Everything on using Gora — from your first lesson to talking with the fox — plus fixes for microphone and sound problems on web, iPhone and Android. Jump to a topic below.
Gora teaches you to actually speak Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin — not just memorise words. Every lesson explains why the language works the way it does, and you can talk to a friendly AI fox any time to practise for real. Russian is on the way.
You can use Gora two ways, and your progress is the same across both: on the web at app.gora.academy (nothing to download), or with the Gora app for iPhone and Android.
You can start learning straight away, but creating an account saves your progress, streak and XP and syncs them across your devices. New accounts get a 14-day free trial with full access — no card needed (see Free trial & billing).
Choose Log in / Sign up and sign up with Google or your email address. If you started learning before signing up, sign in on the same device and your progress carries over.
Gora has two main tabs along the bottom: 🏠 Home, where your lessons, grammar and review live, and ⚙️ Me, for your settings, account, language choice and progress. To talk to the fox, open the Ask the fox area (the chat with the 🎤 microphone and text box).
Tap a lesson from Home to start. Answer a question or build a sentence, press Check to see if you're right, read the feedback, then press Continue. Tap 🔊 Hear again to replay how something sounds. When a new grammar idea appears, Gora shows a quick 💡 tip — tap Read more in the reference → for the full explanation, or Got it to keep going.
The hearts at the top of a lesson are your lives for that lesson — you lose one for a wrong answer. It's just there to keep you honest; take your time and you'll be fine. Hearts refill over time or when you review.
Your streak counts the days in a row you've practised, so do a little each day to keep it alive. XP is the points you earn as you learn — a simple way to watch progress add up.
The Grammar section is Gora's plain-English explanations of how the language works — cases, verb endings, and the "why" behind them. Browse it any time; lesson tips link straight into it. Review brings back words and grammar just before you'd forget them, so they actually stick. A few minutes of review is one of the most effective things you can do.
Talking to the fox is the heart of Gora — a patient AI tutor you can practise with any time, for as long as you like. It never gets tired and never judges.
The fox works two ways. In Ask mode (typing) you type a question into the box ("Ask about a word or grammar…") and send it with ➤ or the Enter key — great for quick questions. In Talk mode (speaking) you practise out loud: the 🎤 microphone and 🔊 voice buttons appear and you speak to the fox. If you don't see the microphone, you're in Ask mode — switch to Talk mode to speak.
Open Talk mode, tap the 🎤 microphone and start speaking (it turns red and pulses while listening), then tap the 🎤 microphone again to send. The first time, your browser or phone will ask permission to use the microphone — choose Allow. If speaking isn't working, see Microphone help.
The 🔊 voice toggle controls whether the fox reads its replies out loud automatically. Use free chat to just talk about anything — the same tutor, no script; tapping a suggested opener is an easy way to start. If the fox says something you don't understand, use Reveal translation (the small underlined option under a message) to show the English.
Sign in with the same Google or email account on each device and your progress, streak and XP follow you everywhere — start a lesson on your laptop, finish it on your phone.
Does Gora work offline? Yes — once it's loaded, Gora works offline for learning, so you can practise on a plane or the underground. Anything that needs the internet (like live conversation with the fox, which thinks in the cloud) will wait until you're back online, and your progress syncs when you reconnect.
To sign out or manage your details, open the ⚙️ Me tab. To delete your account and data, see Privacy & contact.
Gora currently teaches Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian and Montenegrin, with Russian coming soon. To choose or switch language, open the ⚙️ Me tab. Courses are organised by level (for example A1 for a complete beginner) — Gora starts you gently and builds up in the order the language actually unfolds. The four languages share a large common core, so learning one gives you a big head start on another.
Speaking to the fox needs three things: a browser or app that supports voice, permission to use your microphone, and a working input device. Here's how to fix each.
Make sure you're in Talk mode (you should see the 🎤 microphone — in Ask mode there's no mic, and that's normal). When asked for microphone permission, choose Allow. Check nothing else is using your mic (another call or recording app), then try again — tap 🎤 to start, speak, tap 🎤 again to send. If Gora shows a card with steps to enable the microphone, follow those; it's tailored to your device.
Speaking to the fox uses your browser's built-in speech recognition, and how well that works can vary by browser and device. The simplest thing is to just try it — tap the 🎤 and speak. If your browser can't do voice, Gora will let you know and point you to one that can.
If speaking isn't working in your browser, you'll see a short prompt suggesting you switch to Chrome or Safari — or, on your phone, use the Gora app. Everything else in Gora (lessons, grammar, typing to the fox, and hearing the fox) works in any modern browser, Firefox included.
Chrome (computer): click the icon at the left end of the address bar, find Microphone and set it to Allow, then reload. Safari (Mac): menu bar → Safari → Settings → Websites → Microphone, set app.gora.academy to Allow, then reload. Safari (iPhone/iPad): tap aA in the address bar → Website Settings → set Microphone to Allow. If the browser never asks for permission, it's usually been blocked before — use these steps to switch it back to Allow.
Even with browser permission, your operating system can block or mute the mic. On Mac: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → make sure your browser is switched on. On Windows: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone → make sure microphone access and your browser are on. Check the right microphone is selected and isn't muted (especially external or Bluetooth mics).
iPhone/iPad: open Settings → Gora → Microphone and make sure it's on (or Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → find Gora). Android: open Settings → Apps → Gora → Permissions → Microphone and set it to Allow. On either, if you previously chose "Deny", switch it to Allow, check no other app is holding the microphone open, and close and reopen the app after changing the setting.
Try a different browser (Chrome or Safari) or restart the app. Test your mic in another app (like a voice recorder) to confirm the hardware works. Restart your device — it clears a surprising number of stuck-microphone problems. Still stuck? Contact us at hello@gora.academy and tell us your device and browser.
Turn your volume up and make sure your device isn't muted. In the fox chat, check the 🔊 voice toggle is on (when it's off it's greyed out). In a lesson, tap 🔊 Hear again to test audio directly. Some browsers block sound until you interact with the page — tap the screen or a button once, then try again.
Check the browser tab isn't muted (right-click the Gora tab; if you see Unmute site, click it). Browsers often block audio until you've clicked something on the page — interacting once (starting a lesson, tapping the mic) usually unlocks it. Make sure the right speakers or headphones are selected as output and the volume isn't at zero. If audio still won't play, try Chrome or Safari.
Check the silent/Ring switch on the side of your iPhone — if it's set to silent (orange showing), flip it off. Press volume up while Gora is open so you're adjusting media volume. On Bluetooth headphones, check the audio is going to the right place and they're connected. Try turning the fox's 🔊 voice toggle off and on again.
Press volume up while Gora is open and make sure you're raising media volume (not just ring volume). Check Do Not Disturb isn't silencing the app, and if you're on Bluetooth, confirm the audio is routing to the right device. Toggle the fox's 🔊 voice off and on.
Still silent? Restart the app or reload the page, test sound in another app to confirm your speakers work, and if needed contact us at hello@gora.academy.
Install it like an app from your browser Web: you don't have to install anything to use Gora in your browser, but you can add it to your device so it opens like a normal app and works offline. On iPhone/iPad (Safari) tap Share → Add to Home Screen. On Android (Chrome) tap the ⋮ menu → Install app. On a computer (Chrome/Edge) click the install icon in the address bar, or ⋮ menu → Install Gora.
Mobile app: the Gora app is available for iPhone and Android. [APP STORE LINK] · [GOOGLE PLAY LINK]
Every new account gets 14 days of full access to everything in Gora, completely free — all lessons, all grammar, unlimited conversation with the fox, review, everything. No limits and no locked sections during your trial. You don't need a card to start — just sign up and start learning. We'll only ask for payment when your trial ends.
On day 15 you'll reach a screen that asks you to add a payment method to continue. Subscribe and you carry straight on where you left off. If you'd rather not, that's fine — your account, progress and streak are saved, so you can come back and subscribe any time to pick up exactly where you were. There's no permanently free version, so an active subscription is what keeps your access going after the trial.
Both plans give you the same full access. You can start on either and switch later.
You can subscribe at any time — during your trial if you're already sold, or when you hit the day-15 screen. Open the upgrade/subscribe option (in the ⚙️ Me tab, or on the day-15 screen), choose monthly or annual, and enter your details on the secure checkout. Your access unlocks straight away.
You can cancel any time from the ⚙️ Me section, and you won't be billed after that — you keep full access until the end of the period you've already paid for. The Me section is always your point of call: on the web it opens your billing page directly, and in the app it shows you exactly where to cancel (through the App Store or Google Play, depending on where you subscribed). You can also change between the monthly and annual plans from the same place.
Do I need a card to start the free trial? No — you get all 14 days without adding any payment details. Will I be charged automatically at the end? No; because there's no card on file, nothing is charged automatically — you choose to subscribe when you're ready. What happens to my progress if I don't subscribe? It's saved — sign back in and subscribe any time to continue where you left off. Can I subscribe before my trial ends? Yes, use the upgrade option in the ⚙️ Me tab whenever you like.
We take your data seriously. See our Privacy Policy, Terms and Cookies policy. You can delete your account and associated data at any time — open the ⚙️ Me tab for account options, or email us and we'll take care of it.
Still need help? Email hello@gora.academy. Tell us what you were trying to do, what happened instead, and your device and browser (for example "iPhone 14, Safari" or "Windows laptop, Chrome") — that detail lets us help you much faster.