Just in time for the new year, we’ve launched more than 20 new Bible reading plans on YouVersion!
20+ plans are available online and on your mobile device, so you can keep up with your reading no matter where you are.
You can customize each plan to match your schedule by making it shorter or longer.
Easily track where you are by checking off each day’s reading. We’ll also show you how far along you are with a percentage of completion.
Your online and mobile accounts will synchronize your information, including your plan and your progress.
Soon, you’ll be able to build a support system by opting in for accountability emails to you and/or a friend.
Following a reading plan helps you stay on track with your Bible reading goals. Choose one (or several) and each day a special selection will be ready and waiting for you.
The YouVersion offices have been buzzing with anticipation for version 2.2 of the iPhone Bible app that has just been made available in the iTunes App Store. We’re excited to put this new version in your hands before the New Year because it includes some amazing new features! Let’s take a look.
When you open the new version, you’ll see a welcome screen that gives you the option to “Sign In to YouVersion.com” or “Create An Account.” If you choose not to sign in now, you will still be able to sign in later within the app.
Most of the new features in this version are related to the advanced Reading Plans options. The first time you open this section, you’ll see the option to “View All Plans” or “View Default Plan.” If you choose to stick with the default plan, you’ll still be able to go back and take advantage of the advanced features later.
Choosing “View All Plans” will take you to a list of all available reading plans from YouVersion.com. From here, you can sign in with your YouVersion.com account to see the plans you’ve started already or to start a new plan. Tapping a reading plan in the list will show you the details of that plan.
When viewing the details of a reading plan, you’ll have several options. You can view a sample of the plan (View Today’s Reading), start following the plan (requires sign-in), or stop following the plan (if you’re already following that plan). You can even read a description of the plan, see your start/end dates, percentage of completion, or get more information about the provider of that reading plan.
When you tap “View Today’s Reading,” you’ll see the list of reading selections for today which you can choose to read, along with the option to go to tomorrow’s reading assignment or share your plan on Twitter or via email. If you’re signed in and looking at a plan you’re following, you’ll also see check-boxes to mark off what you’ve read. (Your progress will be synced to your YouVersion.com account.)
Tapping a selection in the list takes you to a modified version of the main Bible reader. Notice the different dock at the bottom of the screen. That simple tool will allow you to jump between all the selections for that day. As you read, the app will track your progress for you. So, when you return to the list of today’s selections, you’ll notice that your plan is already checked off for you. If you didn’t actually read a particular selection, just uncheck it.
If you don’t have a YouVersion account yet, you’ll be able to sign up for a new account from anywhere within the Reading Plans section of the app or from the Settings page.
We hope the new Reading Plan features will help you meet your Bible reading goals for 2010. As always, to download this application or the YouVersion Bible app for Blackberry or Android, go to http://youversion.com/download from your mobile device.
Today we are excited to announce version 2.1 of the BlackBerry Bible app. We have been working hard on this update, and are happy to put this in your hands just in time for Christmas! So if you are a Blackberry user think of this as our special gift to you!
So, without further ado let me walk you through some of the new features and user experience.
As you might notice here, there is a slight change…what once was Daily Reading, you now see Reading Plan. We now have dozens of reading plans at your finger tips, and many are much more than just daily plans. Read more about all our reading plans here http://www.youversion.com/about/reading-plans
Here you see a view of the reading plans. In this you you will notice “My Reading Plans” as well as Available Reading Plans. So yes, you guessed it…you can now login to YouVersion via your Blackberry device. The login will keep your reading in sync with the desktop web version…and any other mobile device you might use.
This view shows today’s reading for the Life Journal Reading Plan. You will notice there are 3 readings for today and the ability to email them, Tweet them, as well as see the plan details.
Ok, check this out…here you are seeing our new custom daily reading scripture reader. At the bottom of the reader notice “Today” and specifically the 1 of 3. We tried to make it as easy as possible for you while reading your plan. In this view you simply see you are reading today’s plan and you are on Reading 1 of 3.
Above, I broke the news that you can now login to YouVersion via your Blackberry Bible App. //Applause goes here// You now have the ability to manage your YouVersion login as well as your Twitter login in your settings screen. Yep, it is that simple.
Finally, it’s time to take what you have learned here and Share it with the world. On your Share screen you can now Tweet about the YouVersion Bible App being amazing…and yes it is Free as well. So go ahead, take out your Blackberry and tell the world how much you love it!
Download now…here is how. Take out your Blackberry, and go to http://bit.ly/bb-bible. This will take you to Blackberry App World, our preferred method of installing. If App World is not available in your country, you can also download it via http://youversion.com/download from your Blackberry, Android, or iPhone mobile device.
Last week YouVersion hit a major milestone: YouVersion users have spent one billion minutes reading the Bible on mobile devices. That’s 19 centuries! It makes me wonder if something like that would have happened so quickly without the Bible being in the pocket of around 3 million people all day, every day.
Although the sheer number (1 billion!) is amazing, the more important factor is that “1 billion” represents real people spending real time reading their Bibles. The stories from those people are moving:
“I have a wife, 3 kids, a full-time job, and I’m the part time (but really operate at full time) worship pastor at a large church. I’ve had to sacrifice a lot of things to make all of these things work, and at times I would drift away from consistently reading the Word. Having YouVersion on my Droid has made an incredible difference in my life, my families life, and my ministry. Thank you so much for doing so much for His Kingdom.”
“Your app has been a Godsend, and led me back to attending church regularly and seeking spiritual help during my more recent trials and tribulations.”
“I have found that I read my bible on exponentially more than ever before as it’s always available anytime, anywhere. I love the fact that I can send text’s that I’m reading by email to my friends/family.”
“I lead an adult Disciple Bible Study at our Church. Having the many translations available on my iPhone makes comparing texts very convenient and aids our study.”
These are only a few of the many, many stories we’ve received from YouVersion users that have seen God work through the Bible on their mobile device. If you have a story of your own, go to http://www.onebillionminutes.com and let us know. We’d love to hear your story.
Last week was such a busy week we forgot to let you know about our Android Bible App update > 1.1.4. Here is a list of some of the change log:
store the Bible version with bookmarks
replaced Bible version selection with native Android widgets (improved speed)
replaced settings with native Android preferences
fixed force close on screen rotation, and on restarting the application
using native Andorid context menu system now to make future application translation easier
improved failure handling
removed obsolete code and assets to reduce storage footprint
improved code for upgrading database schemas and preferences
making use of Checkstyle plugin to improve the code
fixed random force close on first-time application startup
Most of these were more stability and bug fixes, but know that a big update is in the works. The Android App roadmap includes Log In, Live, Offline, updated Reading Plans, much much more!
