everything requires VIP: Basically unusable. · translated
11. [R19] 1/5 · US Greedy!: The app is practically useless unless you’re willing to pay for a membership. The audacity to charge just to edit my own profile!? And apparently you only get a certain amount of translations before you need to have a subscription? The app has potential but the creators are too money hungry.
12. [R23] 4/5 · US It’s cool: I just hate the limiting factor of having to pay for a certain amount of chats lol everything else is fine.
13. [R3] 1/5 · US It’s okay: Mostly feels like a dating app and people don’t respond much. Keeping up any semblance of a connection/parter is rough.
14. [R15] 3/5 · US In a month, I haven't met a single person who wants to exchange languages and make friends: Everyone writes that they want to chat, exchange languages, and make friends, but all their replies are one-word or they disappear after a couple of days :( The idea is good, but in practice, everyone only wants to chat with attractive people. It's like everywhere else 🤷‍♂️ · translated
15. [R22] 1/5 · US Full of predators: I’m 21 and 90% of my messages consist of people double my age (or more) trying to use this as an inappropriate dating app. No matter how much I report it the customer support does NOTHING. “Watch ads to spin for free VIP pass” also doesn’t work. I watched 10+ ads and received ZERO
16. [R25] 1/5 · US Enables creepy behavior!: I used this app strictly for educational purpose. However a certain user kept asking very intrusive, uncomfortable questions which is why I blocked their account. Unfortunately, this user abnormally has a high number of several accounts which they frequently used to message me, in order to bypass the previous block. I sent HelloTalk screenshots and their support could not
17. [R2] 1/5 · US Bad UX: Hard to use, very easy to get suspended even did nothing. No way to change native language even it was set by mistake.
18. [R7] 1/5 · US Can’t create an account: Can’t create new account and app is riddled with sketchy situations and people
19. [R10] 2/5 · US Bugfest galore!: With every update, two bugs fixed, three bugs introduced. The VR UI is convoluted to such an extent, that you think it’s a mobile shooter game, and the arbitrary nature of the report and ban system is ridiculous where people get banned because they play piano, but calls to violence go unnoticed. The obvious A1-level English of the poorly named “support” does not help one to resolv
20. [R16] 2/5 · US I have a problem: It's a good app, if not for the existing issues. When I want to add a new account instead of the old one, I can't do that on my phone, and this is causing me a problem. Please fix this. · translated
21. [R8] 1/5 · US It’s okay but racism is prevalent: Met some friends on here but seen some racist comments and got some messages sent to me and a friend that I reported, nothing was done and I was told to block the individual. HelloTalk is very diverse but has too much patience for racism, something I will not support when the rules clearly state it won’t be tolerated…but it will.
22. [R35] 1/5 · US If you register too many times, the device will be locked.: If you register too many times, the device will be locked. It will take two days to change the language. The algorithm of this APP has been written. If you don‘t pay, you can only meet VIP users in the end. Update: I contacted the customer service, and she was willing to give me a chance to register. Before, I wrote a message to the cust
23. [R9] 1/5 · US This ask too much sensitive privacy: Sucks
24. [R11] 2/5 · US Disgusted by Automatic City Sharing: As someone who has been the target of online and irl stalking I’m disgusted. I did NOT allow location, but evidently the app was showing my location the entire time. I was receiving requests from random men in my city. I’m jilted and upset at this complete disregard for privacy and safety. Exact location should NOT be defaulted as visible. DO BETTER HELLOTALK.
25. [R20] 1/5 · US Can’t sign in: The app says I can’t sign in because I supposedly violated their policy. I use the app to learn languages and practice with people I know who I met there. Occasionally, I join other rooms or host my own. One day, I came across someone who appeared to be targeting underage girls, so I reported him. Later, there was a man and a woman discussing politics and saying some pretty extreme
26. [R28] 1/5 · US Gangs of keyboard Jihadists have highjacked this app: This app is the worst. it’s full of disgusting racists who exist on their purely to leave hate comments and curses everywhere they go, directed at the minority groups they hate. And instead of doing anything about it, the brainless people running this app automatically ding and block your account because these keyboard racists mass report you. O
27. [R51] 1/5 · US Banned: Got banned for no reason!
28. [R32] 1/5 · US Censorship AI Slop: Recieved a message from tandem saying quote: “Prohibited Behaviors during Livestream: • Discussing politics, religion, violence, drugs, racial discrimination, history, or COVID-19” That pretty much sums up the values of the people running this company if those are the topics off limits. Meanwhile the moments/explore page is filled with AI slop and rage bait. Also near impossibl
29. [R33] 1/5 · US Lots of censorship, authoritarian garbage: I am a lifetime VIP member. They treat even their paying members are worthless. The issues go deeper tho. Bad app experience, buggy, constantly breaking, features are taken away. But more importantly censored garbage The Moments app is now broken (again). It selects a photo in an album and then scrolls back to the top of album, TRASH
30. [R4] 1/5 · US VIP has boost so why is my account not getting any messages?: The second l made an account l made a post l made sure l put in some context and easy to understand details but my post only got 13 views… VIP IS SUPPOSED TO BOOST YOUR ACCOUNT IS IT NOT?? THIS APP IS A SCAM!! And then l went to join a live chat but there was only one active with someone not around my age. I followed the apps tip and no
31. [R12] 2/5 · US Waste of money: I’m giving this app 2 stars because my experience was very different from what many other users describe. I’ve seen people say they receive messages from native speakers almost immediately. In my case, I only received two messages at the beginning, and after that, no one replied or contacted me again. What’s even more frustrating is that the app keeps pushing you to pay for more
32. [R53] 1/5 · US Scam - beware: Upon making my profile was offered VIP membership free for three days, was automaticity charged a full year subscription. BEWARE
33. [R126] 3/5 · US Good language exchange app, but has new design: This app is great for connecting with other people in the world to practice language learning. It has some handy features like the translate button for messages. However, the app has a new design WITH ADS, and the menus are confusing to navigate. The app almost feels like a casino or like a gaming app. It had a much better layout years ago. I’ll also
34. [R130] 3/5 · US Verification Code never came and VIP ads: The new update requires me to add my phone number, which I don’t want to, since I already log in through Gmail. I wanted to keep in touch with the friends I’ve made, so I added my number to get the verification code, but it never came through messages and calls after multiple attempts. I can’t even remove that pop up to get access to my own account. I als
35. [R136] 3/5 · US A lot: Your app has a great concept, and I’m glad I found it. There’s a lot packed into it, voice rooms, memories, letters, and more, which can feel overwhelming at times. It may be trying to do too much at once. Additionally, it sometimes comes across as being used like a dating app, which feels a bit off-putting. Overall, I like the app and see a lot of potential, but I think it would benefit fro
36. [R26] 3/5 · US Why I only can send 5 messages to others!!??: Why I only can send 5 messages to others!!??
37. [R301] 3/5 · GB too many payments required: i had hellotalk a while back where most basic features were free and it was great, but i re-downloaded it and now you have to have premium for too many things. not allowed more than 5 new people to chat to a day and get like one translation free and the translation isn't even accurate. don't get me wrong i still think it's a great app to interact with people around the
38. [R71] 3/5 · US Not a safe space: This app does NOTHING to protect women from harassment, alongside men treating this app like international tinder. The app is well aware of this experience and does absolutely nothing preventative for it. Accounts I’ve blocked are still able to message me as well, which is absolutely unacceptable on the developers part for allowing this. I highly recommend HelloTalk does more pre
39. [R37] 1/5 · US Bugs: Very slow and terrible support system when help is needed as well as extreme bugs that seem unfixable.
40. [R57] 1/5 · US Fix your bugs: Every time I tap on the profile icon my whole screen turns gray & I can’t go back, like what the h***!!
41. [R140] 3/5 · US Sound issue: 5 months ago the voice was working vey well when I open any voice room but yesterday I tried to open there were no sound in any voice room I couldn’t hear anyone talking, I tried to delete, turn off my phone and I looked to my phone version update, but with no change. Please help me fix it
42. [R233] 3/5 · US Fun idea: This is a great app but unless you spend money it seems to be extremely limiting. I’ve been trying to improve my Chinese so I got the app, and when I signed up it asked all the languages I’m interested in learning, so I listed several, and now it says I can’t make my target goal Chinese cuz it’s Esperanto even though I’m only mildly interested in it but to change it I have to pay now eve
43. [R55] 1/5 · US App will post your location!: Beware app will post location and no way to remove it !!