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Change your phone to German: the 1-week challenge (+ 30 settings words)
2026-10-02
You look at your phone more than at any textbook. Probably more than at anything else. So why not let it teach you German?
Switching your phone language is one of the oldest learner tricks, and it works for a simple reason: you already know where everything is. When "Einstellungen" sits where "Settings" used to be, your brain connects the word to the meaning without any effort. No flashcards, no app, no extra time.
This post gives you a one-week plan, a safety net so you don't get lost, and the 30 words you'll meet most often.
Before you switch: the safety net
Changing the language is easy. Changing it back when you can't read the menus is the part people worry about. Two tips:
- Remember the path. On an iPhone, the language lives in Einstellungen > Allgemein > Sprache & Region. On most Android phones it's Einstellungen > System > Sprachen, though the exact menu depends on the brand.
- Take a screenshot of the menu path in English before you switch. If you panic, the screenshot shows you where to tap.
The icons don't change, so the gear is still the gear. You'll be fine.
The one-week challenge
Day 1: Just switch. Change the language and use your phone normally. Don't look anything up yet. Notice how much you understand from position and icons alone.
Day 2: The settings app. Open Einstellungen and read every menu name on the first screen. Most are on the list below. Say each one out loud once.
Day 3: Your top three apps. Messaging, maps and your music app. Buttons like Senden (send), Suchen (search) and Teilen (share) show up everywhere.
Day 4: Notifications. Read your lock screen. "Akku schwach" means low battery, "Neue Nachricht" means new message.
Day 5: Talk to your phone. Set your voice assistant to German too and ask simple things: "Wie wird das Wetter morgen?" (What's the weather tomorrow?) or "Stell einen Wecker für sieben Uhr." (Set an alarm for seven.)
Day 6: Change your keyboard. Add the German keyboard. Typing ä, ö, ü and ß becomes normal, and autocorrect starts suggesting German words.
Day 7: Decide. Most people who make it to day 7 keep German on. If it really gets in your way, switch back and try again in a month.
30 settings words you'll see every day
Here they are, grouped by where you'll find them. Nouns come with their article, because der, die or das is part of the word.
The main menu
- die Einstellungen: settings
- die Sprache: language
- das WLAN: Wi-Fi
- der Flugmodus: airplane mode
- die mobilen Daten: mobile data
- die Mitteilungen or die Benachrichtigungen: notifications
- der Ton: sound
- die Lautstärke: volume
- der Bildschirm: screen
- die Helligkeit: brightness
- das Hintergrundbild: wallpaper
- der Akku: battery
- der Speicher: storage
- der Datenschutz: privacy
- die Ortungsdienste: location services
- Nicht stören: do not disturb
Buttons and actions
- Fertig: done
- Abbrechen: cancel
- Zurück: back
- Weiter: next, continue
- Speichern: save
- Löschen: delete
- Teilen: share
- Suchen: search
- Herunterladen: download
- Aktualisieren: update, refresh
- Erlauben: allow
Everyday apps
- der Wecker: alarm clock
- die Uhr: clock
- die Tastatur: keyboard
What you're actually learning
These words are not just phone words. Speichern is what you do with a file at work. Löschen is how a German coworker asks you to delete an email. Die Einstellung also means attitude: "Er hat eine gute Einstellung" means "He has a good attitude." And weiter is everywhere, from "Wie geht's weiter?" (what happens next?) to "Mach weiter!" (keep going!).
You'll also notice how German builds long words from short ones. Hintergrundbild is Hintergrund (background) plus Bild (picture). Flugmodus is Flug (flight) plus Modus (mode). Once you see the pattern on your phone, you'll start taking apart long words on signs and letters too.
Common problems and quick fixes
"I can't find the setting I need." Use the search bar at the top of Einstellungen and type the German word if you know it, or the English one. Many phones still find it.
"An app is still in English." Some apps follow the phone language, others have their own setting. That's fine. One German app is better than none.
"My bank app scares me in German." Keep it in English if you need to. The goal is daily exposure, not stress about your money.
"Autocorrect is driving me crazy." Keep both keyboards and switch with the globe key. You can write German to German friends and English to everyone else.
Make it stick
Your phone shows you the words. To actually own them, review them a few times over the next weeks. Save the ones you keep forgetting to your word library, where Pretzel turns them into flashcards with the article and an example sentence. And if you'd like a small dose of new words every morning, try our 5 words a day email.
Viel Spaß mit deinem deutschen Handy!