📰 FlowTone Press Kit

FlowTone is a tone memory game for Mandarin Chinese. Unlike flashcard apps, it uses gesture-based input, haptic feedback, and color-coding to build muscle memory for Chinese tones. Think Wordle meets Guitar Hero — for your ears. 16,000+ sentences (HSK 1-9) with native audio, 100% offline, one-time purchase. Free for HSK 1. Available on iOS. Built by solo developer Matthieu Lebas.

Developer: Matthieu Lebas (solo indie dev, France)

Launch date: June 2026

Platform: iOS (iPhone & iPad), iOS 13.0+

Price: Free (HSK 1) + $14.99 one-time lifetime unlock

Category: Education

Languages: English

Age rating: 4+

App Store: apps.apple.com/app/flowtone-hsk/id6773288738

Website: flowtone-app.netlify.app

Companion app: Tone Master (HSK flashcards, same color system) — App Store, Google Play

• Gesture-based input — users draw the tone contour with their finger (not tap buttons), engaging motor memory

• Haptic feedback — each of the 5 tones has a unique vibration pattern, adding tactile reinforcement

• Color as core mechanic — 5 neon colors for 5 tones, backed by cross-modal perception research

• Daily Tone — Wordle-style daily puzzle with shareable emoji scores (🟩🟧🟥)

• SRS Adaptive Drill — spaced repetition that focuses on the specific tone combinations each user confuses

• 100% offline — 16,000+ sentences with native audio bundled in the app (103 MB)

• One-time purchase, no subscription — $14.99 lifetime for full HSK 1-9 access