Banyan pairs you with someone who speaks what you’re learning and is learning what you speak. Text, voice notes, gentle corrections and little games — in both your languages.
Coming to the App Store for iPhone · Los Angeles first
Why a real person
Decades of research on how people actually acquire a language keep pointing the same way: real conversation — with a real person, about real things — does what drills and apps alone can’t. Negotiating meaning, being understood, being gently corrected, trying again. That is the practice. Banyan exists to make it easy to find.
Conversation where two people work to understand each other has a robust, measurable effect on learning — the finding of a meta-analysis of 28 studies (Mackey & Goo, 2007) building on Long’s Interaction Hypothesis.
Producing the language, not just hearing it, is what makes you notice the gaps and close them (Swain’s Output Hypothesis, 1985).
Learners who regularly speak with native or fluent partners gain fluency faster than those who only study — the consistent result of study-abroad and tandem-learning research.
How it works
Pick one or both. Banyan only shows you people who fit.
You teach yours, they teach theirs. You’re fluent in what they’re learning, and they’re fluent in what you’re learning. Half the conversation in each.
Learn the same language, side by side. You’re both learning it, at a similar level. Less pressure, more trying.
What you speak, and what you’re learning — with honest levels.
Comment in the language you’re learning. If they like you back, you match.
Nearby over coffee, or across the world in the chat.
Tap-to-correct, voice notes, a notebook for new words, and games to break the ice.
Real people only
Every member signs in with a real mobile number. No bots, no anonymous sign-ups.
A live selfie in the app earns a verified badge, so you know the person matches their photos.
Three likes a day and five active chats. Enough to meet people; not enough to treat them like a feed.
Easy reporting, blocking that sticks, and clear guidance if you choose to practice face to face.
