Miaru 1.3.0: Our Biggest Update Yet, and Our First 100 Learners

Two big things happened this month, and I want to share both with you. Miaru 1.3.0 is out, and it's the biggest update to Miaru since launch. And Miaru just passed 100 active learners.

100 of you

A hundred might sound small, and next to the biggest apps out there, it is. But to me it's a hundred real people who chose to spend a few minutes of their day learning with Miaru, and who keep coming back. When I launched in August, I honestly didn't know if anyone would show up. You did.

Every app, every company and every product has a beginning. Every one of them once had a first hundred. This is ours, and it's just the beginning for Miaru and for me. So thank you: for the lessons you've played, the streaks you've kept and the feedback you've sent. You're the reason Miaru keeps getting better.

Miaru 1.3.0: the biggest update yet

This release touches almost every part of the app. Here's what's new.

Two new courses: Chinese and Korean

Miaru now has five courses. Mandarin Chinese takes you through 3,500 simplified characters in 12 levels and 114 real-life topics, from your first nǐ hǎo to the noodle shop, the subway and Spring Festival: 913 lessons in all. Korean starts with Hangul in 34 short lessons, then takes you to the café, the subway, the jjimjilbang and a night at the noraebang: 497 lessons in all.

For now, both courses are taught from English, so if you speak English you can start today. Support for Miaru's other languages is on the way.

Reviews that bring words back right before you'd forget them

Every word, sentence and character you learn now gets its own review schedule. Miaru brings it back right before you'd forget it, then waits a little longer every time you get it right. Due words show up inside your lessons, and when your course says it's time to review, a quick review round gives you up to 15 of them, one question each. Review rounds are free on every plan, earn XP and keep your streak alive.

Sapphires and the new Shop

Every XP you earn now drops a sapphire in your bag, one for one. You can spend them in the new Shop:

• Streak freezes keep your streak safe on a day you miss.

• XP boosters multiply one lesson's XP by 2, 5 or 10, and its sapphires too.

• Extra lessons open one more new lesson today, after your free one.

Sapphires are only ever earned by learning. They're never sold.

A streak that follows your day

Your streak now counts your own local day, wherever you are. Keep it going and you'll see new celebrations along the way, and the leaderboard now has a podium for the top three.

A free lesson every day

After your first five lessons, a new free lesson opens every day. If you're not ready to subscribe, you can still learn something new every single day.

A guided tour with Luffy and Ai

New to Miaru? Luffy and his friend Ai now walk you through the app: your course, a lesson, the leaderboard, the Shop and your profile. You can replay the tour any time from your settings.

A fresh miaru.co

The website got an update too. You can now boost a lesson's XP and watch a review round right on the home page, and play a first lesson of Chinese or Korean before you sign up.

Where to get it

Miaru 1.3.0 is live on the web and on Android right now. The iPhone update is waiting on Apple's review and should reach the App Store very soon.

Next stop: 1,000

Today it's 100. Next it's 1,000, then 10,000, then 100,000, and one day, a million learners. I know how that sounds. But every one of those numbers starts the same way this one did: one learner, one lesson, one day at a time.

I hope you'll stick around for the ride. I can't wait to show you what comes next: more languages, then math, reading and science, all just as playful.

Thank you for being one of the first 100.

— Rijad, founder of Miaru