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Videos Feature Comes to the Bible App

We’re excited to announce the launch of a brand-new feature in the Bible App: Videos! You can immediately start engaging with the Bible through this new feature on the latest version of the Bible App for iOS, Android, and at Bible.com.

Now you can use the Bible App to watch and share Bible video content, generously provided by YouVersion partners. You’ll find clips from the History channel miniseries The Bible, which made a big splash during it’s premiere last night. You will also find  The Lumo Project from Big Book Media and Toy Gun Productions, as well as JESUS, the Jesus Film Media movie about Jesus’ life that’s already been shown more than 6 billion times worldwide!

At YouVersion, we’re constantly looking for new ways to help you engage with God’s Word. We believe Videos will help people connect with the Bible by letting them visually experience stories and concepts from the Bible—even if reading isn’t your favorite thing. Sharing video clips will also present new opportunities for you to invite discussion about your faith. And all video content is linked directly to the passages that inspired it, so you can jump straight to the original source!

To check out the Bible App’s new Videos feature, first make sure you have the most recent version of the Bible App on your iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) or Android device*. Then simply go to the Bible App’s main menu and select “Videos.”(Wi-Fi access recommended for the best experience.) You can even see the new Videos feature on Bible.com!

 

*The latest version of the Bible App for Android (4.2) is currently only available in the Google Play store. This version will make it’s way to Amazon and other Android markets around the world later this week.

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YouVersion’s First National Commercial to Debut During The Bible Series

We’re thrilled to announce YouVersion’s first-ever television commercial, set to air on national television in the U.S. this Sunday evening. The spot will debut during The Bible, the dynamic new miniseries coming to you from husband-and-wife producers Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) and Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice). The Bible begins March 3 on the History channel (check local listings). The Bible App™ is the official app of The Bible, which will air on Sunday nights throughout March. Watch for it!

But before we share our commercial with the world, we wanted to give the YouVersion community a chance to see it first:

And be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming release of the Bible App, when we’ll introduce the brand-new “Videos” feature!

 


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Explore Dozens of New Bible Reading Plans

We’ve just added more than 30 new Reading Plans to the Bible App!

Reading Plans are one of the best ways we’ve found to help you consistently engage with God’s Word. Simply subscribe to a plan on the topic of your choice, and each day, the Bible App shows you a passage of Scripture for that day. Choose from devotionals, topical plans, portions of the Bible, the entire Bible, and other categories. With more than 400 plans in 30 different languages, you can find something that’s just right for where you are in life.

Selected New Plans

Here are just a few of the new Reading Plans you might want to try:

The Overflow presents new video devotionals from some of today’s leading Christian artists and musicians, such as Casting Crowns, Matthew West, Rhett Walker Band, RED, Sho Baraka, and more! Various lengths

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Wisdom from Proverbs takes you through ten practical, biblical steps to help you start getting your finances in order. From trusted voice on money and business Dave Ramsey. 10 days

New City Catechism video devotional offers a series of questions and answers teaching foundational theological principles. Designed to serve both children and adults. From The Gospel Coalition and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. 20 days

Selected New Categories

We’ve also added some new Reading Plan categories you might be interested in:

Focus on the Family features Reading Plans—including four brand-new ones from President Jim Daly—specifically designed to help families live out their faith based on biblical principles.

Time of Grace offers Reading Plans focused on imparting biblical principles about daily Christian life, with six new plans just added.

To check out all of YouVersion’s newest plans, visit the main Reading Plans page at Bible.com or look in the “New” category inside the Bible App.

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Big Features, Updates Coming to the Bible App

Video is the newest addition to the Bible App, coming in the next release for iPhone/iPad, Android, and even at Bible.com!

“Videos” will be on the Bible App’s main menu, right alongside the tools you already love, like Reading Plans and Bookmarks. Watch high-quality clips from brand-new miniseries The Bible, the world-renowned JESUS movie, and The Lumo Project. Engage with God’s Word in new ways, as video brings Bible stories and concepts to life for you. And of course, sharing videos will also mean more opportunities to share your faith with others.

Another exciting update coming to the Bible App for iPhone in our next release: Full support for the iPhone 5’s larger display. Ever since the iPhone 5’s introduction, the YouVersion iOS community has been asking when the Bible App would support it. It’s here!

Please let your friends know about these exciting new Bible App features on Facebook and Twitter. And watch for release announcements, so you can be the first to get the new update as soon as it’s available for your device!

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Updates at YouVersion.com Website Reflect Most Common User Requests

In 2012, we introduced the all-new YouVersion.com, re-imagining it with most of the same features you already loved from the mobile versions of the Bible App. But even then, we knew we wanted it to do more. As the YouVersion community began letting us know which features they wanted to see there, we were taking notes. Today, we’re pleased to announce the first batch of upgrades to YouVersion.com.

(By the way, did you know that you can get this same YouVersion Bible reading experience — along with all your notes and stored information — at Bible.com? Try it!)

Bible Plans in the Reader. While previous versions of YouVersion.com displayed your Plans in a separate Reading Plan view—with limited functionality—now it shows them in the main Bible Reader panel, with complete access to Bible text, highlights, sharing, and anything else you might need.

Enhanced Bible Reader Settings. Speaking of Bible Reader functionality, you have more options than ever for customizing your reading. Just click the gear icon at the top of the Bible Reader panel. You could already choose your font face and size. Now you can also show or hide Footnotes, Highlights, and Cross References. It’s easy!

Search as you type Book/Chapter. To switch books or chapters, click the current book name. Then just start typing whatever you’re looking for, and YouVersion.com immediately narrows your choices for you!

Search as you type Version. Just like book/chapter, when you click your current version, start typing the name, abbreviation, or language of any version you want, and your choices will begin to narrow. If you know the version you want to switch to, now you can get there with little or no scrolling.

Smarter search. Type a reference into Search—say, Ephesians 2—and Search takes you directly there.

Better linking. If you click on a link to a specific passage or type it into Search—let’s say, Romans 8:37-39—YouVersion.com jumps you straight to the first verse in that passage (rather than to the beginning of the chapter)…even selecting it for you!

Faster Parallel Load. Even in the first release of YouVersion.com, clicking the Parallel button at the top of the Bible Reader panel displayed two Bible versions side-by-side. We’ve tweaked this feature to make the primary version you’re studying load even faster.

Publisher Details. YouVersion can only offer hundreds of Bible versions—in dozens of languages—through the generous partnership of Bible publishers. Now it’s easier than ever to find out more about your favorite Bible versions. At the bottom of the Bible Reader panel, click “Learn More” to see links to publishers’ websites, other versions available from this same publisher, and copyright details.

Ask your friends to try out YouVersion and Bible.com. Always 100% free, it’s now better than ever. It’s our pleasure to keep improving your Bible reading experiences with YouVersion, no matter how you choose to connect!