Source: OT-Team(G), 南方都市报, 江南都市报
Several users have recently accused Duolingo of turning its “7-day free trial” into an unexpected annual subscription charge, with some saying they were charged hundreds of yuan after the trial ended.
On September 28, Duolingo’s customer service told reporters that users who choose the 7-day free trial also agree to an automatic renewal arrangement. The app says it will remind users two or three days before the trial ends, giving them the option to cancel before any payment is made.
However, some users said they did not receive a noticeable reminder and later discovered that their accounts had been charged annual membership fees.
One user said they had selected a “7-day free trial” of Super Duolingo’s family plan after using the app for several months. Instead of seeing a trial countdown, they found that RMB 738 had been charged as an annual subscription fee.
Another university student said he had expected to receive a reminder before the trial ended so that he could cancel the subscription. After the trial period, however, he said no renewal notification appeared and he later discovered that more than RMB 500 had been deducted from his account. He subsequently requested a refund through the platform and by email, which he said was processed successfully. He later stopped using the app.
There have also been previous complaints about similar charges. Earlier this year, some consumers said they had been charged membership fees ranging from RMB 588 to RMB 998 after signing up for a free trial, despite saying they had not received a reminder before the trial ended. One user said they only noticed the charge more than a month later, while another reported being charged RMB 958.
Duolingo’s customer service told reporters that the free trial does not immediately deduct money. Instead, users first authorize password-free payment through their mobile payment platform. If they do not cancel before the seven-day trial ends, the annual fee is then charged.
According to the customer service representative, reminders may be sent by text message or through the app. Users can cancel at any time during the free-trial period, and refund requests are assessed according to individual circumstances and Duolingo’s refund policies.
The app’s trial page, tested by reporters, stated that users would be reminded two or three days before the free trial ended and that automatic renewal could be canceled at any time without a penalty. After users confirmed the agreement, the page displayed an annual fee of RMB 738.
The controversy has also drawn attention to the app’s growing number of advertisements. One user said she and a university roommate had used Duolingo for years to study Korean together and maintained streaks of several hundred days. She said the pair used their daily study sessions to stay connected even after moving to different cities following graduation.
However, she said advertisements had recently become increasingly frequent, with an ad appearing after almost every completed unit. She chose not to activate the free trial because she was concerned about difficulties recovering an unexpected charge.
Some users have also complained online that the free version has become more restrictive, citing more advertisements, frequent subscription prompts and limits on the number of “hearts” available for daily learning.
A Beijing lawyer said that the “free trial + automatic renewal” business model itself is not illegal. However, businesses offering automatic renewal services must meet specific notification and cancellation requirements.
According to the lawyer, under China’s consumer-protection and online-transaction rules, businesses must provide prominent information when users activate an automatic-renewal service and must give users a clear reminder before the renewal charge. The lawyer said that the reminder should be actively delivered, such as by text message or push notification, at least five days before the charge, and that consumers must have an easy-to-find way to cancel the subscription. Businesses are also prohibited from using a default selection to activate automatic renewal.
The lawyer further noted that simply placing a notification in an app’s message center may not necessarily satisfy the requirement for a prominent reminder. If an important notice is buried among advertisements and other system messages and users would not see it without opening the app, it could be considered insufficient in judicial practice.
He also said that platforms should be able to provide evidence that reminders were actually delivered, such as SMS delivery records or valid pop-up records. If a platform cannot provide such evidence, it could face an unfavorable outcome in a dispute.
The lawyer advised consumers to keep screenshots or screen recordings of the entire subscription process, as well as payment records, receipts, bank statements and notifications before and after any charge. Records of communications with customer service should also be preserved.
He particularly warned users not to assume that deleting an app cancels a subscription. Uninstalling the app does not necessarily revoke the payment authorization. Consumers should cancel the subscription both through the app and through the relevant payment platform and keep a screenshot showing that the cancellation was successful.
For consumers who believe they have been improperly charged, the lawyer suggested first submitting a written refund request to the platform and raising a transaction dispute with the payment provider. If negotiations fail, consumers can file a complaint through China’s 12315 consumer-protection system. Depending on the circumstances, they can also report suspected violations to market regulators or relevant telecommunications authorities. If mediation does not resolve the dispute, consumers may pursue legal action.
The lawyer emphasized that the key compliance requirements are that subscription information must be truthful and complete, renewal reminders must be prominent and effective, and cancellation must be simple and convenient.
For consumers considering a free trial, he advised carefully checking the charging conditions and renewal terms before subscribing, and promptly disabling any automatic payment authorization that is no longer needed.