Speak is getting an interactive new way to practice your language skills

For some people, learning a new language is one of the most difficult skills to acquire as an adult. And for as great as popular solutions like Duolingo are, problems this tricky can benefit from multiple approaches. Earlier this year, we took a look at what the Speak app had to offer for language-learners, and today we’re hearing about a big new upgrade coming to the service.

Considering Speak’s close relationship with OpenAI, this latest addition probably shouldn’t be too surprising: Speak is getting access to new AI-powered practice conversations. This AI Tutor Call feature is designed to provide short, 8-to-10 minute opportunities to practice, ask questions, and get feedback on your progress.

Speak cofounder & CTO Andrew Hsu tells Android Authority that the feature evolved out of the private 1-on-1 language tutor calls that it found were popular among business customers looking to learn English. Compared to those, Speak’s solution is designed to be more flexible, more affordable, and do a better job keeping track of your progress.

Users can shape the direction of their practice however they choose, trying out business conversations, or preparing for an upcoming vacation. And the tutor is programmed to remember what you’ve discussed in the past, so you can always continue a conversation later.

AI Tutor Call is designed to watch out for frequently recurring mistakes, helping you focus your efforts on where they’re needed most. But it’s also not intended to pressure you, letting users interact with it at their own preferred pace.

Availability is getting started straight away, with support for users learning English and Spanish. For full access, you’ll need to be on Speak’s Premium Plus subscription tier, while regular Premium members get a single trial AI Tutor Call. Right now, Premium access goes for $18 a month or $84 a year, while Premium Plus runs $40 monthly or $165 annually. To give it a try, just open up the Speak app and head right to the Practice tab.

Going forward, Speak hopes to quickly expand that support to all languages currently covered. And as AI Tutor Calls continue to evolve, along with the models that power them, we shouldn’t be surprised if Speak ends up tweaking its access and pricing decisions accordingly. All told, this could be the start of a major shift for the app — and hopefully, an extremely valuable resource for its students.