Feyn: The Best Flashcard App?
Introduction
If you’re a student, you’ve probably heard a lot about study methods like spaced repetition (efficiently spacing out studying) or active recall (recalling information through flashcards and similar techniques).
I’ve known about these techniques for years. But it’s always been difficult to make flashcards. After all, what student has the energy to make flashcards after hours of listening to lectures? This resistance to making flashcards meant that I wasn’t making any, despite knowing that active recall is a highly efficient study method.
I needed a way to easily make flashcards. I found a few solutions like Notion and RemNote, but I prefer handwritten notes over typed notes. This left me searching for a solution that would be perfect for me.
And then I found Feyn, which transformed my learning. Here’s how.
What Is Feyn?
Feyn uses both iPad and iPhone (and MacOS via M1).
On the iPad, you use an Apple Pencil to create handwritten flashcards like this:
These flashcards then connect to the Feyn app on your phone, and you can access these flashcards on your phone.
Feyn also has a few other features. Feyn lets you copy and paste drawings from Apple Notes, and Feyn’s organization system is great. In the app, you can organize a folder within a folder within a folder, and so on.
For instance, I have an AP Environmental Science folder, which contains folders for each chapter of the textbook, which contain the flashcards for each chapter. This flexible organization system means that users have more control with flashcard organization.
Additionally, you can create a study session based on the flashcards in each folder. If I am studying for a Chapter 1 test, I can choose to only study flashcards in the Chapter 1 folder. On the other hand, if I am studying for a midterm exam, I can choose to study all flashcards in the AP Environmental Science folder.
Feyn also uses advanced studying techniques for efficient learning, such as active recall and spaced repetition. For those who don’t know about these techniques, I would recommend doing further research on these topics. In short, active recall is the recall of information through flashcards and similar tools, while spaced repetition is the efficient spacing of study periods to maximize retention and minimize effort.
Feyn uses both of these techniques. Unlike popular flashcard apps like Quizlet, which usually only feature active recall, Feyn’s spaced repetition feature makes studying efficient. For students like me who are taking multiple hard classes, this tool is essential for studying.
The Problem Feyn Solves
In learning, there are two general stages: understanding and recall.
Usually, understanding involves taking notes, watching videos, using the Feynman technique, etc. On the other hand, recall includes practice problems, flashcards, challenges, etc.
Before I found Feyn, I tried to include both stages of learning in my studying techniques. I would take notes at school to understand the content, and then return home to create flashcards. What I found was that this took more time than I expected.
This resistance to creating flashcards at home meant that I rarely made flashcards unless there was an upcoming test. To address this resistance, I tried to find apps that could combine the understanding phase and the recall phase.
First, I used Notion’s toggle button feature to address my problem.
Notion was great, and I was even able to share flashcards with classmates. The only issue was that I was unable to handwrite notes, which I felt were better than simply typing up questions. I also came across the issue of rote memorization, where I began to skip the understanding phase of learning. While this helped me memorize the content, this also meant that I didn’t have a deep understanding of the information.
And then came Feyn. With Feyn, I was able to understand content on my iPad and recall content on my iPhone, like with Notion. The only difference was that Feyn had handwritten functionality, which I prefer over typing.
Feyn’s combination of understanding and recall made studying significantly more efficient. The Cornell-style note taking system with Feyn makes it a powerful tool.
Best of all, it is currently 100% free. As of now, there are no paid plans or advertisements.
Ultimately, Notion and Feyn both make learning efficient. The differentiating factor is whether you prefer typed notes or handwritten notes. If you prefer typing, go with Notion. If you prefer handwritten notes, go with Feyn.
The pros and cons of both are essentially determined by the pros and cons of typed and handwritten notes. Handwritten notes may be better for understanding information, which is where Feyn beats Notion. On the other hand, typed notes take less time, which is where Notion beats Feyn.
Both solve the issue of inefficient learning: they combine the recall stage of learning and the understanding stage of learning.
How I Use Feyn
To explain how I use Feyn, I’ll use my AP Calculus BC flashcards and my AP Environmental Science flashcards as examples.
AP Calculus BC
AP Calculus BC is a high school Calculus course that consists of Calculus I and Calculus II. These flashcards were used to prepare for the AP (note: these flashcards were only used for the recall stage of learning, not the understanding phase).
For this course, most of the flashcards were used to help memorize formulas, like derivative rules. For example, here is the flashcard I used to memorize the power rule:
On the front side, I described the “input” and on the back side, I described the “output.”
I made these flashcards on my iPad, with Feyn open on the right and an online fact sheet on the left. After I took these “notes,” I would quiz myself on my phone multiple times a day.
Because I had a couple other AP tests that I needed to take, Feyn’s spaced repetition tool saved me. This efficiency with learning meant that I wasn’t wasting time on flashcards I had already mastered. This studying efficiency freed up my time so that I could study for my other AP classes.
AP Environmental Science
AP Environmental Science is a high school environmental science course, which covers ecology, politics, economics, and many other subjects. Unlike AP Calculus, learning AP Environmental Science is more about recalling information than understanding information.
For this course, I expect that most of the flashcards will be used to memorize various terms, definitions, and ideas. For example, here is the flashcard I used to memorize the three scientific principles of sustainability:
On the front side, I asked myself a question and on the back side, I answered the question. This style of flashcards is similar to the Cornell note taking system, where you make “flashcards” as you take notes.
Like with Calculus, Feyn’s spaced repetition system has made learning more efficient. This is especially important this year since I’m taking more advanced classes.
Hopefully using two very different classes as an example (an understanding-based class and a recall-based class) can show you how to use Feyn for different types of classes.
With AP Calculus and similar classes (like physics), you can use Feyn to memorize formulas, theorems, rules, etc. With AP Environmental Science and similar classes (like biology), you can use Feyn to memorize definitions, terms, ideas, etc.
Issues With Feyn
While I believe Feyn is perfect for students, some people feel that it still needs work. I personally feel like Feyn is perfect: it is a minimalistic app with only the essential studying features a student needs.
On the App Store, reviews mostly agree with me, but there are a few suggestions for the app. Some people feel that being able to create nested folders should be added. There are nested folders available in the app, but it appears that many users have some trouble using this feature, which even the developer has admitted.
I would also agree that this is something that should be fixed since even I had some trouble finding the feature.
Some other comments say that, when writing flashcards on the iPad, the flashcard should be bigger (you can check the image below for reference). While this would be a nice feature to add, it isn’t a major issue for me.
However, I usually use Feyn in Split View, meaning that the size of the flashcard on my iPad isn’t that big of a deal. But for those who don’t use Feyn in split view, having a larger flashcard on their iPad would likely be a better experience when creating flashcards.
Overall, there aren’t that many issues with Feyn. It has most, if not all, of the essential features that students are looking for. The only issues are a couple design-based preferences that some users are looking for.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think that Feyn is a great app for any student with an iPad and an Apple Pencil. It solves the problem of flashcards taking too much time to create by combining note-taking and flashcards into one system.
Feyn’s spaced repetition feature has saved a significant amount of time for me, and I use Feyn for many different classes. The only issues with Feyn appear to be design preferences for some people.
And best of all, it’s completely free.
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