Support
Last updated: September 2, 2026
Contact
Write to [email protected]. A person reads every message.
To get an answer in one round, include your iPhone model and iOS version, the app version, the language you were studying, and what you expected to happen. The app version is under Settings › Apps › Cognate. Screenshots help.
Cognate has no account, so there is nothing else to send, and nothing we can look up on our side.
Devices
iPhone with iOS 26 or later. The Apple Watch app needs a watch paired to that iPhone. There is no Android, web or Mac version.
Accounts
Cognate has no accounts. There is no sign-up, no e-mail address and no password. Your data lives on your phone and, if you are signed in to iCloud, in your own iCloud.
Placement
Sixteen yes-or-no questions search the frequency list by halving. The result is an estimate of how many words you already know, with a range. Answering honestly is what makes it accurate, and it sharpens as you study.
Words retained · 90% threshold
The number of words Cognate expects you to remember right now with at least 90% probability, from your review history. It is the app's only headline number. It starts at zero the day you begin, separate from the placement estimate.
Price
The free tier keeps one language, 50 words in study, the widget, the whole dictionary and search.
| Cognate Pro | Price |
|---|---|
| Yearly, with a 14-day free trial | $29.99 a year |
| Monthly | $4.99 a month |
| Lifetime, paid once | $79.99 |
Prices vary by country; the App Store shows yours. All plans support Family Sharing.
Canceling a subscription
Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions › Cognate. Canceling at least 24 hours before the renewal date stops the next charge. What you learned stays.
Restoring Pro on a new phone
Open Languages › Cognate Pro and tap Restore purchases. It uses your Apple Account; there is nothing to log in to.
Refunds
Refunds are handled by Apple: reportaproblem.apple.com. We do not see your payment details, so we cannot refund directly.
Adding or removing a language
Both happen in the Languages tab. Each dictionary downloads once and then works offline. Deleting a dictionary removes only the file; your words and answers stay, and the dictionary can be downloaded again at any time.
The free tier keeps one language in study; Pro opens all 49.
Offline use
After the dictionary download, nothing in Cognate needs a connection. iCloud sync and the App Store are the only things that do.
iCloud sync
If your phone is signed in to iCloud, your study data syncs between your own devices through your private iCloud database. There is nothing to set up and nothing to turn on. If you are not signed in, the app works the same and nothing is synced.
A word that left the study queue
A word that keeps slipping leaves the study queue so it stops costing reviews. It stays in the dictionary, and you can look it up at any time.
Notifications
At most two a day, for words that are due. Timing follows your forgetting curve, and nothing is sent when fewer than five words are waiting. iOS asks for permission once; you can change it in Settings › Notifications.
Screen Time shield
An optional focus tool. You pick the apps you lose time to; they stay closed until today's cards are done, and reopen the next morning.
Cognate never learns which apps you chose; iOS keeps that to itself. Turn it off in the app at any time.
Memory hooks and generated sentences
On supported devices, Cognate can write a memory hook for a word you keep forgetting, or an example sentence for a word the dictionary has none for. This runs on Apple's on-device model; nothing leaves your phone. Generated text is always labeled, and the feature can be switched off.
Dictionary sources
Wiktionary, Tatoeba, FrequencyWords, Lingua Libre, JMdict, the Diorisis corpus and other open sources, mainly under CC BY-SA. The full list with licenses is in the app under Sources.
Deleting everything
Delete the app to remove the study data on that device. Data kept in your own iCloud is managed in Settings › Apple Account › iCloud › Manage Storage.
A wrong definition
Send the word, the language and what is wrong to [email protected]. Dictionary fixes ship as pack updates and reach you without an app update.