Why YouVersion is Bringing the Bible App to Apple Watch

preview with avatar

The power of God’s Word, close at hand.

At YouVersion, we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, the primary way that He communicates with us. And we believe that the Bible has the power to absolutely transform lives. We’ve seen it happen — again and again and again.

That’s why we keep our mission simple: to help you engage with the Bible. Because we’re convinced that when you spend time with the Bible, either reading or listening, and then carefully reflect on what it’s saying to you, God’s Spirit will do something inside of you. His words will change you, make you into a new person. Ultimately, His words will draw you closer to Him.

That’s what drives every release of the Bible App, every new feature. We research which behaviors seem most likely to help you daily engage with the Bible. We select the ones we believe will be the most effective for the most people, and then we carefully craft features around those.

That’s why we’re bringing the Bible App to Apple Watch.

We’ll be there on launch day, just like we were among the first 200 free apps in Apple’s App Store on the day it launched in 2008. That first version of the Bible App let people have the Bible with them, constantly available everywhere they went. And we never stop evaluating new opportunities that might help you keep God’s Word in front of you.

We realized that certain aspects of this unique platform could deepen the presence of the Bible verses that mean the most to you — those that you tagged specifically with Verse Images, Bookmarks, or Highlights. We even tried to think through how your Apple Watch could help you stay closely connected to your community of Bible App Friends.

After hours of discussing, debating, prototyping, experimenting, tweaking, discarding — then repeating the process — we landed on the features that we think will help you get the most from the Bible App on your Apple Watch. Now we’re looking forward to the new ways we believe God will speak to you through his Word when you’re able to give it this kind of constant, natural presence in your daily life.

Meditation:
Verse of the Day

“Commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine.
Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.”
Deuteronomy 11:18

Every day, the Bible App presents you with the “Verse of the Day,” keystone Bible verses meaningful to believers the world over. With Apple Watch, you can revisit the Verse of the Day anytime you want, with just a glance and a tap.

Biblical Community:
Friend Notifications

“Every time I think of you,
I give thanks to my God.”
Philippians 1:3

Taptic notifications are a brand new feature unique to Apple Watch. If you turn on your Bible App notifications, you’ll feel a tiny vibration each time one of your Bible App Friends likes or comments on your Bible activity. Without even looking, you’ll know that in that very moment, one of your trusted friends is thinking of you, encouraged or inspired by the time you’ve recently spent in God’s Word.

Inspiration:
Trending Verses

Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5–6

Which Scriptures are other believers engaging with right now? With a tap and a scroll, a quick glance at which Bible verses are trending will give you a sense of what’s happening across the worldwide YouVersion community. Available exclusively on Apple Watch.

Mindfulness:
Your Verse Images, Bookmarks, and Highlights

“…set your hearts on things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Colossians 3:1–2

Bible App on Apple Watch will let you scroll through and view your own Verse Images, Bookmarks, and Highlights. It’s a simple, practical way that you can find inspiration, encouragement, or even just a reminder of the things you value most.


All over the world, people just like you are connecting with each other through the global YouVersion community, centered around God’s Word. And very soon, the Bible App for Apple Watch will place the power of that community literally at your fingertips. Make the Bible App one of the first apps you connect to your Apple Watch. As long as your iPhone is up-to-date and Apple Watch-compatible, then the day that your Apple Watch arrives, the Bible App will be there.

Share on Twitter

Share on Facebook