Ankommen App (official app by German authorities) at Apps For Refugees .com -

Ankommen is a free app developed by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in conjunction with the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), the Goethe-Institut and Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian public broadcasting). It is designed as a first-stop orientation tool for people who have recently arrived in Germany: practical guidance on daily life, a plain-language walkthrough of the asylum process, and a structured German-language course with a companion tool for finding conversation practice. It is available in five languages and works offline, which matters enormously for users on prepaid data plans or in shared accommodation with unreliable Wi-Fi.

Key Takeaways

• Ankommen is published by German public institutions (BAMF, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Goethe-Institut, Bayerischer Rundfunk), so its content is authoritative rather than crowd-sourced — but it is also general, not personalised legal advice.
• It is free, has no advertising, and works offline once downloaded, making it one of the few apps that is genuinely usable without a data plan.
• Its three core pillars are: orientation to daily life in Germany, information about the asylum procedure and work/training pathways, and German language learning.
• It is a starting point, not a replacement for a lawyer, a caseworker at your local Ausländerbehörde, or a BAMF interview preparation session.
• The language course is beginner-level (roughly A1–A2 territory); learners aiming higher should pair it with the Goethe-Institut’s own offerings or a Volkshochschule course.
• Volunteers and NGO staff can recommend it confidently because it is official, ad-free and offline-capable — a rare combination.

What Ankommen Actually Contains

The app is organised around a small number of clearly separated areas, which is deliberate: it is meant to be usable by someone with limited German and limited digital confidence.

• Daily life in Germany. Practical, concrete topics: how shopping works, food and groceries, what things typically cost, how to behave in public, waste separation, renting, and similar everyday matters that nobody explains to a newly arrived person.
• Health. Where and how to access health services, what a doctor’s visit looks like, and how the health system is structured for people in the asylum process.
• Getting around. Step-by-step descriptions of how to use trains and buses, including how ticketing and local transport associations work — a genuinely confusing topic even for many long-term residents.
• Asylum procedure. An explanation of the steps in the German asylum process, from arrival and registration through the BAMF interview (Anhörung) to the decision.
• Work, training and study. Information on vocational training (Ausbildung), job opportunities, and recognition of qualifications.
• Children and education. How children are integrated into the school system and what educational opportunities exist.
• German language course. A structured beginner course, plus a feature that connects learners with German-speaking volunteers for conversation practice.

The original description of the app as a “go-to” for new arrivals is accurate, but it is worth being precise about what that means: Ankommen is a reference and orientation tool. It tells you how things generally work. It does not tell you what will happen in your case.

Why “Official” Matters — and Where It Doesn’t

Most apps in this niche are built by NGOs, volunteers, or commercial publishers. Ankommen is unusual because it is produced by the same public bodies that actually administer the systems it describes. That has real advantages:

• Accuracy and stability. Content is maintained by institutions with a legal mandate to communicate about these topics, and it is revised when procedures change.
• No monetisation. There is no advertising, no upsell, no data harvesting for commercial purposes. For a population that is frequently targeted by scams and predatory “consultants,” this is significant.
• Trust signalling. A volunteer or caseworker can hand someone a link to Ankommen without having to vouch for an unknown developer.

The caveats are equally real:

• It is general, not individual. Asylum law outcomes depend heavily on country of origin, individual circumstances, and the specific Bundesland. Ankommen cannot and does not give case-specific advice.
• It is not a substitute for representation. Anyone navigating a complex or contested asylum case should have a lawyer, or at minimum a recognised counselling centre. In Germany, organisations such as Pro Asyl, the refugee councils of the individual Länder, and local Caritas, Diakonie and AWO migration counselling services (Migrationsberatung) provide free or low-cost advice. Ankommen points you toward the system; these organisations help you inside it.
• Content updates lag reality. Administrative practice, appointment availability and local rules change faster than any app can track. Treat the app’s information as a reliable baseline, then confirm locally.

The Language Learning Component: What to Expect

Ankommen’s German course is best understood as a starter kit, not a full curriculum. It covers the foundations — greetings, numbers, everyday vocabulary, simple sentence structures — and it is designed for someone who has never studied German.

The genuinely distinctive feature is the connection to German-speaking volunteers for conversation practice. Speaking practice is, as the original article notes, one of the most effective ways to build fluency, and it is precisely the thing that self-study apps cannot provide. Duolingo, Babbel and similar tools are excellent for vocabulary drilling and habit-building, but they do not put a patient human on the other end of a conversation.

Practical guidance on how to use it well:

• Use Ankommen for the basics, then move on. Once you are comfortable with A1-level material, the Goethe-Institut’s own free learning resources, Deutsche Welle’s Deutsch lernen offerings (including the well-known Nicos Weg series), and local Volkshochschule (VHS) courses will take you further.
• Combine app study with a real course. In Germany, asylum seekers and certain other newly arrived groups are typically entitled to apply for an integration course (Integrationskurs) through BAMF, which includes language instruction up to B1 and an orientation component. Ankommen is a good way to arrive at that course already knowing the alphabet and basic phrases.
• Prioritise speaking over reading. Many learners over-invest in reading and grammar drills because they are comfortable, and under-invest in speaking because it is uncomfortable. The volunteer conversation feature exists precisely to correct that imbalance.
• Set a realistic cadence. Short, frequent sessions beat long, rare ones. Twenty minutes daily is worth more than three hours on a Sunday.

How Ankommen Compares to Other Tools

Tool	Publisher	Best for	Offline?	Cost
Ankommen	BAMF, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Goethe-Institut, Bayerischer Rundfunk	Orientation to German systems + beginner German	Yes	Free
Integrationskurs (via BAMF)	Federal government, delivered by licensed providers	Structured language learning to B1 + orientation	No (in-person/online course)	Free or subsidised for eligible groups
Deutsche Welle Deutsch lernen	Deutsche Welle (public broadcaster)	Self-study German at many levels	Partly	Free
Goethe-Institut learning resources	Goethe-Institut	Exam preparation and structured progression	Partly	Free and paid tiers
General language apps (Duolingo, Babbel, etc.)	Commercial	Vocabulary, habit-building, gamified practice	Varies	Freemium / subscription

The pattern is clear: Ankommen is the only tool in this list that combines official orientation information with language learning in a single offline-capable package. That is its niche, and it is a genuinely useful one.

Who Should Use It — and Who Should Look Elsewhere

Ankommen is a strong fit if you:

• Have recently arrived in Germany and need a reliable, plain-language overview of how things work.
• Have limited or no data connectivity and need something that works offline.
• Are a volunteer, teacher or NGO staff member looking for a safe, official resource to recommend.
• Want a low-pressure way to start learning German before a formal course begins.

Ankommen is not the right primary tool if you:

• Need legal advice about a specific asylum case — contact a lawyer or a recognised counselling centre.
• Are already at B1 level or above and looking for advanced language practice.
• Need information about a country other than Germany. Ankommen is Germany-specific; for other EU contexts, look to national equivalents or to EU-level resources such as the EU’s official information portals.
• Need real-time, local information (e.g. current appointment waiting times at a specific office) — that comes from your local authority or a local NGO.

Practical Tips for Volunteers and Aid Workers

If you are helping someone set up Ankommen, a few small things make a large difference:

• Download it on Wi-Fi before you hand over the phone. The offline capability only helps if the content is already on the device.
• Set the language to the user’s strongest language first, then let them explore the German course separately. Orientation content in a familiar language reduces cognitive load.
• Pair it with one human contact. Ankommen plus a named local counselling centre is far more useful than Ankommen alone.
• Show, don’t tell. Walk through two or three screens together rather than explaining the app abstractly.
• Check the app store listing for the current developer name. The app has been published under Bayerischer Rundfunk; store listings can change, so verify you are installing the official version and not a lookalike.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ankommen really free, and does it have ads?

Yes. Ankommen is free to download and use, and it is produced by public institutions rather than a commercial developer, so there is no advertising and no in-app purchase model. This is one of its main advantages over commercial language apps, which typically gate content behind subscriptions.

Can I use Ankommen without an internet connection?

Yes — the app is designed to work offline once the content has been downloaded. This is a deliberate design choice for users on prepaid data plans or in accommodation with unreliable connectivity. Download it while you have Wi-Fi access, and the orientation content and language course remain available afterwards.

Does Ankommen replace a lawyer or a migration counsellor?

No. Ankommen explains how the German asylum procedure generally works, but it cannot assess your individual case or represent you. For case-specific advice, contact a qualified lawyer or a recognised counselling service such as those run by Caritas, Diakonie, AWO or the refugee council in your Bundesland.

How good is the German course in Ankommen?

It is a solid beginner course covering the foundations, roughly at A1 level, and it is particularly valuable because it connects learners with German-speaking volunteers for conversation practice. For progression beyond the basics, combine it with a BAMF-funded Integrationskurs, Deutsche Welle’s free Deutsch lernen materials, or a local Volkshochschule course.

Which languages is Ankommen available in?

The app is available in five languages, chosen to match the largest groups of recent arrivals in Germany. The exact set has been updated over time, so check the current app store listing for the languages offered in your version.

Is Ankommen only useful for asylum seekers?

No. It is useful for a broad range of newly arrived migrants, including people arriving through family reunification, study or work routes, and for the volunteers and professionals who support them. Anyone who needs a reliable, plain-language orientation to how daily life and administration work in Germany will find something useful in it.