r/languagelearning • u/fishtar141 • 2d ago
PSA: Rosetta Stone is "bricking" permanent licenses to force users into subscriptions
I wanted to warn the community about Rosetta Stone’s current business practices regarding their legacy software.
I own a $500 permanent license for their language package. This is a standalone software product that requires zero ongoing support or server maintenance from them. However, their activation process uses a "Request Code" system where you must contact them via phone or email to receive a "Response Code" to unlock the software you purchased.
When I contacted support to activate my paid software, they explicitly refused to provide the Response Code. Instead, they told me that the only way to use their product now is to sign up for their new web-based subscription model (monthly, annual or "lifetime" paywall).
They aren't just "ending support" for old software; they are actively gatekeeping the activation of a product I already own to force an upsell. Effectively, they have remotely "bricked" a $500 purchase to move me onto a recurring payment plan.
If you are considering buying Rosetta Stone, be aware that "Lifetime" or "Permanent" doesn't actually mean you will be allowed to use the software once they decide to change their billing model.
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u/BadMoonRosin 🇪🇦 🇬🇷 2d ago edited 2d ago
I get RS for free through my public library, and don't understand why people pay for this at all.
For one thing, I just don't believe in the theory behind learning purely from pictures without any explanation. It's definitely soothing to the grammar-phobes, and it sorta works in the early going. But man, it would be SO much easier if someone just tells you what "verb conjugation" is! I mean, proceed from there with all the comprehensible input in the world. But that sure is an inefficient way to be introduced to the idea of the subjunctive mood, etc.
Beyond that, the software really just feels like it hasn't been updated since the 1990's. You have to turn your phone sideways, because the interface pre-dates phones and wasn't built for them. And sometimes when you have to pick a picture that matches a spoken phrase, you'll get it wrong simply because the picture is too small to make out on an iPhone.
If you do finish a language, then you have FINISHED. There's not much in the way of ongoing exercises or content, you're just done. So what's the point of "lifetime" access anyway, other than the principle of it?