Back in March, Duolingo announced an exciting new subscription tier called Duolingo Max.
The goal? To incorporate AI into Duolingo’s language learning process.
But as exciting as this is, there’s just one problem — hardly anyone can get it.
Even the people that should be eligible can’t seem to figure out how to sign up!
This was me ever since the announcement. I met all the criteria, but, for whatever reason, couldn’t upgrade.
But worry not — I’ve found a way!
So long as you meet all the requirements (which we’ll go over below) this step-by-step process should allow you to sign up for Duolingo Max.
A big shoutout to michaelfarrar over on Reddit for sharing this!
Right then, let’s get into it!
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What is Duolingo Max?
First things first, what exactly is Duolingo Max?
Duolingo Max incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) into the classic Duolingo experience.
Duolingo has long taken advantage of AI, but, with the release of GPT-4, Duolingo Max takes it to a whole new level.
In short, Duolingo Max introduces two new features – Explain My Answer and Roleplay.
They’re both fairly self-explanatory.
Explain My Answer leverages AI to walk you through the ins and outs of an answer you’ve provided. It will tell you why it’s right (or why it’s wrong), explaining the grammar mechanics behind it.
You can also ask follow-up questions to help you better understand the topic you’re working on.
Roleplay, on the other hand, allows you to have an actual conversation in your target language. This lets you put everything you’ve learned along your learning path into practice.
Of course, it doesn’t replace the need to talk with a real-life human being (yet!), but it’s a giant leap forward in an area of Duolingo that has always been lacking.
Duolingo Max cost
Duolingo Max currently starts at $30 a month in the US and £19.99 a month in the UK.
If you’d prefer to pay annually, you can get Max for $168 in the US and £119.99 in the UK.
You can also get Duolingo Max on a Family Plan, which allows you to share your Max subscription with up to 5 other Duolingo users. This will set you back roughly $200 in the US and £179.99 in the UK.
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Up for some friendly competition? Then be sure to follow me on Duolingo!
My username is DCiiieee 🙂
(If the link doesn’t work then just type my username into the ‘Search for friends’ bar on the app)
Duolingo Max requirements
As of May 2023, Duolingo Max is only available to Duolingo users in certain countries, using certain devices, and learning certain languages.
These are as follows:
- Countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States.
- Devices: iOS
- Courses: English-French, English-Spanish
If you meet all of these requirements, then you should be able to get Duolingo Max.
How to get Duolingo Max
Duolingo says that if you’re eligible for Duolingo Max, then it should be available in your Shop tab.
However, many users that meet the requirements have been searching the shop high and low since March — and still can’t find an option to upgrade.
Fortunately, there is a workaround…
Before we jump in, it’s important to note that this workaround is based on you already having a Super Duolingo subscription. So if you’re currently on a free plan, it might not work. In this case, I’d recommend getting yourself a free trial of Super Duolingo. This is so Duolingo shows up in your App Store subscription list, which is essential for this to work!
Right, here’s how to upgrade to Duolingo Max:
First, unlock your iOS device, and head over to your Settings app…
Then, tap on your name at the top of the page…
And then go to Subscriptions…
Then tap Duolingo…
And then tap See All Plans…
If you meet all the criteria, you should see a few options for Duolingo Max. You’ll get the option to upgrade to a monthly plan, a yearly plan, or a Family Plan…
Pick your desired plan and confirm your upgrade. Then, reboot the Duolingo app, and you should see the Max Duo in the top right corner…
What if you still can’t get Duolingo Max?
So long as you meet Duolingo’s current Max requirements, then the above workaround should work in most cases.
However, I have seen some examples of it not working. If this happens, then, unfortunately, you’re going to have to hold tight for a wider rollout.
Did this workaround work for you?
Let me know in the comments!
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In one of your screenshots, it shows that there’s Spotify on your phone. I like using Spotify too!
Your workaround didn’t work for me even though I meet the criteria. I am a fairly new user of the Spanish program, so maybe they are waiting to see if I stick with it LOL
This did not work for me. Access to the Duoling app is not available on my ios via tapping on the subscriptions. Duolingo is available on my general list of apps near the bottom of the main settings page. And at that this only allows you to allow Duolingo access to the microphone, speech recognition, etc.
Thank you! I have been searching for months for Duo Max. Your workaround worked.
I have been a subscriber for years but recently cancelled it as I want max but it is not available on my device even though I meet all the criteria. I’m learning French from English on an iPhone. I tried your workaround but the max option just isn’t there.
I contacted them but they don’t know when it will be out to all users.
It’s not fair, I’m on a 1666 day streak, why am I the last to get it? 😢
I hope duolingosuper.com will offer the plan in the future, because this seems to be way too much work trying to get a simple subscription.
30$ a month for 2 more features than Super, that’s in beta?!
Dude, that’s literally not worth a single cent. Duolingo won’t teach you a language proficiently. You can get much better language-learning tools for 0$, imo.
This did work for me, though I didn’t opt to spring for the $$!
It didn’t work for me, either. I’m on an iPhone 14 Pro Max running the latest software version, speaking English and learning Spanish, with a current subscription to Super Duolingo. When I look under subscriptions I have only 3 options: Super Monthly, Super Annual, and Family Plan. I know I might find it to be completely not worth the money, but I’d like the option to at least give it a try.
I would love to take advantage of this offer but I just paid for my year of Duolingo Super, there is no discount for people already signed up.