gessov support

Last updated: 1 November 2026

gessov is a vocabulary app for people who want to understand English through English. A few new words a day, each inside a sentence someone would actually say. No account, no cloud, no tracking.

If your question is not here, email hello@gessov.com and a person will answer.

Getting started

Do I need an account?

No. Open the app and start. There is nothing to sign up for, and nothing to sign in to.

How do I choose a volume?

The first time you open gessov, it asks two short questions: what you want English for, and how easy you find English explanations. It then suggests a volume and how many new words a day to start with. You can skip the questions and choose for yourself.

All volumes are in Library, grouped by what they are for: Life, Work, Study abroad, Exams and Professions. Open one to see who it is for, what you will be able to do after it, and how long it takes. If you are not sure, tap Help me choose.

Can I change volumes later?

Yes, at any time. Open Library, tap the volume you want, and tap Study this volume in its preview. Words you have learned stay learned and keep coming back for review. Each volume remembers where you were.

What is the ? in the top right of Library?

It opens About the Library, a short page about the shelf: how the volumes are arranged (five groups, each running from plain to specialist), what the small line at the foot of each cover means, how many new words you get a day, how many free new words you have left, and how switching volumes works. Issues and Progress have a ? of their own too.

Can I see the tips from my first day again?

Not at the moment; the tips appear only once. Everything they show is also on this page: lift the glass with the two circles, tap any word you don’t know, tap the speaker to hear a word, star a word to see it more often, swipe right to look back, and press and hold the word for more.

What does “Start from CET-4” mean?

The CET-6, Kaoyan, IELTS and PTE volumes contain only the words beyond CET-4. If you want the CET-4 words first, choose Start from CET-4 in the volume’s preview. CET-4 opens as a separate volume; when you finish it, gessov reminds you to go back and learn just the new words in the volume you wanted.

Every day

How does a day work?

Open Today. You get your new words for the day and the words coming back for review. Each card shows a sentence first; take a moment with it, then reveal what the word means. When the day’s words are done, you are done for the day.

Can I keep going after I finish?

No. gessov deliberately stops when today’s words are done. If you want more, raise New words a day in Settings (5, 10, 15 or 20). If you raise it after finishing, you get the difference that same day.

How do I change how many new words I get a day?

In Settings, under New words a day: 5, 10, 15 or 20. The change starts today. Reviews are counted separately, and the options are the same on the free version and on Full.

Why did a word I have already seen come back?

That is the point. Each word comes back at growing intervals so it settles in: five times by default, or four to seven times if you change it in Settings. After the last time, it stops coming back and stays in Learned.

I skipped a few days. Am I behind?

Not in a way you need to worry about. Reviews you missed wait their turn, and each day has a sensible limit, so they don’t pile up into one huge day. After a week away, things usually even out within a few days, and new words keep coming while you catch up.

When does a day end?

At midnight. If you started before midnight and have not finished, you have until 2 am to finish that day, and it still counts.

Can I go back to the previous word?

Yes, with ‹ at the bottom of Today. Going back only lets you look again; it does not undo anything.

What does starring a word do?

A starred word comes back a few extra times in Today. Each day, a few of the starred words you have not seen for the longest are added, three by default. Change the number, or turn it off, under Starred words in reviews in Settings.

I already know a word. Can I remove it?

Yes. In Today, press and hold the word and choose Ban this word. It will not come up again. To bring it back, open Learned, go to Banned at the end, and tap bring back.

What are streaks and spare days?

Each day you finish all of the day’s words counts towards your streak. Every 7 days in a row earns a spare day, which covers a day you miss so the streak does not break. You can hold up to two spare days, or three on Full. Progress shows your streak and your spare days.

What does About Progress show?

Open Progress and tap ? in the top right corner. It shows what your streak earns and what happens if it breaks. On the free version, every 7 days in a row earns 40 more free words (up to three times) and a spare day. On Full, your streak earns keys instead of free words, the first at 14 days in a row, and spare days as before. A day counts only when you finish every word in Today; opening the app is not enough. If you miss a day with no spare day left, the streak starts again from day one, but whatever it has already earned stays yours.

Looking words up

How do I look up a word?

Tap any word on a card, and a short English explanation appears. Tap a word inside that explanation to go one step further. Look-ups can be turned off under Look up words in Settings.

Can I see Chinese?

Only inside look-ups, and only if you turn it on. With Chinese in look-ups on in Settings, tapping a word inside an explanation also shows it in Chinese. The cards themselves are always in English: the whole idea of gessov is to understand English through English, and Chinese is there only as a safety net.

Free and Full

What is free?

Words skipped because you met them in another volume, and words you star from an issue, do not use the allowance. The daily amount is the same on the free version and on Full.

What does Full add?

Every volume, now and later, with no limit on new words. On Full, your streak also earns keys for issues. Full comes as a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase; the price is shown in the app before you buy. The terms of use explain the details.

I paid for Full, but it hasn’t opened.

First, check that your iPhone is signed in with the Apple Account you paid with. In iOS Settings, it’s the name at the top.

Then open gessov, go to Settings and tap Restore purchases under Full. Do it while you’re online; once is enough.

If Full still hasn’t opened, go to reportaproblem.apple.com and check whether the payment went through. You can ask Apple for a refund there as well. Or write to hello@gessov.com.

If a parent approves your purchases, Full opens by itself once they do. Until then, there is nothing to restore.

How do I cancel, or get a refund?

Subscriptions are managed by Apple. In iOS Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions. Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

What happens when my subscription ends?

Words you have learned stay free to review. Issues you opened stay open and your keys stay yours. New words come from whatever free allowance you had left; new words learned on Full count towards it too.

I’m on the yearly subscription. Can I switch to lifetime?

Yes. In Settings, tap Get Lifetime and buy lifetime there. Apple does not stop the yearly subscription for you: while it is still renewing, Settings says so, and you can cancel it in iOS Settings (tap your name, then Subscriptions). Your progress stays as it is.

A parent approves my purchases. What happens when I buy Full?

If Ask to Buy is on for your Apple Account, the request goes to your parent first. gessov says Sent to a parent to approve, and Full opens by itself once they do. You can keep learning in the meantime.

Issues, keys and rare cards

What are issues?

Short collections of words around one theme, written to be read for fun. Each issue has its own card. You can star words from an issue, and they will come back in your reviews.

How do keys work?

Keys cannot be bought or sold. This is also explained in the app: open Issues and tap ? in the top right corner.

I bought Full. Why do issues still need keys?

Full opens every volume, not every issue: an issue always opens with a key. What Full adds is that your streak earns keys: the first at 14 days in a row, then 21, 28 and 30 days for each one after. On the free version, you have the three keys you start with, plus the extra key that comes with any rare card.

Your data and settings

Where is my data?

On your iPhone, and nowhere else. gessov has no account and no server. If you export your progress in Settings, under Backup, the file goes wherever you choose to save it. See the privacy policy.

I have a new phone. How do I keep my progress?

gessov does not sync between devices. Your progress moves with your iPhone backup: set up the new phone from an iCloud Backup or an encrypted backup on your computer, and gessov comes back as you left it. You can also move it yourself: on the old phone, in Settings, under Backup, tap Export progress and save the file somewhere the new phone can reach, such as iCloud Drive; on the new phone, tap Restore from backup and pick that file. Full is not in the file: on the new phone, tap Restore purchases under Full in Settings.

If I delete the app, do I lose my progress?

Not if you export a backup first. In Settings, under Backup, tap Export progress and save the file in the Files app, for example in iCloud Drive. After reinstalling, tap Restore from backup and pick that file: your learned words, streak, keys and settings come back. If you delete the app without exporting, your progress goes with it, and we have no copy to send back. If you only need space, you can also use Offload App (iOS Settings, General, iPhone Storage, gessov): it removes the app but keeps your progress, and reinstalling brings it back. Full is not lost either way: after reinstalling, tap Restore purchases in Settings.

Does gessov need the internet?

No. Everything, including pronunciations, is inside the app. You only need a connection to buy or restore Full.

Can I change the accent, the language or the text size?

Yes, in Settings. English switches between Australian, British and American spelling and pronunciation. Language switches the app’s own buttons and menus between English and Chinese; the words themselves stay in English. Text size has three steps.

How do I turn the reminder on or off?

In Settings, or in iOS Settings under Notifications. If you have already finished for the day, the reminder stays quiet.

While the daily reminder is on, a second notification, Streak reminder, is on too unless you turn it off. It comes only on a night when your streak is about to end: you have kept it for three days or more, no spare day is left, and today’s words are not done yet. It usually arrives at 9 pm, and if you finish before then, it is not sent. Turn it off in Settings, under Reminder.

Why did gessov ask whether I want a note each day?

If the daily reminder is off, gessov asks once, the first time you finish a whole day. Tap Turn on for one note a day when your words are ready, or Not now to skip it. You can change the time or turn it off in Settings at any time.

Which devices does gessov run on?

iPhone, with iOS 18 or later. It also runs on iPad, as the iPhone app.

Can I use gessov on iPad?

gessov is made for iPhone, but you can install it on an iPad with iPadOS 18 or later. It runs as the iPhone app: in one phone-shaped window, upright, and you can’t open a second gessov window beside it. Your iPad keeps its own progress, separate from your iPhone. If you have Full, tap Restore purchases in Settings on the iPad to open it there too.

When something is wrong

I think a word or a sentence is wrong.

Press and hold the word in Today and choose Something is wrong. Pick what is wrong, and gessov keeps a note on your iPhone. When you are ready, go to Settings and tap Send flagged words to email the list to us. A word or a sentence that reads oddly is exactly the kind of thing worth telling us about.

Something else is not working.

Go to Settings and tap Contact us, or email hello@gessov.com. It helps to say what you tapped and what you expected to happen.