Why Isn’t the Bible App Optimized for iPhone 5?

We hope you’ve already downloaded the latest update of the Bible App™ for iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch), available now in the iTunes App Store. With each release, we try to bring you with the best experience possible on the device of your choice.

If you have an iPhone 5, while the newest release of the Bible App will work just fine on your device, you’ll probably notice that it doesn’t fill your new, larger screen. But all of the features you know and love in the Bible App are still there, along with a few improvements.

Unfortunately, if we update the Bible App to add support for the iPhone 5’s taller screen, Apple requires us to drop support for many iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches with older operating systems. That would mean that the 700–900 people who are installing the Bible App on these older devices every day wouldn’t be able to get it at all. It also means that many thousands of others wouldn’t be able to upgrade the Bible App they already have installed.

More than 69 million people have installed the Bible App so far. While that number includes Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and many other types of devices, almost 30 million people are using the Bible App on Apple devices. We simply can’t justify compromising simple, free access to God’s Word for so many people just because they have older devices.

Now, we’re constantly reviewing downloads, how often and how long people interact with the Bible App, and what devices they’re using to connect. We take very seriously our responsibility to position our development resources where they’ll have the greatest impact. And our simple mission remains the same: To help as many people as possible engage with the Bible, no matter where they live or what language they prefer—or even which Apple device they happen to have.

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