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New audio player in Elllo for Android

Please welcome the new audio player in Elllo for Android that brings a long awaited feature to the app. Playback under lock screen is now available in v1.33!

This is not the only change this update brings, here is the full list of new features:

  • continuous playback while the screen is locked or the app is not in foreground (sorry this is a paid PRO feature)
  • sticky notification with media controls
  • audio files are streaming by default, so you don’t have to download the whole file saving storage space on your device. You can still download the files for later if you want.
  • support for playlists that you can try out in vocabularies section (opens up the door to new features)
  • the look and feel has changed a bit

I hope you like it. Feedback is very welcome.
You can reach me directly by mail at takacs.albert.dev@hotmail.com
and on Facebook Messenger http://m.me/Elllo7EnglishLearning

Please like the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Elllo7EnglishLearning

– Albert

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Advertisments in Elllo

Hey, I just released the latest update of Elllo English Learning to the Android Play Store that is having the version number 1.30. I wanted to talk about a bit, because this version brings in something new in the life of the app.

The app started to show ads instead of encourage users on the free plan to upgrade to pro and try out the app on Windows 10, or like the facebook page.

It was a tough decision to go this way, but I’ll explain why I chose to implement AdMob from Google. Okay, everyone knows that nothing is for free. It is especially true when you try to host an application.

Here is the negative side of the balance:

  • I have a backend that serves as a data source for the app, and that costs an amount of money each month. This is mandatory to pay, unless the app will be dead.
  • I use advertising to let people know there is an app that is a great help in learning English as a foreign language. That costs even more money (altough it is not necessary and can be shut down anytime).
  • I also spend significant amount my free time to develop and operate the app. I enjoy it, and it’s a great source of knowledge gain, but I’d like to see that all that effort pays off in the end.

And the only income:

  • In-app purchases of Pro version of the app.

I can say that it barely covers the backend hosting expenses. You can see now that I had to do something. Now I’m experiencing with different options with AdMob and the types of ad units. You may see some more ads appearing while I figure out the perfect balance between undisturbed user experience and fair income.

You can always get rid of the ads forever by purchasing the Pro version. You’ll get many other features, and donate the development.

I hope it all make sense and you continue enjoy learning with Elllo English Learning app.

– Albert

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ReDraw! beta is out on Android

I am proudly present ReDraw! game for Android.

If you don’t know, ReDraw! is an addictive combination of memory and drawing games. It is also a great tool to improve fine motor skills for kids. Learn how to form geometries, letters and numbers.

Altough it is in beta right now, you can download and try it out:

google-play-badge_cropped

Screenshots:

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If you liked the app, please share it with others. Please send me feedback to takacs.albert.dev@hotmail.com

Read more at ReDraw! home page.

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Videos in recents – Elllo English Learning

This was a long time pending item on my to-do list. But I can complete it now with the latest update of the Android and Windows 10 app. (v1.23 and v3.1.13 respectively)

Long story short: in the beginning only interviews were available in the app, but recently videos have been added. Their integration into the recent list have not been finished somehow… I know, it is silly, but that is the case.

So, if you are curious to see which lessons did you visit recently, just go to the recent tab/section on the main screen. You can re-open them anytime you want.

Hope you like it.

videos_recents

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Update: Playback speed changer for Android

Hi English learners, just wanted to show you what’s new in Elllo English Learning v1.21 for Android.

I hope you enjoy the brand new feature for Android, the audio playback speed changer:

playback speed changer.png

This feature is only available on Android Marshmallow (6.0) or above. If you are a beginner, you can slow down the discussion or if you get bored, then just speed it up to match your skills.

Please let me know how it works for you.

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Update: Copy and translate messages in Elllo

Let me talk about the latest update of Elllo English Learning for Android.
Version 1.20 brings you two features that you got used to on Windows 10:

  • Difficulty indicators on interviews: these are little icons showing that the interview is for beginners, intermediate or advanced learners
  • Copy and translate messages: a context menu is appearing when long pressing on a message bubble. You can copy message texts one by one.

I hope you find the new features useful. I am working towards closing the gap between the two platforms. Enjoy learning! 😉🎧📖

Copy and Translate on longpress
Copy and Translate on longpress

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Reminder in Elllo

Incoming new feature! Just released the reminder feature to Elllo. With the help of this, you can set a recurring alarm for yourself.

How it works:

  • Go to Settings > Reminder
  • On Reminder page select days and the alarm time
  • Hit back button to save your changes
  • You’ll get a friendly reminder on the selected days. Tap it and you’ll be right in the app. That’s it.

The feature is available for both Android and Windows 10, in versions v1.19 and v3.1.1 respectively.

Here is how it looks like:

reminder_pc2

reminder_android