Introduction

Have you ever switched your phone system to English just to learn the language?

After spending half a day troubleshooting my Beijing transit card yesterday, I finally made the decision to switch my iOS, which I’d been using in English for over a year, back to Chinese. This experience got me thinking, and I’d like to share what I learned.

What Triggered This Change

Here’s the story: Last year, in order to “learn English,” I switched my iPhone system language to English and applied for a Linglong Tong transit card via Alipay, loading it with 35 RMB.

Later, I switched my App Store to the US region to download some apps, and iOS required me to delete this card. When I switched back, I applied for a new one with a 10 RMB deposit.

A couple of days ago, I switched to the US region again, and the card went missing once more. When I tried to add it again, I ran into a problem: I couldn’t find “Linglong Tong” in Alipay — only “Municipal Transportation Card.” After finally finding it and loading 1 RMB, I tried to upgrade to Linglong Tong, but the system said “already upgraded” and wouldn’t let me proceed. I was stuck.

After searching online, someone suggested I could add back previously deleted cards in Apple Wallet. I opened iOS Wallet → Add, but found nothing there.

Here’s the key insight: It suddenly occurred to me — could this be a system language issue? Since the interface is in English now, could it be showing different content?

After switching iOS back to Chinese and reopening Wallet, voilà! Both previously deleted cards were clearly visible right there! Not only did I recover my original 35 RMB card, but I also successfully upgraded my new 1 RMB municipal card to Linglong Tong. Problem solved.

This Isn’t the First Time I’ve Stumbled

Actually, this isn’t the first time I’ve run into everyday problems because of an English system language.

A while ago, when I went parking, the attendant asked me to show a screenshot of my payment. I pulled out my phone, but everything was in English. He squinted at the screen for ages and still couldn’t tell if I’d paid.

In the end, I had to switch back to Chinese right there, pull up the payment record, and take the screenshot.

There are many similar edge cases. After all, most apps do internationalization quite well, but certain features deeply integrated with local services can occasionally cause unexpected problems in non-native language environments. You never know which feature will hide a pit because of language settings — until you step in it when you really need it.

Why Did I Switch to English in the First Place?

My original goal was simple: to learn English. I figured that using my phone every day in an English environment would naturally help me pick up more vocabulary through exposure.

But after using it for a while, I found that the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages:

First, using your phone daily is second nature. You don’t actually read the text on most buttons — you can find them with your eyes closed. So you won’t actually look at the English words more often just because the interface is in English. What you don’t understand is still what you don’t understand. The so-called “constant exposure” is actually a myth.

Second, as mentioned earlier, all kinds of edge cases are hard to prevent. Today your transit card goes missing in Wallet, tomorrow you can’t figure out a parking payment screenshot. These small problems add up, unnecessarily increasing friction in daily life.

Finally, an English system didn’t really help me “develop an English mindset” — it only increased cognitive load when I needed to think quickly.

There Are Smarter Ways to Learn English

If switching system language doesn’t work, what’s the alternative?

My experience suggests that instead of chasing the so-called “full immersion environment,” it’s better to practice with targeted, more efficient methods. For example:

  • Spend a fixed amount of time chatting in English with ChatGPT every day, forcing yourself to organize your thoughts and express ideas
  • Review new vocabulary promptly when you encounter it while reading English articles
  • Enable English subtitles when watching TV shows, and jot down useful expressions when you find them

These methods are far more effective than switching your entire phone to English, and they don’t create unnecessary inconvenience in daily life. After all, the purpose of learning a language is to communicate — not to make life harder for yourself.

Conclusion

After sorting out my transit card, I decisively switched iOS back to Chinese. Suddenly the whole world felt clean and clear again.

For me, this was an interesting awakening: many times we pursue “formal changes,” thinking they’ll automatically bring progress, but in reality, we might just be creating unnecessary trouble for ourselves.

What fits you is what works best. As for learning English, it’s better to stick with efficient methods — slow progress that’s steady is still the fastest way forward.

TIL: Never create unnecessary obstacles in your daily life just for the sake of formal “immersion”