# Auslan Tutor — user reviews > 32 indexed App Store user reviews of Auslan Tutor by Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/auslan-tutor/id307217026/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/auslan-tutor/id307217026.md ## Newest reviews (10 of 32) ### 4/5 — AUSLAN Tutor *2010-10-30, version 0* AUSLAN Although this is an expensive app, I think, overall, it is worth the money. I have spent a lot of spare time with it over the last two weeks and have learned a lot of Auslan vocabulary. There are some major issues that I would like to see corrected in any future update. These are not criticisms, but ways to improve the app from a user point of view. FIRST: the signing should be SLOW, so that the user can easily follow the signing. Some are easily followed ( e.g. "Careful, the bathroom floor is wet". A lot of others are far too fast and it is frustrating to have to replay the video clip over and over and still not see each handshape clearly. An example: "Give me a hug before you go to bed" is zipped through- but what's that? Did I see a THIRD sign for "bed" in the middle of this? Replay, replay, replay.... Still not sure how to do this shape, or even why the sign for "bed" has changed .. Again! SECOND: The text at the bottom of the video clip should be as signed. The Auslan grammar and sentence construction puts key parts of the sentence first. Example: "Kick the ball into the net" is actually signed "Ball Kick net", so this caption should appear at the bottom, so the signing can be followed, one handshape at a time. You would be able to eliminate video clips for "Ball", and "Kick the ball". So, "Kick the ball into the net" is all you need, with the handshape caption at the bottom in the correct sequence. Another of dozens of examples: "I cried when my balloon popped" is actually signed: "My balloon popped I cried". THAT's what should be at the bottom. THIRD: There is a lot of needless and annoying repetition, which uses up a lot of iPhone memory without much benefit. Example: see SECOND example above. FOURTH Multiple signs for same word, e.g., "bed". Which of the 3 handshapes shown is correct? The AUSLAN note should explain when to use each one correctly. SUMMARY It is good, but get rid of the repetition, put the caption at the bottom of the clips in the order of signing, do everything at half speed, and you could double the vocabulary and make it much easier to follow. It would actually be user friendly and great value for money. ### 4/5 — Nice work! *2010-09-29, version 0* Very good, but updates would be nice! It was expensive! ### 5/5 — Fantastic! *2010-08-27, version 0* Fantastic app! I'm learning Auslan (but am not deaf), as I work with people with disabilities, and find this app extremely useful. Not only does it show you how to sign the word, but puts it in a sentence so you can also learn correct grammar. Search function is great and works well. I've done a Level 1 Auslan course, and am moving on to Level 2, and this app will be so helpful in practicing and learning. A very portable reference source. Well done!! Highly recommended and well worth the price tag (I don't mind paying for something if it works well and does what I want, and this does!).... ### 5/5 — learning auslan *2010-07-31, version 0* i am not deaf, nor do i know anyone who is. yet i purchased this app and love it. learning auslan is a great skill and this app makes is easy with videos of each word, as well as several videos of each word in a sentence. i couldnt find many other ways to learn auslan anywhere else besides lessons, so this seemed a great deal. i would reccomend it to all who need, or just want, to learn a language that is not, spoken verbally, but spoken with our hands. ### 5/5 — brilliant *2009-09-25, version 0* very much worth the money, it has helped me out a lot! letters, numbers and words in an easy to use interface. my most used iphone application! ### 5/5 — Expensive but useful *2009-08-12, version 0* There is no doubt this is a well put together application, and very useful as a start to learning Auslan. It is however very expensive. I know it's a charity, but I would have thought, giving this out for free, or under $5 would give Auslan a huge needed publicity boost, and make learning it available to the general public. It could also do with a much more extensive vocabulary. 500 words is pretty limited, and I'd like to see a more compressed version. 800MB makes quite a hit to your storage. Over all however - well done RIDBC. ### 5/5 — Clear and expressive video clips. Must have for Auslan-learning families. *2009-07-23, version 0* This app is very easy to use, contains consistently clear and expressive video clips, and will certainly help you learn Auslan -- especially for interacting with children. It's notable that each entry includes a video clip of a grammatically correct Auslan sentence, as well as a photo of the handshape (for those occasions that you miss it in the video), and a short note about the sentence structure or sign. There are also helpful categories, search, and a main index. Downsides include the hefty price tag. $49.99 is high for an iPhone app. I'm glad that's it's benefiting a worthwhile institution. And weighing in at 812 MB, it takes up a reasonable chunk of your iPhone or iPod's capacity. As a general reference, 500+ signs is sizable, but it is still limited. As a tutorial, it lacks features that might make it more useful -- there is no introduction to Auslan, no quiz, no flashcards, nor lesson progression. If you want to learn Auslan, this app will certainly help -- and it's a must for any parent needing to communicate with deaf children -- but you'll need other resources, not to mention classes, to get you started. The description says it's aimed at families, which is apparent in the example Auslan sentences which are squarely aimed at parent-child interaction. E.g. "Wash your hands before eating" and "Use a fork to eat your food" and "We're meeting dad at the airport" and "Wait, I'm talking to the plumber.". With the exceptions of "wee" and a euphemistic "poo", don't expect to see any signs taken from Auslan's rich pool of vulgar vocab and adult signs. If you're looking to use this as a general Auslan reference, note that the vocab is not extensive. Many simple words you might need are missing (e.g. "begin", "without", "only"). I did a crude comparison to RIDBC's own SignBank website and counted the number of signs listed starting with the letter "A": The website has 395, while this app has just 30. (Unfortunately the SignBank website is incompatible with the iPhone's browser, which lacks Flash support). The 500+ signs are valuable and well presented, but you might find it lacking in breadth if you're expecting a complete Auslan dictionary. It's good that there are sometimes extra entries when signs are different in the Northern and Southern states, such as "coffee" and "water". But other times they are left out -- no Southern sign is given for "after" or "shoes". Also the number signs mysteriously peter out after "21", perhaps because "22" is signed differently in parts of Australia. The video clips are smooth, and it's refreshing to see whole sentences signed. However, the videos of "phrases" are redundant. Without exception the phrase is taken from the given sentence anyway. e.g. there is a video clip of "We can read one book", but then there's also an unnecessary video for the phrase "read one book". The extra clip just takes up valuable megabytes. I hope RIDBC culls these clips of phrases or replaces them with more vocab. Another minor gripe is that the application's landscape orientation makes the main index less usable than it could be. Overall, I really appreciate this product from the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, which breaks new ground for Auslan education, and will certainly be helpful for parents and learners. Despite my minor gripes, this product still comes across as polished and well thought out, and I certainly wish it had been available when I started learning Auslan a few years ago. ### 5/5 — My kudos to you!! *2009-06-23, version 0* A must-have app if you are learning Auslan. You can 'carry' the teacher everywhere and the teacher doesn't mind repeating the words and phrases until you get it right! Great for practising in front of a mirror and for learning the grammar too :-) ### 5/5 — Excellent resource! *2009-04-11, version 0* Of course it would be RIDBC to think of the Auslan Tutor. Still at the forefront in education for the Deaf, especially for students using Auslan as their language of choice. Well done RIDBC ... again! ### 5/5 — Auslan Tutor *2009-03-26, version 0* Wonderful resource. Cant wait till they expand the list of words. Portable, use anywhere. Problem - get side tracked looking up signs and forget the time. Anyone who has a child that is deaf/hearing impaired knows how frustrating it can be not to have a resource on hand to help them communicate with their child - this provides not only the sign but also the correct way to use it. My daughter loves it as she likes looking up signs and then correcting me or explaining to me. This will make a great difference to many peoples lives. It will also be a great resource for parents who have children that are using sign language because they are speech and/or developmentally delayed. I give it 5 out of 5 for affordability, ease of use and design. (now we just need the ipod touch to get cheaper). ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Coming soon?? - NO CONTENT *2023-09-25, version 1.72* I’ve just paid for a d downloaded this app and it’s had NO CONTENT. Just says coming soon?! ### 2/5 — No YES or NO but was on YouTube? *2016-03-06, version 1.3* This is a great App but I thought for $40 it would have a few more Common words like yes and no..?? (I know you can shake your head or nod ) but I found Yes and No on YouTube?? And not on this App... ☹ ### 2/5 — More sign *2011-06-02, version 0* There not enough sign language on iphone, I want to get more sign language. ### 3/5 — Ok *2013-09-17, version 1.2.2* It's alright but a lot of money, for someone hearing to learn how to sign it would be easier to have an option for the person to talk as their signing like more of an explanation, n having to go back each time to click on next one is very annoying, V, Z, H and J r either wrong blank or don't show that it's a moving sign and some sentences move so fast, and no quiz to practice what you have learnt, not for a beginner ### 3/5 — Ridbc *2012-05-24, version 0* I brought the full version after trying the demo. was deeply disported when I go the full version to find it was not fully compatible with the iPad but where the demo version was fully compatible and was free ### 4/5 — Not bad *2020-05-31, version 1.5* I fully endorse this app but for the price I was hoping for some more common signs. There’s certain basic verbs that should really be included and aren’t. I hope they update it in the future because I have used a similar American sign language app called Signing Savvy and it has far more signs with the same features. I understand, though, that funding may be completely different for both countries. I just think more could be invested into this app which is why I still don’t have a problem having paid for it. I’ve already learnt quite a few signs in one day with this app and the auslan sign bank site. ### 4/5 — Has potential *2019-08-17, version 1.4* This app has so much potential and I brought it thinking I would get more words. I’m hoping you guys are still working on this app to bring out more content. This app does have a ton of potential but it doesn’t have as much words as I thought it would ### 4/5 — A great app! A feature to consider... *2015-07-29, version 1.3* This is really handy! I think this is just great! A helpful feature though would be to be able to save words to personal folders or tags such as 'Essential Signs', 'Common Phrases' or 'Signs to Practice'. Thanks guys! I look forward to seeing updates! :-) ### 4/5 — Needs to be universal *2013-04-07, version 1.2* I cannot understand why this app isn't universal when their free version covers ipad and iPod touch/iPhone. Other than that it has lots of signs and sentences that are relevant for younger children. ### 4/5 — Great app *2011-07-12, version 0* Great app so handy to check signs on the go but would love to see full signbank app as well for auslan students! ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great App *2020-04-13, version 1.4* I love the app, it is very helpful but could you maybe add something to the videos so we can watch it being signed slower? It was a little difficult to learn from the videos because they were so fast but other than that I love it. ### 5/5 — 👍🏽👍🏽 *2016-05-07, version 1.3* This site highly supports my teaching program at school. The instructions and video visuals are very explicit. 👍🏽😃 ### 5/5 — Fantastic app *2015-03-26, version 1.3* I purchased this app after using the free version. It has far more than I anticipated and I am very impressed! Well worth the money ### 5/5 — Happy it's now on iPad *2014-02-06, version 1.2.4* Much easier to use than the old book dictionary, which was just as expensive. Disappointed that there is no search option like the key signs app has, and that the numbers only went to 100, how is one to sign 2014? Hopefully more signs will be added in due course. I know a lot of time and effort has gone into this and for that I am truly grateful. :) ### 5/5 — Fantastic *2013-10-24, version 1.2.4* Great app to help learn Auslan ### 5/5 — stuck in portrait view now... *2012-11-08, version 1.1* My daughter was diagnosed as deaf just after she turned one and we heard about this app. It was the reason for getting an iPod touch on the first place. We sign to her a lot, as well as speak, and whenever I need that extra word, it's generally there, as this is geared for talking to kids. I agree with some of the other reviews, though, there is definitely scope for increasing the word range. EDIT: as of IOS 6, tapping on the alphabetical list of letters in the right of the 'browse' screen causes the app to instantly close. EDIT: 1 day later version 1.1 comes out - problem is fixed! but introduces new ones. It is now stuck in portrait mode instead of landscape more, so the videos are too small now. Also, the search screen has buttons off the screen so you can't get out of it unless you exit the application. ### 5/5 — Best help *2012-03-16, version 0* My son can hear but has no speech at all just grunts and some sounds, he has severe speech delays and is learning Sign language through school, I am also learning to help understand him. Since buying the iPad and downloading this app we sit down every morning and afternoon to practice we have found it to a great tool for learning and it is more time for us to bond. The only part I find to be a downfall is there is no speech to go with the signs as he is only 5 and can not read, he can not practice on his own. ### 5/5 — Great app *2011-08-19, version 0* I was initially interested in learning auslan after I became friends with a partially deaf person who is amazing n realized if she was fully deaf or her hearing continues to deteriorate I would have never nown how great she was this app is exelent as I can now comunitcate with her if she gets worse however my senence stucture is lacking so a part where you type the sentence and it rearranges the words into the correct signing order would be great ### 5/5 — Fantastic introduction to Auslan *2011-04-26, version 0* I have been using this app for some time now, having originally had my interest stirred with the lighter, free version. A number of months on, and having now met and interacted with a people from the deaf community, am now taking lessons. This app has been a handy little pocket reminder! For someone who is learning Auslan, this app has been a brilliant cheat-sheet that I can carry everywhere. Although I cannot stress enough the value of attending classes and practicing with a fluent signer, for anyone who wishes to know some basic statements and words, this is a great starting point or alternative. For me personally, the app was my first introduction to Auslan and it has definitely assisted me in my learning - textbooks only show a 2D graphic, this app shows the sign in-use and in video. ### 5/5 — Excellent resource! *2011-04-24, version 0* I love this app, and have found it very useful as a supplement to my Auslan classes. Given that sign bank uses flash, this makes it inaccessible from an iPhone, and therefore this app is very handy. Because it was so expensive, I would love to see regular updates with new vocabulary. In the future, the addition of a test or quiz mode would be ace. Thanks for this great app! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*