Tandem (app)

Tripod Technology GmbH

Type of site	Language Exchange Platform Privately Held Corporation
Available in	Multilingual Chinese (Simplified, Traditional) English French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazilian) Russian Spanish (Latin American) [1]
Headquarters	Berlin, Germany
Founder(s)	Arnd Aschentrup, Tobias Dickmeis, Matthias Kleimann
Industry	E-Learning, Online Education
Services	Language exchange, Online tutoring, Tandem language learning, Online learning community
URL	www.tandem.net
Registration	Required (free)
Launched	February 2015;10 years ago (2015-02)
Current status	Active
Native client(s) on	Android, iOS

Tandem is a mobile language-exchange app for iOS and Android that connects learners with native speakers for one-to-one text, audio and video chats. Founded in 2014 and launched on iOS in 2015 (Android in 2016/2017), the company is based in Berlin. Apple listed Tandem among its "Best Apps of 2015". ^{[2] [3]}

History

Tandem was founded in Hannover in 2014 by Arnd Aschentrup, Tobias Dickmeis, and Matthias Kleimann. Prior to founding Tandem, Aschentrup, Dickmeis and Kleimann had launched Vive, a members-only mobile video chat platform. ^[4]

In 2020, Tandem discontinued its in-app professional tutoring feature to focus on language exchange. ^[5]

Criticism

Tandem has received criticism for not accepting members into the community immediately like on HelloTalk, Speaky or Cafehub. In some countries, there is a waiting list and applicants can wait up to seven days for their application to be processed by the human moderators. ^[6]

Subscription

Tandem Pro is an optional subscription with additional tools (e.g., more translations, vocabulary features, ad-free use, and enhanced calling/”Language Parties”). ^[7]

See also

• italki
• HelloTalk
• English as a second or foreign language

References

1. "Tandem Language Exchange App | Find Conversation Exchange Partners". Tandem - Speak Any Language. Retrieved 2020-02-24. Interface languages provided by the Tandem analytics team in 2020.
2. "Tandem is a messaging app where language learners chat". TechCrunch. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
3. "Apple's 25 Best iPhone Apps of the Year". TIME. 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
4. "Vive, The Mobile App That Lets You Video Chat With Strangers, Raises $1.5M". TechCrunch. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
5. "FAQ: Are professional tutors still available on Tandem?". Tandem. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
6. King, Stephanie L. (2020-03-25). "Fire Up One of These Language Apps For At-Home Learning". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
7. "What is included in a Tandem Pro subscription?". Tandem Help Center. 6 August 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.