Idiomly – Your Language, Your Pet, Your Journey

Learning a language? Use Idiomly! Dive into interactive lessons, take on fun challenges, and get excited for upcoming AR features and voice recognition activities!

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Idiomly – Your Language, Your Pet, Your Journey

Inspiration

I’ve spent my whole life in the same institution—growing up, learning, and now working there. It’s where I developed an app that helps over 1200 students with all our educational content. I’ve added cool features like PencilKit annotations, interactive AR, and fun 3D stories and games.

I always wanted to create something similar on my own. Even before the Hackathon, I had this idea brewing for a language learning app. Joining the Hackathon gave me the perfect push to finally dive in and start building Idiomly. It felt like the right moment to take that big leap!

What it does

In this first version of Idiomly, you’ll find some solid basics to get you started with language learning. We’ve got lessons for learning English, Spanish, French, and Italian, focusing on different foundational topics.

Once you feel comfortable with the lessons, you can jump over to the challenges section and put your knowledge to the test! It’s a fun way to see how well you understood everything and keep the learning journey exciting.

Looking ahead, I plan to add Beginner and Advanced lessons, along with weekly and monthly updates to keep things fresh. Plus, there will be challenges tailored to each lesson to keep the fun going!

How we built it

I used SwiftUI for almost all of the UI in Idiomly, along with some UIKit for customizing the task bar and Tab view. The logic behind everything was developed in Swift, and I used AI as a resource. I found out through experience that it’s not just about asking AI to do something; you really need to understand what you’re asking, interpret the information it gives you, and implement it correctly to make it effective.

Of course, I’m using the RevenueCat framework for monetization. Looking ahead, I plan to integrate the Spline framework for some awesome 3D content, which I’ve had great experiences with in the past.

Challenges we ran into

I definitely faced a few challenges while working on Idiomly. The biggest one was a time crunch. I lost two weeks of development because my sister's wedding was out of town. On top of that, I was pretty anxious about whether Apple would approve my app in time.

I also had my fair share of headaches with UI/UX and NavigationStacks for background color continuity. Figuring out how to get everything to work smoothly was a real test, but it pushed me to find solutions and improve the overall experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I’m really proud to finally have launched Idiomly on the App Store! Given that my other projects are quite large and I’m the sole developer at my company, this feels like a huge milestone. I rely a lot on TestFlight, using different groups for each part of the company, and I’m currently working on fixing roles to streamline that process.

I’m also proud of my design choices and the little Easter eggs I included in the app. Some of the dogs are more than just cute avatars—they have hidden names that pay tribute to past pets who are no longer with me. They hold a sentimental value, and I love that I could bring that personal touch to the app.

What we learned

I learned a ton from this experience, especially how to launch a full app publicly on the App Store! I also got to dive into the RevenueCat SDK, which was super helpful for monetization. On top of that, I brushed up on my Italian and French—since my native language is Spanish, English and Spanish were a breeze for me. I studied three years of French and one year of Italian, so working on the lessons felt like a good refresher.

Additionally, I learned how to structure a Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy site. As an international developer, I also figured out how to fill out multiple forms for tax purposes, which was a valuable experience.

What's next for Idiomly – Your Language, Your Pet, Your Journey

For Idiomly, I’m excited to roll out Beginner, Basic, and Advanced lessons, along with corresponding challenges to keep things engaging. I plan to implement AR features and 3D content, as well as introduce interactive pets to make the learning experience even more fun.

I’m also looking to add streaks and rewards to keep users motivated. Plus, instead of just offering English-to-other languages, I want users to be able to choose their native language and learn different languages from there. It’s all about making language learning accessible and enjoyable for everyone!

Once I feel comfortable with the amount of content there is on the app, I'll start planning a marketing strategy.

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