Study Snacks – Language & More, a program available on the Apple Vision Pro among other Apple devices, transforms traditional study methods into an engaging and interactive gaming experience. Created by Klemens Strasser, an indie developer who has been nominated for an Apple Design Award, the app offers a variety of innovative features aimed at making learning enjoyable and accessible to everyone.
The fundamental concept behind Study Snacks is to convert your study lists—whether they comprise English and Spanish vocabulary, global capitals and their countries, or elements from the periodic table along with their symbols—into interactive games. The app cleverly splits words into pieces, challenging users to put them back together, thus creating a more engaging method of memorization.
One of the standout features of Study Snacks is its focus on accessibility. It includes VoiceOver support, a dyslexic font, assistive learning features, large type support, customizable color schemes, VoiceControl support, and a custom rotor. These functions ensure that individuals with various learning needs and disabilities can effectively use the app. One particularly enthusiastic customer noted their satisfaction with the app’s accessibility, highlighting that even with frequent updates, the accessibility features remain intact. Their personal testimonial emphasized how the app has facilitated their studies in medical billing and coding, particularly for memorizing complex pharmacological terms, and praised the developer for their consistent efforts.
Study Snacks offers a plethora of resources and tools to enhance the learning experience. Users can download dozens of learning lists for free from the in-app store, covering a broad spectrum of subjects, including languages like Spanish, German, Italian, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. The app uses a gradual approach with bite-sized lessons that introduce new words while reinforcing those already learned. One user, who practices Chinese, found the app’s custom features beneficial for studying vocabulary across different devices, including the Vision Pro, iPad, and iPhone. They appreciated the 3D effect of the bubbles, which made the app feel more like a mini-game.
Study Snacks offers special learning lessons to help users master their study lists more quickly, and supports integrated learning directly on the Home Screen through widgets. Advanced users can scan lists via the camera or import them as CSV files from Excel or Google Drive, although this is a paid feature. Users can also engage with multiple study modes and different ways to split terms, tailoring their learning process to suit their preferences. The app also supports iCloud Sync and SharedWithYou, along with an Apple Watch app, providing a seamless and synchronized learning experience across multiple devices.
Despite its many attractive features, the app isn’t without its criticisms. One user expressed frustration at the lack of pronunciation guides, explaining that they had to rely on external sources like Google to ensure they were pronouncing words correctly. Another user experienced issues with the app crashing, which hampered their ability to use it. Users seeking to learn about African countries, cities, or languages might find the app lacking in content, as one reviewer pointed out the absence of such geographical and linguistic options.
While the app has generally been praised for its design, interactivity, and creative approach to learning, a few users have found the user interface less intuitive, noting a lack of contextual help that made it difficult to navigate initially. However, another user confirmed the app’s beautiful design and interactive features, hoping that it would help them retain Spanish vocabulary more effectively.
Study Snacks – Language & More is a well-designed, innovative, and highly accessible app that turns the often tedious task of studying into a fun and interactive experience. While it has areas that could be improved, such as the inclusion of pronunciation guides and more diverse geographical content, its current features make it an essential tool for learners of all types. The app is free to download and sure to be an invaluable asset for those looking to enhance their educational journey in a playful yet effective manner.
