TechCrunch Disrupt finalist Voxy, a service that lets you learn a language “from life” has just updated its iPhone app in the App Store, with one pretty disruptive difference; Voxy’s ESL app Aprende inglés now uses your location to help you learn a language, presenting you with the related vocabulary, as well things you hear and things you say if you’re at a destination like a restaurant, for example.
The app uses the SimpleGeo platform to bring users context-based lessons for about 150 points of interest including barbershops, dentist’s offices, banks, grocery stores and more. Each lesson is built so a user can complete it in three minutes, so as not to detract from the actual experience of being in a restaurant or grocery store.
“We’re getting closer to being able to simulate an immersive experience where the learning is done in the flow of daily life,” says founder Paul Gollash.
Voxy monetizes by a subscription model, at $2 a month for users that want added premium services like the ability to get lessons via SMS. The service currently has 100k registered users (75k active users) and is ranked #1 in the App Store’s Education category for over 8 countries. In Spain the app is #3 in overall apps.
Right now Voxy is only available for Spanish speakers that want to learn English but Gollash plans on expanding to other languages soon, with a version for English speakers who want to learn Spanish now in private beta. An Android app should also be available in the coming weeks.
