Duolingo Goes Social With Language Clubs For Mobile App

Duolingo is getting social. Yes -- the language learning app just debuted Language Clubs, which encourage users to share their learning achievements with friends.

Adding a bit of competition to the mix, users can also check out weekly leaderboards, which will feature those who are making the most progress in their pursuit of second, third, and perhaps even fourth tongues.

The new social tools cap off a busy year for Duolingo. Branching out beyond language learning, the app maker launched Tinycards for iOS this summer. Tinycards can be used for learning virtually anything that involves memorization.

Founded in 2011, Duolingo has so far raised more than $80 million from Google Capital, Union Square Ventures, Ashton Kutcher, and other investors. 

Year-over-year, the time users spent consuming media in apps has increased 38.5%, according to a recent report from Flurry. The average U.S. consumer now spends 133 minutes per day consuming media in apps.

“It’s important to note that the daily 133 minutes/day spent is over and above everything else consumers do on mobile, including messaging, email, exchanging photos, using maps, shopping, etc.,” Simon Khalaf, SVP at Flurry parent Yahoo, noted in the report.

Compared to the year before, of course, growth in the time users spent consuming media in apps did slow over the past year. From 2014 to 2015, Flurry recorded that rate of growth at 108%.

The growth in 2015 came mostly from what Flurry characterizes as “entertainment” apps like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu as well as social apps, like Facebook and Snapchat.

Thanks to teens becoming avid “streamers,” live content is finally “happening” on mobile, according to Khalaf.

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