Is iPad the best Lingq platform?

Support & Feedback Forum
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That was my impression from reading the Bugs thread.

I find the web app on the Brave browser to be usable, but flakier than I like. (Sometimes the page arrows work; sometimes not. Sometimes 1-4/k/x keys work; sometimes not. Plus other anomalies.)

I see the 2021 64GB iPad attractively priced on Amazon ($269). I’m an Android user, but I find Lingq compelling enough to get an iPad for Lingq use.

Anything I need to know before buying an iPad for Lingq?

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That’s actually kind of what I did - since language learning is worth the investment for me, I decided to buy an iPad partly so I’d have a good tablet to use for reading, plus the LingQ app seems best on iOS. Like you, I’m mainly an android user, but I’ve found it to be worth the investment to get an iPad for LingQ (in addition to using it for writing notes/replacing my computer for basic web browsing).

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Yep, in my opinion this is probably going to give you the best LingQ experience. The Kaufmanns use it as well and they don’t like bugs, I hear. In general, most people use apps nowadays, this is probably true for LingQ as well. Last year I bought an iPad mini because of its form factor, I previously had a 2018 9.7" model, which was fine as well.

Pros:

  • mobile
  • pretty much every feature works as advertised, few bugs and quick resolution
  • developer responsive to feature requests
  • offline support, not exactly great, but you can download lessons and study while out and about
  • supports on device TTS, which is offline and instant
  • tap screen margins to turn the page (no swiping required)
  • There is one “killer” feature that no one knows about: go to the settings app → accessibility → enable ‘reduce motion’ this will make page turning instant, no annoying slide animation anymore
  • can disable the distracting ‘phrase highlights’ (impossible on web)
  • landscape mode with the sidebar (left) is great because it doesn’t require as many screen interactions (no need to close pop-ups)
  • supports OCR in app, for books or documents, needs cleanup afterwards but good feature

Downsides:

  • no keyboard support
  • in/out animations when tapping words (pop-up)
  • no proper storage management, can fill up with (audio) data after some time, need to clear cache manually (once a year or so)
  • rare crashes due to Realm database software (not a big deal)

All of this goes for the iPhone version as well, but I’m more comfortable with the larger size especially for Chinese.

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It’s apparently a lot more stable. I haven’t used it much but it’s going to be my emergency go-to when the web app breaks down.

Personally I wouldn’t buy an iPad just for LingQ (it’s overall a very nice investment, I’ve used mine for years but for many things). There are iOS simulators that you can google and install on your computer. I’ve never needed to use those but you can check whether the LingQ app works nicely there and maybe that will be enough :wink:

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I use LingQ on different platforms but now mostly on iPad Pro 12" with Apple Pencil (for clicking and eventually writing the dictionaries entries) and now voice recognition control for input (for the dictionaries entries it’s faster). And TTS to use the audio for reading articles on different languages.

I have to say it’s the best experience so far.

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Another ipad mini user here. I like the experience, but I probably mostly use my phone (android) since it’s more portable and I can simply take it out of my pocket while in line at the store or any time I have a spare moment.

If I am on the couch being lazy I will often go to the ipad mini then and it’s a really nice experience.

I’ve not used a full ipad before, but I think I probably wouldn’t like it that much. Even the ipad mini, with cover, is pushing the weight for me, as I like to hold in hand (or hands). Ipad for me, I think, would be too bulky for how I generally want to use this type of thing. Although I imagine it’s fine, propped on a desk or your lap if one likes to use these in that manner. I simply like the more portable form factor of the ipad mini for tablets.

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I imagine I’ll find other uses for an iPad. I’ve seen students and teachers using the Apple Pencil for note-taking, which looks pretty handy, if it works well, and could replace all the spiral notebooks I lug around.

Would a 2021 / 64GB iPad cut it for LingQ and a Pencil?

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Thanks for the detailed response!

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I have an older model (from 2019 or 2018) and it works great, and you don’t have to worry much about the storage. I’ve also opted for one of the MEKO’s styluses (that’s MekoTech) which is 3-4x times cheaper than the Apple Pencil and works just as well.