It seems that China’s crackdown on those trying to make money from education may have now extended to language-learning apps. Duolingo, Memrise and Beelinguapp, to name three, have disappeared from Android app stores within the country since the end of July.
According to Bloomberg, Duolingo is working to address the issue and hopes to have the Android-friendly version of its app available there again soon, and the suspension doesn’t seem to affect existing users.
Of course, there is no direct evidence that the removal of the apps from the China market is due to the new rules, which are aimed at preventing the monetising of after-school tutoring and private education, and include a ban on hiring non-national teachers abroad (see ‘China bans off-shore online tutors’, 10 August). However, as news spread on social media Duolingo’s shares took a dive.
Some believe China has the online gaming sector in its sights next. Pass the controls…
