The European Commission unveiled proposed consumer-protection rules banning manipulative 'dark pattern' design, curbing dynamic ticket pricing by companies like Ticketmaster, and requiring influencers to disclose paid promotions. The Digital Fairness Act would also let users disable addictive features such as autoplay and streaks on apps like Duolingo and Strava, ban personalized ads targeting minors, simplify subscription cancellations, and guarantee access to human customer service.
wired.com
· 2026-11-11
Duolingo experienced a service disruption on October 27, 2026, preventing some users from accessing the app. The company confirmed the outage was resolved roughly 45 minutes after it began, restoring normal service.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-27
Duolingo's in-house design studio has produced Duo TV, a six-episode animated show featuring the app's mascot Duo alongside characters Lily, Zari and Falstaff working at a fictional grocery store called DuoMart. The first two episodes debut on Duolingo's YouTube and Instagram on October 12, with new episodes released daily until the series finale.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-12
An Android Authority writer returned to Duolingo after a year away and found the app pushing paid subscriptions more aggressively, including a prompt to upgrade before viewing past progress. The app also promoted a cross-promotional tie-in with Supercell's mobile game Brawl Stars, requiring users to complete Duolingo tasks to earn in-game rewards.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-04
A tip circulating on Reddit shows that installing Duolingo's website as a web app rather than using the native mobile app brings back the classic hearts-based mistake system and removes advertisements entirely, according to Android Authority. The report says the workaround works for both free and Super Duolingo subscribers, cutting down on gamified prompts and extra taps between lessons.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-20
Following Apple's unveiling of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo, Samsung's social media team launched a mocking campaign, calling the device 'so far, so same' and joking about 'reheated leftovers.' Samsung, which released the first mainstream foldable phone in 2019 and has since shipped around 20 models, is leaning on its years of foldable experience to needle Apple's late entry. Duolingo's owl mascot also joined in, joking about the 'Duo' name, while Apple executive John Ternus defended the device as an 'entirely new design' rather than 'two phones awkwardly stuck together.'
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-18
Apple unveiled its first foldable device, the iPhone Duo, at its 'Surprise and shine' event, catching many off guard since analysts had expected the name iPhone Ultra. The Duolingo owl mascot mocked Apple online over the shared 'Duo' branding, even calling out new CEO John Ternus directly, while Samsung poked fun at Apple for entering the foldable market years after its own Galaxy Fold line.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-09
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