I bring here a thread opened in another section. Not sure yet it is a Bug, we need clarification by admin/Memrise
Hi! Has anyone else had the application automatically update and remove the download feature (and downloaded courses for that matter) so it’s only available to paid members?
It was our primary reason for selecting this platform for a course we are building and the majority of our students don’t have internet access more than once or twice a week which would be detrimental to their learning having such long periods without practice. For most of them the price of the service is also very prohibitive.
Can someone confirm or explain this, and if this change is for good can anyone suggest another service which has similar options for building/practicing vocabulary without the prohibitive cost and technological restriction of needing a constant internet connection… Thank you! 
Hello!
My version of the Android application was also automatically updated today but I seem to still have this download feature. I wasn’t using it before reading your message, but I just managed to download a short course without any problem, and I’m not a pro member.
I just tried accessing this short course offline, and there was no problem. Maybe you could tell us more about the application version you’re using? Some other users may have the same problem with the same version.
I think a picture of your screen would help.
Which operating system? What version? It might just have moved.
Some people could answer you more easily. I would then move your post to the “bug section” or “how to” depending on your answer.
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I just received an email from one of the customer service reps with the following response: “With the new update it is indeed so that downloading courses for offline use is only available to Pro members.” Pity as while I would pay happily most of our students cannot given it’s half of their monthly (and already low) wages… So we’ll have to look into an alternative solution 
In any case thanks for your responses .
@sircemloud It was on a motorola cellphone with android, i have yet to figure out how to disable auto updates for the apps it seems. Not sure if it would now fit into either section you mention. Perhaps would have been more pertinent/helpful in the “announcements” section by memories staff… 
@Onesmy hopefully yours won’t go through the same update process or maybe disable it to keep the functionality?
Best 
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Now I suddenly feel a bit disappointed that this became a “pro only” feature, even though I’m not using it (my phone doesn’t have enough memory for me to play around with this kind of functionality). I guess there are good reasons for that but still… Being able to use up all my phone memory by putting a
I’m sorry if I gave you false hopes by saying that I still had this feature. I really thought it was just a bug or something like this, and I didn’t even realize my version could be the one with the bug. I guess now I should report still having this download feature as a bug. 
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This is really unfortunate, because downloading is an accessibility feature.
It’s not important to me because I have high quality Internet access nearly everywhere I spend time.
Where it matters is in rural areas or countries with less Internet access - both of which are highly correlated with users less able to afford to pay. Memrise is making itself inaccessible to many of the users least able to pay to regain that access, while those of us with money can already afford good mobile data access anyway, and mostly live in plaes with better net coverage.
This seems very sad, and IMO reflects poorly on memrise’s choices. They ought to be trying to attract money from those of us who are better able to pay, instead.
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Ouch, I almost always do my German vocabulary offline on my way to work, as there is no coverage on the metro (and the practice is a good use of the time). If it indeed stops working, I guess I’m back to reading instead…
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It is still working on the iOS version (2.1.15 (2398). I hope it is not taken away from there in the future. I rely heavily on offline capability as Internet capability is not always available in the more rural parts of Taiwan.
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Are you sure this is an issue ?
I just downloaded Cos’ Hebrew course on my iPad (iOS) and phone (android) and they both work just fine offline. (These 2, plus the web version now give me 3 reasons to actually begin learning some Hebrew). Not sure why it doesn’t work for someone else, but does for me.
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I have just downloaded some Memrise courses and it works. I am nonPro. I just had to try a few times to make it download!
My downloaded courses still work for me too. But if the customer service says it is going to be a Pro feature, I’ll be afraid to download any updates now.
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I don’t believe in it till they come out with it and announce it publicly!
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If this is limited to Android at this point, I won’t upgrade that app since it is only on my tiny phone screen. I do the bulk of my learning on my iPad (which is iOS - and has a much bigger screen) so I hope that app is never impacted. I always upgrade the iOS app as soon as new versions are released.
I am not a Pro member. I have more than 40+ courses that I utilize offline at any given time during the day since wifi is never a certainty in my neck of the woods.
I feel this is a feature that Memrise should extend to all it’s users, regardless of platforms, and without the necessity of being a paying member. We are a mobile society after all, and this functionality helps broaden their appeal. Why limit that appeal for the sake of money (if that is the logic) ? There are other features of the product that they deem for paying members only (and that’s fair enough). I just feel that this shouldn’t be one of them.
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Here are screenshots of my app. The quoted text is exactly copied from a customer service representative in email response to my query regarding this. I feel like a guinea pig for this new feature of memrise and I only joined up about a week ago XD
Mobile moto e 2nd gen, Android version 5.0.2
Memrise version 2.9_3820_memrise
@Onesmy you declared a good thing a bug! XD
Moral of story… Do not update if wanting to keep the option to download
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Phone info:
[quote=“quala, post:15, topic:434”]
Mobile moto e 2nd gen, Android version 5.0.2Memrise version 2.9_3820_memrise
[/quote]
Now this is interesting, because I have the same Memrise version and offline still works for me (I was able to review offline this morning and I have tried to download a course right now and it is working).
I have the same version of the app (2.9_3820_memrise), but I’m on a different Android version (4.3.1).
Offline is working on my phone. I am on Android 5.0, and Memrise 2.9_3818.
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Is it possible they are only testing it for a subset of users? (I know that for example Duolingo does that all the time, but I’m not sure about Memrise.)
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Yes, I know. The problem is that when a feature doesn’t behave the way the developers want it to behave, it’s a bug, even if the way the feature behaves is good for the users. Basically, something that should only be available to paying users but is available to some non-paying users is definitely a bug. Even though all those non-paying users who have access to the feature are very happy about it.
@widle : That would be a good explanation… The question now is “are they other users who lost this feature”?
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