Innovative Language Learning Blog » Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find the answers to commonly asked questions and issues with our language learning apps. If your question is not answered here or you’d like to leave us feedback, please contact us by using the Email Support Page.

Please read carefully through these FAQ before contacting us for support. Based on the emails we get, it’s very likely your question or issue is addressed below. Should you have an issue not addressed here and need to contact us, having read the FAQ will help expedite your support request. If you’re having an issue with an app, please read the FAQ and/or contact us before leaving negative feedback in the app store.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer telephone support.

I bought an app from the Google Play Store but can’t download it. What should I do? Top

If you are having problems with downloading the app, you will need to contact Google Play Store support team. The Google Play support team should be able to help you with issues related to downloading and purchase of the app from the Google Play Store.

If I deleted the app from my device, will I need to pay when I redownload it? Top

If you deleted the app and want to reinstall it, you will not be required to pay for the app again. As long as you use the same iTunes or Google Play account as the one that you bought the app with, you should be able to download the app again for free.

I upgraded from the free version but had to reinstall the app. How can I get my upgrade again? Top

If you upgraded an app from the free/lite version and had to reinstall it, you are not required to pay for the upgrade again. Just reinstall the free/lite app. If the app has a settings screen, look on the settings screen for a Restore Purchase button. Otherwise, choose to buy the upgrade again. Although the button will still say “buy”, there will be a message saying you can get the upgrade for free when you click it.

I am unhappy with the app and want a refund. Top

We are very sorry that you are disappointed with the app. We welcome all feedback and aim to improve the language learning experience for all our customers. If you purchased an app from the Apple App Store, you will need to contact Apple directly about a refund as they have total control over the billing process. If you purchased an Android app through the Google Play Store, please contact us with your request.

To contact Apple directly to request a refund on your computer:

Launch iTunes.
Go to the Account Menu (Store Menu in older versions) –>View Account (You may need to enter your iTunes password again)
Within the Account Information Page, click See All, on the far right, under the Purchase History.
On the Purchase History Page, find the app or in-app purchase and click the More button on the right side of the screen under the purchase price.
Click on Report a Problem.
Once you click the Report a Problem link, it should take you to the Report a Problem Page. From there, choose the reason for the refund request–>, and describe the problem. Once you are done, click submit and it will give further details on what the next steps will be for your request.

iPhone/iPad Instructions are available here - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204084

I saw a promotion in an email or elsewhere that said the app was [x]% off. Why am I charged the full amount? Top

We are very sorry for the confusion. Currently there is no discount system built into the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. We have to build the sale price into the price of the app itself. What you were charged is the discounted price. If you still have questions or concerns about the price you were charged for an app or in-app purchase, please contact us.

Why am I charged again for an app that I have bought the upgrade for? Top

We are very sorry for the confusion. It may be the case that you bought the upgrade from a free/lite version and then had to reinstall the app. Then you downloaded the full version directly instead of reupgrading from the free/lite version. Another possibility is that you purchased the app under a different iTunes or Google Play account.

I purchased an in-app upgrade to the full version but the icon still says “Lite” or “Free.” What’s the deal? Top

For very good security and technical reasons, Apple and Google do not allow anyone to change the app icon after the app is downloaded. As long as the app is working properly and you’re not locked out of any sections or features of the app, you’re good. You have the full version despite what the icon says.

If you were charged for the upgrade but the app is not working properly or you’re still not able to access all the features you paid for, please contact us.

Why does the app keep on crashing? Top

This issue is typically resolved by simply restarting the device or reinstalling the app (you will not be charged again).
Please refer to your device’s documentation on how to restart it.

If restarting your device did not help with the issue, please try reinstalling the app. Please refer to the section title “Reinstall the app” available in Apple’s Troubleshooting guide which can be found here: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1702

*Note: Deleting and reinstalling the app will cause any locally saved data to be lost such as your Word Bank in WordPower and any downloaded lessons in Innovative Language 101. On iOS your Word Bank in WordPower can be backed up and restored using iCloud. Unfortunately, there is no cloud backup for WordPower on Android at this time. Deleting the Innovative Language 101 app will NOT cause you to lose things such as which lessons you’ve marked completed, your MyTeacher messages (for Premium+ members), or the Word Bank on you 101.com account. This data is automatically synced with your 101.com account.

Is there a way to increase the audio volume? The volume is too low or inaudible. Top

Please try these steps.

First, please double check and make sure the mute switch on your device is not turned on.

If you still have no sound after making sure the mute switch is off and you’re using an app with a voice recorder such as WordPower, next please have a look at the Voice Recorder volume slider. Make sure that slider is not turned all the way down to the left. If it is, please try sliding it to the right and see if you can hear the audio now.

If the volume slider doesn’t help, next try plugging in a pair of headphones. If you get audio when you plug headphones in, please unplug the headphones and start an audio track playing and use the volume rocker on your device to increase the volume while the audio track is playing. You may need to do this a few times to get the audio as loud as you want it if the audio track is short.

If you’re using an iPad and the above suggestions don’t help, there is a bug with the mute/orientation switch in earlier versions of iOS 6 that causes the iPad to get stuck in silent mode. To fix this, go into the iPad’s Settings and then the General section. Under the “Use side switch to” section, tap on Mute. If it’s already set to Mute, set it to Lock Rotation and then back to Mute. If the side switch is already toggled on (you can see the orange dot on the switch), simply slide the switch off. If the side switch is off, slide it on and then off. That should unstick silent mode, and you should now hear sound again in all your apps. You can find more about the side switch and its settings at Apple’s knowledge base article.

If you are using an Android device, please make sure the Media Volume under your device’s Display & Sound settings is set to an audible level.

How can I enable International handwriting? Top

To be able to draw international characters, first go to your iPhone’s/iTouch’s/iPad’s settings, then to General, and then to Keyboard. Under International Keyboards, tap on the language you want to use and turn on Handwriting. Go back into the app, and when you start a search tap on the globe icon on the keyboard that’s just to the left of the space bar until the handwriting pad comes up.

Since there is currently no Japanese kanji specific handwriting input option on iOS devices, choosing Traditional Chinese handwriting input will get you much the same functionality.

Can I synchronize My Word Bank between apps or devices? Top

For WordPower on iOS, you can backup and sync your Word Bank using iCloud as long as the devices you want to sync are logged into the same iCloud account. Unfortunately, cloud backup/sync is not available for the Android version of WordPower.

For the Innovative Language 101 app, your Word Bank is automatically synced with your 101.com site account and can be accessed through either version of the Innovative Language 101 app or 101.com website.

Unfortunately, it’s not currently possible to sync your Word Bank between WordPower and Innovative Language 101 or the 101.com websites. Nor is it currently possible to sync your Word Bank between the iOS and Android versions of WordPower.

Do I need the internet to use the app? Top

For most of our apps, yes at least initially. With the exception of Daily Dose, you can download all or most content for offline use in our apps. Of course, you’ll need an internet connection to receive new and updated content.

Can I have both the lite version and full version of the apps on my device? Top

Yes. However, to avoid confusion we don’t recommend this.

Why am I still getting the new word notification from WordPower even though I have disabled it or deleted the app from the device? Top

Restarting your device should fix this.

I no longer want this app. Please remove it from my device. Top

We do not have the ability to remotely remove the app from your device. You will need to uninstall it yourself.

Daily Dose: Is the Daily Dose included with my subscription? Top

It depends on what type of subscription you have. If you have a Premium level subscription or better (Premium, Premium Plus, Lifetime Premium, etc.), yes. You have access to each day’s new lesson and all the available past lessons. Basic and Free Lifetime Account members only have access the current day’s lesson.

Daily Dose: I’m a returning learner, but my trial is expired. What do I do? Top

You can purchase a new subscription directly in the app. You can choose from a Daily Dose only subscription which will give you unlimited access to the app but no access to the corresponding 101.com language website. Or you can also purchase a Premium subscription which will give you unlimited access to Daily Dose, all premium features of the 101.com website, and Premium access to our Innovative Language 101 app. You can also purchase a subscription through the corresponding 101.com website.

Daily Dose: Do I have access to more than one lesson? Top

If you have an active Daily Dose only subscription or any Premium level or above subscription, yes. You have unlimited access to all the available past lessons. All other users only have access to the current lesson of the day.

Daily Dose: How do I cancel my Daily Dose subscription? Top

For subscriptions made through an in-app purchase, go into the app’s Settings screen and then tap on Manage Subscriptions. For subscriptions made through one of our 101.com websites, please contact us or use the Email Support button near the bottom of the app’s Settings screen.

Daily Dose: I purchased a subscription in the app. How do I get a refund? Top

Please see the FAQ about refunds above.

Innovative Language 101: I purchased a subscription in the app. How can I cancel my subscription? Top

On phones, tap on More in the bottom left and then Settings. On tablets, tap directly on the Settings button. Once on the Setting screen, tap on the Manage Subscriptions button.

Innovative Language 101: I purchased a subscription in the app. How can I get a refund? Top

Please see the FAQ about refunds above.

Innovative Language 101: I purchased a subscription in the app, but my account still says it’s expired. What do I do? Top

On phones, tap on More in the bottom left and then Settings. On tablets, tap directly on the Settings button. Once on the Setting screen, tap on the Restore Purchase button. If the restore finishes successfully and your account still says it’s expired, try logging out of the app and back in. If your account still shows up as expired please contact us either through the Email Support button near the bottom of the app’s Settings screen or alternatively you can contact us here.

Innovative Language 101: I’m currently on the trial, and the PDFs no longer work. How can I fix this? Top

Free trial accounts are limited to 10 PDF downloads.

Innovative Language 101: I’m having trouble with my account. Can you help? Top

Of course! Just use the Email Support button near the bottom of the app’s Settings screen or contact us here.

Innovative Language 101: Once my subscription expires, will I still be able to access downloaded lessons? Top

Yes, but only on any device you downloaded the lessons to before your subscription expired.

Why is the Innovative 101 app not just like the website? Top

The Innovative 101 app will not be an exact copy of the website, but the development team is adding new features with each update to get it as close as possible to the website. A workaround is that the web browser apps, such as Safari and Chrome, can be used to access the website and the flashcard and Learning Paths menus directly on a phone or tablet.

How can I download more than one lesson at a time? Top

Browse to the Series and Season with the lessons you want to download. When you’re on the screen with the list of lessons, tap on the download button (a white circle with a downward pointing arrow) in the top right. Then tap on the lessons you want to download or tap “Select All” at the bottom of the screen to select all of the lessons in the season. Once you’ve selected all the lessons you want to download, tap on “Download” at the bottom of the screen.

Where are the flashcards? Top

Flashcards are currently not available in the app. We plan to add them in a future update. In the meantime, you can access your flashcards by visiting the 101.com website in your devices mobile browser.

How do I add words to the word bank? Top

The Vocabulary lists in the app have a plus sign icon (+) next to each word. Tapping this icon will bring up the Word Bank menu to add the word. The plus sign icon at the very top of the list will select all the words at once to be added to the word bank.

Where is the auto-play feature? Top

In the Innovative 101 app’s Settings menu, there is an auto-play section. There you can turn on and off the audio tracks that you would like to auto-play: audio lessons, dialog, and/or review tracks. Next, start the season that you would like to listen to, and on the audio player bar tap “Auto Play” to turn it on. The app will now automatically advance through the audio tracks you turned on and automatically start the next lesson in the season until it reaches the end of the season.

Auto-play is currently available only in the iOS version. It’s planned to be added to the Android version with the v1.16 update.

Visual Dictionary Lite: I purchased an in-app upgrade to fully unlock a language. The purchase seemed to go through but things are still locked up. Top

First, please try tapping the gear icon in the bottom right to get to the Settings screen, and from there tap on the Restore Purchase button. If tapping the button doesn’t fix it or the button is not there, please try restarting your device and reopen Visual Dictionary. If that still doesn’t fix the problem, please contact us or send us an email from the Settings screen.

Visual Dictionary Lite/Pro: How do I switch languages, add a language, or delete a language after opening a language? Top

Tap on the gear icon in the bottom right to enter the Settings screen. At the top of the screen you’ll find a Switch button under the name of the currently selected language. Tap that button to go to the language manager screen. From here, you can select any of the other languages you’ve downloaded. Tap on “Add Language” to pick a new language to download. To delete a language, swipe from right to left on the language to reveal the Delete button and tap it. Or tap the Edit button in the upper left, tap red circle to the left of the language you want to delete, and then tap the Delete button. While in Edit mode, you can also reorder your languages by dragging the 3 lines on the right. When you’re done deleting and reordering your languages, tap the Done button in the upper left.

Visual Dictionary Lite/Pro: The list of languages to download is empty or a language you say is available doesn’t appear in the list. Top

Please try refreshing the language list. To refresh the list, pull down on the list until the activity spinner appears at the top and then release. This will force the app to refresh the list of available languages.

WordPower: How many words are there in the full version? Top

WordPower has approximately 2000 commonly used words and phrases in the target language.

WordPower/WordPower Lite: Can I add my own words into the app? Top

Currently this feature is not available in WordPower/WordPower Lite.

WordPower/WordPower Lite Lite: I reinstalled the app and lost all the words in My Word Bank. What should I do? Top

As of v4.6 and above, WordPower will automatically backup your word bank to your iCloud account if you have one. If you delete and reinstall WordPower or install it on a new device and you’re running v4.7 or above WordPower will automatically check for an iCloud backup and prompt you to restore it. If you’re running v4.6 or want to manually restore from your backups at any time, simply go to the Word Bank screen, tap the Sync button in the upper left, and select a backup to restore from. Please note that iCloud word bank backup requires iOS 8 or above.

WordPower/WordPower Lite: I can’t login into the app even after I signed up. What should I do? Top

We are very sorry for the confusion. The free account is for our language learning website. There is no need to login into WordPower. If you already have an account and encounter a free account signup screen, simply tap the “No Thanks” or “Already a Member” button to dismiss it.

WordPower/WordPower Lite: I’m using v4.6 or higher of the app and when I try to sync/backup my Word Bank to iCloud the screen says “iCloud Service is off.” Or I try to make a manual backup, it appears in the backup list for a brief time but then disappears. Top

Word Bank iCloud sync/backup requires an active iCloud account, iOS 8 or above, and iCloud Drive turned on on your device. If you’re running iOS 8 or above and are logged into your device with your iCloud account but still see this message in WordPower, please make sure iCloud Drive is turned on. Go to your device’s Settings->iCloud->iCloud Drive and turn on iCloud Drive if it’s turned off.

What other apps/services do you offer? Top

Please visit our website http://www.innovativelanguage.com/ for a complete list of our services and apps.

What languages do you offer? Top

Currently we provide language learning apps in the following languages: Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Farsi, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukranian, Vietnamese with more languages to come. Please visit our website http://www.innovativelanguage.com/online-language-courses for a complete list of our services and apps.

When will xx language be available? Top

If there is a language that you want to learn but we do not currently offer it, please leave a comment or email and we will happily provide answers to your question.

I don’t have the time to sit down and study, is this app for me? Top

The great thing about mobile language learning apps is that you can study basically anywhere, anytime. You decide when and where you study. That being said though, really learning a language takes a lot of dedication. You’ll only get out of your studies the amount of time and effort you put into them. We do our best to make the content as fun, easy, and portable as possible. The rest is up to you. Learning a language is a lot like learning a musical instrument. It’s a skill that requires a lot of familiarity with the subject. You gain familiarity by regularly exposing yourself to the content and practicing it. So if you’re pressed for time, it’s much, much better to study a modest amount every day rather than study for hours on end just a few times a week.

What type of Arabic do you use? Top

Egyptian and Moroccan Arabic.

What type of Portuguese do you use? Top

Unless specified in the app title or description, our lessons focus on Brazilian Portuguese. While there are some differences, similar to Mexican Spanish and Spain Spanish or American English and British English, you will have no problems being understood.

If I have never studied a language before, which lessons should I get? Top

If you want to start from the beginning and start from learning about the cultures and knowledge about the countries, we recommend that you start from the Introduction level. If you wish to focus more on the learning process, Absolute Beginner is a good starting level. For more details, please refer to the list below.

If I have basic grammar and vocabulary knowledge, which level should I get? Top

With previous knowledge of the language, Lower Beginner or Beginner level may be a better fit for you. For more details, please refer to the list below.

What is covered in each level? Top

For more details, please refer to the following.

Featured Languages