According to them, the design of the app (not to mention the Duolingo Owl) was deliberate. In an article by The Verge, the aforementioned push notifications were put into question.

Read Also: Best Apps To Learn Foreign Language: Duolingo, Babbel, Memrise, AnkiApp, Busuu, And More Why The Passive Aggressive Reminders? But as bad as that may be for users, this is specifically how the language learning app was designed. These notifications have been reported as somewhat 'very demotivating' by lots of users over the years, saying that even more moderated daily goal settings don't put the aggressive notifications in check. The notifications range from simple, harmless-sounding reminders to things which can be quite mean, such as 'Spanish isn't going to learn itself.' If you have Duolingo installed on your device, you most likely have noticed its constant push notifications reminding you to continue your lessons. Duolingo And Its 'Passive Aggressive' Push Notifications What's even more impressive is that the number actually works, with a fake lawyer answering your call. The video ends by posting a hotline to the fake law firm Menchetti & Sons, 781-STOP-OWL. There were phrases like 'Spanish or vanish,' 'French or the trench,' 'Japanese or broken bones,' or 'Korean or never be seen' which are veiled threats to those who obviously miss their daily language study goals. The reported threats from the Duolingo owl were also shown in the video, and they're quite terrifying if you think about it.

The firm promises to help victims of Duo the Owl to rescue any family members or loved ones who got kidnapped by the owl, seemingly as retribution for language learners losing their study streaks. Mashable writes that the video is done in the guise of a law office commercial from a fake firm.

Duo owl