Rosetta Stone wants to reinvent language learning for the smartphone era

Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stone has long taken advantage of technological advances to deliver language learning to customers in the comfort of their own homes. Early on, that technology was the CD-ROM; the company’s yellow-boxed software packages were a familiar sight in malls and airports across the country. They promised immersive, interactive language learning modeled on how children learn, rather than dry study with grammar books and static audio recordings. In 2013, Rosetta Stone shuttered its brick-and-mortar locations to focus on digital delivery, as users increasingly gravitated toward cloud-based learning. Over time, the company also shifted toward subscriptions rather than one-time software purchases. Now, in 2026, Rosetta Stone is aiming to reinvent itself again. Its newest version, called Rosetta Stone Sapphire, emphasizes the mobile experience without sacrificing the depth the company says has long helped it attract and retain learners. “We’ve thought really hard about how people use their devices today, what kinds of tools do they expect,” says Ansh Juneja, senior product manager at Rosetta Stone. Luckily, he says, trends in app development, including an emphasis on i…