Set up Anki on Android

You need two things: the AnkiDroid app and the deck file. The deck file comes from my email or the download page, and its name ends in .apkg. Do these steps on the phone or tablet your child will use. Menus look a little different from one phone brand to another, but the steps are the same.

Step 1: Install AnkiDroid

1. Open the Play Store and search for AnkiDroid. Or tap this link on the phone: AnkiDroid Flashcards on Google Play.
2. Check the maker shown under the name is AnkiDroid Open Source Team, then tap Install.
3. Open AnkiDroid. If it shows a welcome screen, tap Get started. If it asks for permission (for example, to send reminders), tap Allow.
4. The deck list is empty for now (it may say Collection is empty). That is normal.

Step 2: Add the deck

1. On the same phone or tablet, open my email and tap the download link.
2. When the download finishes, tap Open at the bottom of the screen (or tap the finished download in your notifications).
3. If the phone asks which app to use, choose AnkiDroid.
4. AnkiDroid asks whether to import the file. Tap Add (on some versions it says Import or OK) and wait until it finishes. Pictures and sound make the file big, so this can take a minute.
5. The deck is now in your list, named after the Level (for example 2024 Standard P1).

Step 3: Set five new cards a day

Anki starts with 20 new cards a day. That is too many for a young child. Five a day keeps sessions short and calm.

1. In the deck list, press and hold the deck's name, then tap Deck options.
2. Under Daily limits, change New cards/day to 5.
3. Tap Save at the top of the screen.

Step 4: The first session

1. Tap the deck. The first card appears.
2. Let your child answer, then tap Show answer. The Mandarin plays out loud, with the pinyin and the English.
3. Tap Again if your child didn't know it, or Good if they did. Skip Easy: it hides the card for too long.
4. Keep going until Anki says you have finished for today. That's the session.

Then do it again tomorrow. Here is the 10–15 minute daily routine, with tips for a child who is just starting out.

Using a computer too? (optional)

If you also use Anki on a computer or a second device, make a free account at ankiweb.net and tap the sync button (two curved arrows) at the top of AnkiDroid's deck list. Your child's progress then follows them from device to device. If this is the only device, you don't need an account.

If something goes wrong

• The file opens in the wrong app, or as text: open AnkiDroid and use the three dots > Import route above.
• "Import failed" or nothing happens: the download probably stopped early. Delete it, download it again, and wait until it finishes before you open it.
• No sound: turn up the media volume (press the volume button, then the slider for media).
• The deck is there twice: importing the same file again doesn't make copies; it just updates the same cards. A second deck with a different name is a different Level.