Learn German - Free WordPowerv5.0

Released June 9, 2016Major

iOS

The latest major update resulted in a 0.41 star rating decline, dropping the average from 4.35 to 3.94. While the release successfully fixed media playback bugs, technical regressions in iCloud synchronization and vocabulary content accuracy created significant user friction. The net impact is negative as these issues currently outweigh the utility of new flashcard features.

What changed

New featureSupport for multiple custom word lists in the Word Bank
PlatformiCloud backup and sync for custom and starred word lists
UXNew 'Add to List' button and Star icon for easier word organization
UXComplete overhaul of the user interface
New featureAutomatic 'Missed words' flashcard deck for reviewing difficult words
UXNew setting to toggle auto-removal of missed words from the review deck
UXTransliterations now respect Word View Settings for sample sentences
UXIncreased maximum flashcards per session to include all available words
PerformanceFixed missing audio and images for words of the day
PerformanceGeneral bugfixes and performance improvements

Reception

36/ 100 impact scoreNegative

What worked

New feature
Users identify custom flashcard creation tools as effective supplemental study options.
Performance
The resolution of missing audio and image assets for daily word content successfully addressed a prior user pain point.

What didn't

Platform
backfired
The introduction of iCloud synchronization triggered new user reports of sync failures and data consistency issues.
UX
backfired
The interface overhaul coincided with reports of missing grammatical articles and plurals in vocabulary lists, which users state hinders learning effectiveness.

How it played out

Retrospective analysisAugust 11, 2026

The average rating declined by 0.41 stars following the update, shifting from 4.35 to 3.94. While the release successfully resolved previous audio and image playback issues, users report new friction regarding iCloud synchronization and the omission of essential grammatical markers in vocabulary content. The overall sentiment momentum appears to be weakening as technical regressions offset the utility of the new custom flashcard features.

-0.41 ★

Sentiment shift

New praises (1)

custom flashcard creation tools provide effective supplemental study optionsmediumversion-tied

New complaints (2)

iCloud sync failures following the update prevent cross-device data consistencylowversion-tied

missing grammatical articles and plurals in vocabulary lists hinder learning effectivenesslowversion-tied

Resolved complaints (1)

missing audio and image assets for daily word contentlow

Marlvel takeaways

Prioritize a patch for iCloud synchronization to resolve cross-device data consistency failures reported post-update.
Restore missing grammatical markers in vocabulary content to address user feedback regarding diminished learning utility.
Monitor the 0.41 star rating decline to determine if the negative sentiment trend stabilizes as technical regressions are addressed.

Original release notes

This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included.

What's new in v5.0? A LOT.

-NEW: you asked for it. You got it! You can now have multiple custom word lists in your Word Bank. Take control of organizing your study sessions. Wondering where your old Word Bank went? Don't worry. Your existing Word Bank will be moved to the new Starred word list. If you have an iCloud account, all of your custom lists and your Starred list will be backed up to iCloud and synced across your devices.
-NEW: add a word to one of your custom word lists by tapping on the new "Add to List" button on the word detail screen. You can also quickly add a word to the Starred list by tapping on the Star icon in the upper right.
-NEW: a beautiful new user interface
-NEW: it's now much easier to review words you're having trouble with! when you mark flashcards as wrong, they'll now be automatically added to a new flashcard deck called "Missed words." You'll find the new deck on the Flashcards screen at the top. When you mark these words as correct, they'll be automatically removed from the "Missed words" deck. If you'd like to manually remove words instead, just go to More->Settings (on iPad, Settings), then go into Flashcard Settings and turn off "Auto-remove missed words when marked right"
-NEW: transliterations are now hidden for sample sentences when they're turned off in Word View Settings
-NEW: you can now set the maximum flashcards per session to all available words instead of the max being 100
-FIXED: fixed an issue that would cause words of the day to be missing audio and images
-lots of other various bugfixes and improvements