Does Canto School need an account?
No Canto School account is needed. Your learning progress is stored locally. Purchases use your Apple or Google Play account separately.
What is free?
New iPhone and iPad installations get one free chapter at their chosen starting level. The starting level is fixed after onboarding; resetting course progress does not grant a different chapter. Existing learners keep previously granted access. The optional placement check is free and needs no microphone. There is no trial countdown.
Build is free, including available exact word, phrase-part and sentence recordings. Vocabulary can be browsed without subscribing. Its standalone playback includes Hello, Good morning and Bye as three free greetings. Full Course includes all stages, full Vocabulary access, flashcard study and personal decks, Review and optional Theory. Older installed versions may show a different layout or free offer.
How do Vocabulary and flashcards work?
Vocabulary starts with Words, with Short phrases and Sentences available separately. Search in English, Cantonese or Jyutping, open a word for details, and use Add to deck with Full Course.
Browse themed flashcard collections or make a personal deck from library cards or your own English, Cantonese and Jyutping text. Tap a card to reveal its answer; play audio when an exact recording is available. Still learning and I know this schedule future reviews, shared across decks. Edit a deck's name or icon, or recover a deleted personal deck from Recently deleted. Flashcards do not complete course lessons or award assessment results.
Does it use the microphone?
In iPhone and iPad version 1.9 and later, tap the microphone to start and tap the square to finish. An attempt ends after at most 15 seconds. A bundled on-device Cantonese recognizer checks words on your iPhone or iPad; it never falls back to online recognition. Audio stays in memory and is not saved as a recording file or uploaded. Word matching does not grade pronunciation or tones.
Microphone permission is optional. If you cannot speak or recognition is unavailable, choose Build instead for word-tapping practice. This does not use the microphone and remains active for later speaking activities in that lesson. The microphone stops when the app enters the background or is interrupted.
Earlier iOS versions, including 1.8, with Hold to speak and Hear mine instead make a temporary local recording for replay, deleted when you retry or leave. Their optional Apple recognition stays on device; Android versions with these controls offer local record and replay without automatic recognition. Attempts are not uploaded.
Can I use the course offline?
Lessons, pictures and available recordings ship with the app. Existing flashcard decks and schedules stay on your device. Missing or withheld recordings remain unavailable; the app does not generate speech for them. iPhone and iPad version 1.9 and later include a bundled recognizer for offline practice on iPhone and iPad; it never falls back to online recognition. Older versions require available Apple on-device recognition. Android record and replay, where offered, are local. Purchases, restoring access and opening these pages require a connection. Previously verified production iPhone access supports offline learning until its verified subscription expiration; a renewal may need a connection to verify. Google Play subscription access can continue for up to 24 hours after a successful connected ownership check; reconnect if the app asks to confirm access.
How do subscriptions and restoring access work?
Full Course is an optional monthly subscription; the store shows the price and renewal terms before you confirm. If you already paid or subscribed, sign in to the same Apple or Google Play account, connect to the internet and choose Restore purchaseson the Full Course screen before trying to buy again. Restoring access does not restore another device's learning progress. Apple and Google Play purchases do not transfer between stores.
Qualifying earlier paid-app owners and valid one-time Full Course purchasers keep access without subscribing. If purchase history cannot be verified, contact support rather than buying again.
On Android, a pending purchase must complete before it unlocks access. If access cannot be confirmed, you can keep using your granted free content while you check your connection and Google Play account. Your saved progress is retained when subscription access ends.
Use Manage subscription in the app, or open Apple subscriptions or Google Play subscriptions to manage or cancel in the store where you subscribed. Uninstalling or resetting progress does not cancel a subscription. Refund requests follow Apple's refund process or Google Play's refund policy.
What if I have complimentary access?
Where offered, complimentary access is separate from a store purchase and creates no payment or renewal. It does not cancel an existing Google Play subscription. From Profile, open Unlock full course or Manage course access, then choose Redeem complimentary access. The access record is local to your Android installation; after clearing app data or reinstalling, enter your valid code again. Contact support if you need help.
Can I turn reminders off?
Reminders are optional and off by default. In Profile, use Auntie's reminder to choose a time or turn it off. The app schedules one quiet notification locally each day. You can also manage Canto School notifications in your phone's settings. Resetting course progress does not change the reminder setting.
How do I delete my progress?
Open Profile, choose Reset course progress, and confirm. This deletes course progress, saved lesson drafts and migration backups on that device. In versions with one free chapter, it keeps your fixed starting level and onboarding choices; resetting does not renew that allowance. It keeps flashcard decks, custom cards, ratings and review schedules, recently deleted decks, reminders, previously granted entry lessons and purchase access. Manage flashcards separately in the flashcard library. Clearing Android app data or uninstalling removes local data, but your device's backup may restore ordinary progress and preferences on reinstall. Manage those backups separately in your device or backup provider's settings. Neither action cancels a subscription.
Audio is not playing
Some words, custom cards and Build combinations have no exact recording. An unavailable recording does not show a playable audio control; custom card text does not generate new speech. For an available recording, check device volume and audio output, disconnect an unintended Bluetooth device, and restart Canto School. Include the phrase or lesson name if you contact support about a recurring problem.
Contact support
Canto School is published and operated by Segis Junior AB. Email Canto School support at cantoschool@live.se with the app version, phone model, Android or iOS version, affected lesson, and what happened. Do not send passwords, payment-card details, purchase tokens, medical records, or other sensitive information.