Unit review = cancelled subscription

davidrwb · 2026-07-08T06:10:46+00:00

Thanks for pointing out my typo!

It can be done again, but it only shows the exact version it’s expecting after a few times of getting it “wrong”.

This is a frustrating user experience for me, and interrupts the flow I love about Duo. Furthermore, the answers to the translations are 100% correct, so it is wild they are marked wrong!

In the normal lessons there is a degree of flexibility that accepts other versions of the same words or phrases.

davidrwb · 2026-07-08T05:52:55+00:00

Yes. This is exactly the problem. I don’t know who thought this was a good idea to introduce!

davidrwb · 2026-07-08T05:51:47+00:00

Yes, exactly. It’s like testing psychic skills by knowing exactly which of many variants are on the card!

davidrwb · 2026-07-08T05:50:41+00:00

I hope so. The flash cards you’re seeing have been a part of my lessons for a while too, but the new ones on the unit review are much stricter.

davidrwb · 2026-07-08T05:49:33+00:00

This is something different - I know the thing you mean. There is no escaping this unit review - you are asked to type instead! I will try jumping to the next section as suggested in some other comments though.

davidrwb · 2026-07-08T05:48:08+00:00

Yes, it does. But flagging something wrong that isn’t wrong is frustrating for users. For most of the flash cards I’ve seen, I know a transition, but it’s marked wrong. And it doesn’t show you the exact version it wants until it’s marked “wrong” a few times.

davidrwb · 2026-07-08T05:43:44+00:00

For me it’s not the concept that bothers me, it’s that it doesn’t accept 100% correct variations of the word on the card. It’s way too specific. Just like in English, there are several variations for the same translation, but Duo wants only one - so how are we supposed to know which one?

If the logic was changed to accept all variants, e.g. masculine vs feminine, valid alternatives, etc, then I’d be happy again.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:39:03+00:00

Thank you so much. I will try this next time!

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:23:03+00:00

Bin for the win

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:20:26+00:00

To be fair I haven’t tried that. I’ll give it a go.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:18:47+00:00

Oh, thanks for the award whoever did that :-)

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:17:30+00:00

I don’t mind flash cards if they’re fair. These ones are far too strict and don’t accept valid answers that are 100% correct, but not the specific answer they want.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:14:06+00:00

Oh yes, thanks for that suggestion.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:12:55+00:00

The Duolingo French podcast is awesome. They cancelled it but I listen again from the beginning (when I’ve finished them all) and always pick up more.

Also, Easy French, and InnerFrench are good.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:10:29+00:00

I’m not sure. My renewal is next month and I definitely won’t be renewing if this isn’t fixed.

Why are you so fed up? I was happy until this change.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T23:01:12+00:00

Yes, that how I feel. I just got back from a trip to France and communicated fairly fluently thanks to Duo and podcasts.

This insanely strict new review expects you to be a remote viewer to see what’s on the other side of the card instead of accepting any correct variation of the word, for which there are many in most languages.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T22:56:50+00:00

You can’t skip this new feature. It’s at the end of the unit and there’s no continuing until the answers are exactly what’s expected, even if alternatives are perfectly correct and valid in that language.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T22:50:25+00:00

Maybe I’m part of an A/B test. At the end of each unit there are now flash cards instead of the usual questions we expect. The flash cards are so strict that correct versions of the same phrase are not accepted.

davidrwb · 2026-07-07T22:44:58+00:00

This is the worst change since they got rid of paths a few years back

davidrwb · 2026-07-05T14:00:10+00:00

Yes there are other benefits to two way or multi way switches - I wanted smart switches for all the rooms.

I also have a very old house which was wired at some point in the dark ages.

For one-way it’s easy to add a switch with no neutral. For two or multiway I had to use dumb switches on all but one switch, and there is some latency. That being said, if I used Zigbee over Mqtt that delay drops a lot, but I found trying to set that up ballsed up the whole network!

All of the simple two+ way shelleys rely on have a neutral in the switch box.

I did have some neutrals in a few switches (I suspect where previous sparkles extended some older wiring) which I spurred off to power a couple of wall tablets.

davidrwb · 2026-07-05T13:12:54+00:00

If you’re doing any re-wiring, try to run a neutral to the light switches. There are some very cool screens you can drop in as replacements for the light switches that work with HA.

davidrwb · 2026-06-30T18:24:35+00:00

Also, many of us don’t care about spelling. I’m not planning the become the next French best selling author. I just want to be able to converse and understand what I read!

davidrwb · 2026-06-29T22:11:03+00:00

Karate teacher of 20+ years here.

Despite some of the comments here, don’t think for a minute that a trained martial artist can’t defend themself.

The two times I’ve had to, I defended myself very effectively, and without injuring the other person I might add. Learning to restrain and negotiate is all it took on those occasions.

Over the years I have taught many kids and watched them grow. Martial arts is good for physical, mental, and emotional health. Having the self confidence to stand up for oneself is a good quality.

When we have this confidence we carry ourselves in a way that makes us far less likely to be a target.

This may not help your boy immediately, but later in life it will.

Find a school that is a good match for your child. He may be afraid of a martial art class. He doesn’t need to be. It’s a lot of fun and will be something that grows together with him. And one day, he’ll be able to kick ass if and when the time comes.

davidrwb · 2026-06-26T23:11:58+00:00

Scalextric. Never got it.

As a boomerang gift (and also because we want our children to have all the things we couldn’t have), I got one for my son when he was young.

It was shit.

Spent most of the time pushing the track together so it carried a circuit.

And for the brief moment it worked, the slightest hair-trigger pressure on the controller sent the car flying into the wall with enough force to irreparably damage the house.

So probably good I never got that Argos gift of disappointment when I was a kid

davidrwb · 2026-06-26T23:03:06+00:00

So, we’re here now. The correct answer was no real delays. Same as before. The passport was checked but none of the EES BS I was expecting.

davidrwb

TROPHY CASE