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Bible App for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: New Features Debut, Others Improved

Version 3.4 of the Bible App™ for iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch) introduces some exciting, brand new features, as well as enhancements to existing tools. You can update yours right now in the iTunes App Store! (You can learn how at the end of this post.)

All-New Features:

  • When you’re listening to audio Bibles, now volume control displays on the screen, right where you’re already listening. We’ve also added a button for AirPlay, which lets you listen through speakers you’ve set up on your wireless network. (AirPlay requires Apple TV.)
  • For the first time ever, if you’ve downloaded offline Bibles to your iOS device, the Bible App lets you know when one of them has been updated. So now you can always maintain the most current version of every translation—even in those times you don’t have access to the Internet.
  • The Bible App now takes advantage of Apple’s great built-in VoiceOver features, using sounds to make it easier for visually impaired people to engage with Scripture.

Updates:

  • YouVersion Live is easier than ever, with an updated interface designed specifically to help you quickly find Live events close to where you are.
  • The Bible App’s connection to Twitter is streamlined, making it even easier for you to connect your free YouVersion account to share with your social media followers.
  • Each time YouVersion introduces a new update, we try to take that opportunity to bundle standard bug fixes and performance enhancements to save you time.

Onscreen Audio Controls in the Bible App™ Offline Version Updates in the Bible App™ Updated YouVersion Live Interface in the Bible App™
Please help us get the word out. If you have friends with Apple devices, a new release of the Bible App represents a great opportunity to share YouVersion with them. Please consider helping friends new to iOS install the Bible App from the iTunes App Store. And remember: The YouVersion community on Facebook and Twitter loves hearing your stories about spreading the Bible App!

Get Your Update Now:

If you already have the Bible App installed:

  1. On your Apple device, tap the App Store icon.
  2. When the App Store opens, tap the Updates icon.
  3. Tap Update for the Bible App.
    OR
    Tap Update All.

If this is your first time installing the Bible App:

  1. On your Apple device, tap the App Store icon.
  2. When the App Store opens, tap the Search icon.
  3. Search for “Bible”.
  4. Tap the Bible App from LifeChurch.tv.
  5. Tap the FREE button.
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Volunteers and Publishers Help Build YouVersion’s Thriving Korean Community

YouVersion’s simple mission remains the same: To make it as easy as possible for people to engage with the Bible and to connect with each other, no matter where they live or what language they prefer. We’re thankful to team up with people around the globe who share this goal.

Publishers. Through partnerships with key Bible publishers, YouVersion is thrilled to announce the immediate availability of these great Bibles in Korean:

Volunteers. The YouVersion community is literally worldwide, made possible only by volunteers who graciously offer their time and talents, whether from the United States, South Korea, Canada… or wherever you are. Volunteers are ordinary people—people just like you—who want to help others experience God’s Word in the same personal, meaningful ways that they have themselves. And it’s easier than you may think; if you can help us translate new features and services—whether into Korean or other languages—you can make a difference. Please get in touch with us through our volunteer sign-up form and let us know how you can help.

Volunteering with YouVersion offers you the unique opportunity to impact millions of other people with the story of God’s love. Read what just a few of our amazing Korean language volunteers have to say about their experiences working on the Bible App™:

Korean Language Volunteer Ingu from Gilbert, Arizona, USA

“As I had been richly blessed by the Words of God and the free Bible App from YouVersion, I felt that I should let those blessings flow to others. I wanted to practice the principle of ‘Freely you have received, freely give,’ so I decided to volunteer using the natural talent the Lord freely gave me—my mother tongue! I was enjoying working on the Korean project so much that eventually I realized I was no longer giving freely: the Lord has blessed me back much more in getting to be a part of the YouVersion team, with such great people!”
—Ingu in Gilbert, Arizona, USA

 

Korean Language Volunteer Jason P. from Missisauga, Ontario, Canada

“The Bible App from YouVersion was the first Bible app I put on my iPad. I found the Korean version wasn’t perfect. I also noticed that YouVersion was asking for volunteers to help translate it better. I used to work developing software, and I had been pursuing the Words of God during the last twenty years in church in Korea and in Canada, so when I realized I could probably help with the Bible App, I decided to volunteer. What we’re doing together now is so much more than just translating—we’re answering God’s calling to expand His church.”
—Jason P. (박영호) in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

 

“I am grateful and honored to have the opportunity to get to work together with many other Christians on the Bible App—most of whom I have never met. The intentions we share, together with the strong (yet humble) leadership from YouVersion, makes our important work run smoothly. I truly believe that the Bible App from YouVersion is the best app, both in functionality and content (of course!). I am so happy to be able to tell my children that I got to participate in this great ministry, no matter how small a part I may get to play.”
—Sung (성희) in Denver, Colorado, USA

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YouVersion for Readers and Speakers of Korean Around the World

Now, for the first time, the Bible App™ and YouVersion.com both offer the opportunity for literally tens of millions of native Korean speakers and readers the world over to connect both with the Bible and with the global YouVersion community. As YouVersion’s gracious publishing partners continue to provide additional Bibles in several languages, we’re now thrilled to be able to offer you such popular, easy-to-understand Korean versions as 개역한글, 새번역, and 현대인의 성경. 

Of course, the YouVersion experience is much more than Bibles. Our amazing volunteers are literally changing the world, working together to provide Korean speakers with all that YouVersion has to offer. This comprehensive set of tools is designed to help Korean speakers engage with God’s Word as easily as possible—entirely in their own language—including menus, email exchanges, conversations on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, reading plans—and even technical support!

Korean readers were already one of YouVersion’s largest, most active segments, with an average of 150,000 people a month installing the Korean version of the Bible App onto their devices. And with the announcement now of our complete Korean launch, we only expect that number to grow.

Koreans in North and South Korea. Koreans represent a huge, ever-growing segment of the overall YouVersion community. Wikipedia says that Korean is the official language of both North and South Korea, encompassing about 78 million speakers worldwide. And according to The World Factbook, South Korea (known officially as the Republic of Korea) is the 26th most populous nation in the world, home to just under 49 million people. North Korea is 48th, claiming about 24 and a half million people.

Koreans Elsewhere. Of course, Koreans don’t live only in South and North Korea. Another Wikipedia article estimates that an additional 7 million Koreans live outside the two Koreas, with some of the largest concentrations settling in China (2.3 million), the United States (2.1 million), and Japan (just under 1 million). The remaining number are dispersed literally all over the world.

If you speak or read Korean, the YouVersion community is excited to officially welcome you into our global community of brothers and sisters. We’d love to connect with you. It’s our sincere desire to see the life-changing story of God’s love reach more people than ever before—no matter what language you speak, or where you live.

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Announcing YouVersion.com and the Bible App—Completely in Korean

Now you can experience both YouVersion.com and the Bible App™ entirely in Korean! While we’ve offered Korean as a language option at YouVersion.com for months, today’s announcement covers more territory. When the YouVersion community formally launches an additional language, what that means is that every single interaction you can have with YouVersion’s tools and community is now available completely in that language. Korean is our sixth total language launch. (English was first, followed by Norwegian, Spanish, Chinese, and most recently, Russian.)

Specifically, here are all the ways that the YouVersion community (that’s you!) can now engage with God’s Word in Korean:

  • Great Korean Bibles. YouVersion’s partners have graciously provided our community with high quality, widely read Korean versions of the Bible, versions like 현대인의 성경, 개역한글, and 새번역. (To pick one, check 한국어 near the bottom of the Versions page or, in the Bible App, click to change your current version and scroll to see the available Korean versions.)
  • Entire User Interface. Thanks once again to our world-changing community of YouVersion volunteers, when you select Korean as the default language on your device—whether on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android, or BlackBerry—the Bible App displays all of your controls and menu options in that language.
  • Communication in Korean. Volunteers now make relevant YouVersion blog posts available in Korean. And when you initiate communication with YouVersion in Korean, your email and other responses will be in Korean as well.
  • Support in Korean. Now, you can even get help with the Bible App and YouVersion.com in Korean! When you have questions, YouVersion volunteers who speak Korean will be happy to assist you.

YouVersion’s vision has always been simple: To help people connect freely with God’s Word, as easily as possible, no matter where they live or what language they speak. If you have friends whose heart language is Korean, please share this great news about YouVersion.com and the Bible App with them. And be sure to come connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We love hearing from you!

Keep checking back… To all our new Korean speakers: Welcome to our YouVersion family! We’re thrilled to have you join us. Over the next couple of weeks here on our blog, we’ll be providing more details about each individual piece of the complete Korean launch. We’re excited to share with you all that your community has to offer!

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God’s Word Helps People Through Hard Times

In the YouVersion community, we love the Bible. We believe it has the power to change lives. We hear all the time from people who have experienced the extraordinary reach of God’s Word–through just a simple app on their mobile device. Reuniting with a faith left behind years ago, finding just the right words to encourage a friend, receiving confirming inspiration in precisely the moment of need–all are examples we hear again and again in our community.Today we’d like to share with you a few specific stories, directly from people touched by the Bible during difficult times in their lives, in their own words. God is using the Bible App™ to make His Word always available to meet people’s needs–no matter where they are:

“I have really enjoyed the upgrades to the Bible App over the past two years. Recently, I was able to surprise my uncle while he was in the hospital, not just showing him Scripture and how many different versions of the Bible are available, but by allowing him to hear it actually read aloud by the software.” —George B.

“I love having the ability to look up any word in the Bible and see it display all of the associated Scriptures right away. I have a disability that prevents me from doing much typing, so I love that I can share Scriptures without having to type the words. I believe this is the best Bible application available. Thank you for the Bible App, YouVersion!” —Cherie S.

“I love having the Bible on my iPhone. I have cataracts at 73 years of age and I can see the backlit words better and read faster. I’ve read as many 19 chapters in one sitting! And it’s the only Bible I take to church now.” —Mary D.

What’s Your Story?

If YouVersion and the Bible App have helped you connect with God’s Word more, we’d love to hear your story. Please join the conversation on Facebook or Twitter, or you can get in touch with us directly using the form below.