Straight answers, no small print
What parents ask us about FonoBeat, answered without the run-around.
What ages is FonoBeat for?
It's built for children aged 3 to 12 who are starting out with a language. It also works for teenagers and adult beginners who'd rather practise by singing than through grammar drills — the embarrassment of pronouncing has no age limit. The catalogue includes an adult line with its own settings.
Does it work if I do not speak the language my child is learning?
Yes, and it is a very common case. Every line shows its translation into your language and its pronunciation written with your own letters, so you can follow the practice and understand what your child is singing without knowing the language. The app never assumes the adult speaks it.
What can my child learn today?
FonoBeat teaches six languages — English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese — and teaches them from seven home languages. The languages page tells you, pair by pair, which one you can start today and which one is coming soon. The content is original songs and narrated stories, grouped into themed worlds, and every lesson has its five steps: listen, vocabulary, play, sing and the Challenge.
What is a Challenge?
It’s a song’s final test: singing it without the written pronunciation, with the pronunciation assessment listening to some passages and coming back with kind feedback — what already sounds right and what’s worth another go. It needs a grown-up’s permission. Singing and practising don’t use up Challenges; how many are included depends on the plan.
How does the pronunciation assessment work? Is it a grade?
It isn't an exam. The system compares your child's attempt with the reference and responds like a kind coach: it celebrates what already works and suggests what to repeat. The strictness adjusts across three modes (lenient, middle and demanding), and the adult chooses the mode.
What happens to my child's voice when the app listens?
It leaves the phone to be assessed: it travels encrypted to our server and to Microsoft Azure Speech, the external service that assesses it on the spot. Neither of them stores it, and we don’t use it to train any system. Only the result of the practice is kept, the stars from a Challenge, for example. We explain it in detail on the safety page.
How long should they practise each day?
Our general recommendation: a little every day beats a lot now and then. As a guide, 10 to 15 minutes around age 6, 15 to 20 around age 9 and 20 to 30 around age 12. Each lesson is designed for 15 to 25 minutes of work across its five steps.
Does it work offline?
Today practice needs a connection — Challenges in particular, because the pronunciation assessment happens in the cloud.
Are the songs the ones from the radio?
No. The whole catalogue is our own content, written for learning: safe, age-appropriate lyrics, useful vocabulary by level, careful pronunciation and separate vocal and instrumental tracks — that last part is what makes it possible to turn the singer down so your child can sing over the top.
How is it different from other language apps?
In the core mechanic: instead of loose exercises, your child sings real songs with the lyrics lighting up word by word, with up to four layers (lyrics, translation, sounded-out pronunciation and phonetic alphabet), controls how much of the singer's voice comes along, and gets feedback that encourages rather than grades. And in the house rules: no ads, no storing their voice, and progress you can see.
What if my child gets bored or it doesn't click?
It can happen — every child is different. That's why the free plan asks for no card: try it for a few days and decide from what you see. Inside the app, the three modes (Sing, Practise, Challenge), the world-based levels and the streaks are designed to renew interest; if it still isn't their thing, you've lost nothing.
Does it replace school lessons or the teacher?
No, and be wary of any app that promises it does. FonoBeat is practice: the space where things get repeated, the ear gets trained and the fear of pronouncing wears off. It complements teaching by people — it even has a school mode — but it doesn't substitute for it.
How do I see my child's progress?
In the parent dashboard: active days, practice minutes, Challenges done and how their pronunciation is going; and every week, a summary with finished songs and new words. Real practice progress, not screen minutes in disguise.
Can several children use it?
Yes, with separate profiles: each child has their own progress, streak and songs. How many profiles depends on the plan — the detail is on the pricing page.
Which languages does it teach, and from which languages?
It teaches six: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. Pick the one your child wants to learn and the app puts the translation and the pronunciation in the language they already read.
Where do I download the app?
The app is coming soon to the App Store and Google Play. When it's there, the links will appear on this site. In the meantime you can try the interactive karaoke demo here on the web, with nothing to install.
Looking for plans and payment? They're in pricing. Privacy? There's a whole page on safety.
