Is this for beginners or people who already speak some Mandarin?
Both, for different reasons. Beginners get the exact sentences they need with audio and pinyin. People who already speak some Mandarin tend to use it for the situations they've been avoiding — the clinic, the bank, the landlord — where the vocabulary is narrow but unfamiliar, as well as certain phrases they simply never knew in more familiar situations.
How is this different from Google Translate?
Translate is for when you're already stuck: phone out, mid-conversation. This is for before and during — so you walk in already knowing the handful of things you'll need, and can find the right line mid-conversation without typing anything. Translate also tends to give Mainland vocabulary and won't know what 載具 means in context. Honestly, they pair well: prepare with this, keep Translate for curveballs.
Does it use Traditional or Simplified characters?
Traditional, throughout — that's what Taiwan uses. Pronunciations follow Taiwan standards too, so 垃圾 is lèsè, not lājī.
What is Pocket Taiwan World?
Raohe Night Market as a place you can walk through, built from the real street layout. Stalls have bosses who only speak Mandarin: you order, they ask the follow-up, you answer, you pay. Tap anything you see for its characters, pinyin and meaning. It plays in your browser on a phone or computer, and inside the Android app, where a phrase you say at a stall counts toward your review. It's free and experimental — expect rough edges, and tell me what to build next.
Is there an iPhone version?
It's being built now and is close. In the meantime the free tier works in any phone browser: open it in Safari, add it to your home screen, and it behaves much like an app, offline included. Pocket Taiwan World plays in Safari today. The paid unlock is currently Android-only.
Leave your email and you'll get one message the day the iPhone version is ready. Nothing else, ever.
Used only to send that one email. Not shared, not added to any list.
Do I need an account or an internet connection?
No account, ever. Once loaded it works offline — everything stays on your device. Only the AI practice mode needs a connection, and it sends just what you type.
What does the AI practice mode do?
Pick a situation and it plays the other person — the server, the clerk, the landlord — while you reply in Chinese or English. You can also have it show a full sample conversation first. It's rehearsal for the real thing, with pinyin and audio throughout.
Can I practice the phrases I've saved?
Yes. Tap ♡ on any phrase and it joins your reviews. They come back on a spaced schedule — minutes at first, then days, then months — and the ones you keep forgetting come round more often. You can be shown the English and recall the Chinese, or flip it the other way. Review works on the free situations too, not just the paid ones.
Where are my favorites and review progress stored?
On your phone, in the app itself — there's no account and nothing is uploaded. They survive app updates and reinstalls. Getting a new phone is the one case they don't follow you automatically, so Settings has "Back up my data", which saves everything to a file you can load on the new device.
