Why YouVersion is Bringing the Bible App to Apple Watch

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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.

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1 Million+ Verse Images shared, now with more backgrounds

Verse Images are the easiest way yet for you to share Bible verses as inspiring pictures — directly from the Bible App! Almost as soon as Verse Image launched, it proved to be one of the most popular features in YouVersion history. In less than two weeks, you and hundreds of thousands of Bible App Friends from all around the world had already shared more than one million Verse Images!

Important Note: To use Verse Images, you’ll need to make sure your device’s operating system is up-to-date, and that you have the most current Bible App release.

Verse Images already featured 60 backgrounds and seven predesigned verses. And thanks to the generosity of YouVersion partner Lightstock, you now have more than 20 additional gorgeous backgrounds to choose from. Also, still to come from The Verses Project, look for over 100 more amazing predesigned verses.

Tip: When you tap a verse that features a predesigned Verse Image, here’s how you choose it:


 

About the Bible App

The Bible App™ has been installed on more than 170 million unique devices, all over the world. Developed by YouVersion, the Bible App offers more than 1,000 Bible versions, in more than 770 languages. And it’s always completely free.

New Bible App icon
bible.com/app

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iOS Actionable Notifications

Actionable Notifications

Now on Apple devices, when the Bible App sends you a notification, you can swipe on it to take action, even right from the lock screen. When one of your Friends adds a Bookmark inside the Bible App, you can swipe the notification and tap Like or Comment. You can even accept Friend requests without having to open the Bible App.  Next time you receive a notification from the Bible App give it a try!

Actionable Notifications

 

Just in Time for Palm Sunday: Jesus Rides into Jerusalem in “The Donkey and the King”

“The Donkey and the King” is the newest story in the Bible App for Kids. Your kids will love learning about the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. Based on Matthew 21:1–11, John 12:16–19, and Luke 19:36–40, Jesus rides into the city as crowds cheer, laying palm tree branches and their cloaks on the road in front of him to welcome Him. They’re hoping that He is the Messiah, the “Promised One” from God that they’ve been waiting for.

Palm Sunday: The Crowd Welcomes Jesus to Jerusalem

But not everyone is happy. The Pharisees are jealous at how much the people like Jesus. They tell Jesus that He should tell the people to stop cheering for Him. But Jesus tells them that if the people don’t cheer and shout, then the rocks will cry out!

The Pharisees are Jealous of Jesus

If you already have the Bible App for Kids, all you need to do to get “The Donkey and the King” is open the Bible App for Kids and tap the new story icon. But even if you don’t have the app yet, getting it is easy — and it’s free! Just click one of the buttons below.



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About the Bible App for Kids

Already installed on more than 6 million devices, the Bible App for Kids comes from YouVersion, makers of the Bible App™. In partnership with OneHope, the Bible App for Kids was designed specifically to provide your children with a delight-filled Bible experience all their own. Here are all the places where you can get the Bible App for Kids:

 

Get it now

 

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The Bible App Has a New Look

When the Bible App debuted in Apple’s App Store in 2008, the mobile landscape looked a lot different. YouVersion’s Bible App was one of only 200 free apps in that first store, offering Bibles in just two languages and a single Reading Plan. The worldwide YouVersion community has come a long way since then.

Now the Bible App has been installed on more than 170 million unique iOS, Android, and Kindle devices (among others). Today’s Bible App offers more than 1000 Bible versions, in over 750 languages. And with hundreds of Bible Plans (and more being added all the time), the Bible App truly makes it easier than ever to connect with God’s Word anytime, anywhere.

Of all the changes we’ve introduced over the years, one of the Bible App’s most recognizable features — our icon — has only changed once, when we gave it a facelift in 2011. It’s time. Today we announce our cleanest, highest definition, easiest-to-read icon yet:

New App Icon

During these past seven years, God has already done more amazing things than we could ask, think, or even imagine. Best of all: we’re only getting started.