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The Bible App for Android: 5 Million Devices

When the YouVersion user community reaches huge milestones, we love to share them so we can celebrate together. As of today:

The Bible App™ for Android has been
installed on more than 5 million devices!

The Bible App™ for Android at 5 Million DownloadsWhat that means is that more people are now engaging with God’s Word through the Bible App—just on Android devices—than were even using the Bible App on every platform at this same time last year. And of course, they’re participating with the millions of others also using the Bible App on iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and other platforms. In fact, the YouVersion community has been connecting with the Bible through the Bible App collectively for more than 6 billion minutes!

Launched in August of 2009, the Bible App for Android has continued adding and improving features, like offline Bibles, a reading plan widget, and most recently, even audio Bibles. And of course all of these cutting edge tools are in addition to the multiple languages and same great features on our other platforms: reading plans, notes, bookmarks, social connections and more.

Hopefully you know by now that at YouVersion, we love the Bible. So it’s thrilling when Bible App users continue to share with others how they too can easily, freely connect with it every day on their mobile devices. Please keep telling friends and loved ones about the Bible App for Android, available free from the Android App Market. And let’s connect on Facebook and Twitter!

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4 New Translations from YouVersion and the Bible App: SFB, SSV, ZIV and CCB

Through partnerships with Bible organizations literally around the world, we’re very excited to be announcing four new translations of the Bible today, available immediately at YouVersion.com and in the Bible App™:
The Bible App™ Icon (with map)

  • SFB Svenska Folkbibeln. The SFB, a widely read and loved version of the Scriptures in Swedish, represents our second translation available in this language. (We also offer the SVEN Svenska 1917.)
  • SSV Sväté Písmo (katolícky preklad). A Catholic version of the Bible, the SSV is our first available translation in the Slovak language.
  • ZIV Zokam International Version. The ZIV is our first version of the Bible translated into the Zokam language, envisioned for Zo People in India, Burma, Southeast Asia and across the world. You can learn more about the ZIV at their website.
  • CCB 当代译本. A brand new translation of Scriptures in Chinese provided by Biblica, the CCB, or Chinese Contemporary Bible, makes the Bible available in Standard Mandarin, or Putonghua, a modern, easily understood Chinese language spoken by more than 870 million people. You can read all about the CCB at Biblica’s website.

With this announcement, the Bible App and YouVersion now offer 54 translations in 23 languages. If you have friends who might benefit from any of these versions of the Bible, please let them know, whether in person or on Facebook and Twitter. The Bible App is a completely free application, available on all of the following platforms:

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YouVersion’s Terrific Volunteers: Could You Be One?

The Bible App™ IconDuring the first 46 days of 2011, together the YouVersion community engaged with the Bible for more than 1 billion minutes. And during just the past 60 days, the Bible App™ was installed on 3.4 million new mobile devices. So far, the Bible App’s interface is available in 11 languages, with even more to come. More people than ever now have the opportunity to experience God’s Word in a personal, meaningful way. All of those things happened in partnership with dedicated volunteers passionately offering their gifts—volunteers just like you.

Volunteers with YouVersion have the opportunity to touch the lives of literally millions of people all over the world—volunteers like Klaus in Germany, Kleber translating Portuguese in Brazil, Sebastian in Poland, Yanick working on Dutch from the Netherlands, Jose in Guatemala contributing Spanish, Ingu helping with Korean from the U.S., Isaac and Jerry translating into Chinese, Roman and Vitaliy in Russia, and Ramelle in France. But even as great as these tireless leaders are, if you can assist with translation into any of these languages, they would be grateful to have your help.

But of course YouVersion isn’t stopping there. We’re also seeking volunteer translators for Japanese, Arabic, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Afrikaans, Swedish, Slovak, Romanian and Czech. And if there’s another language you’d like to see the Bible App in, and you can help translate it, please contact us.

There are other ways you can help, too. Can you translate? Provide support to other users? Design or develop websites or mobile apps? Test new versions and provide great feedback? Please let us know if any of these tasks sound like you.

We would be honored to welcome you to the YouVersion team.

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YouVersion: Now with 130 Reading Plans—More Than Twice as Many as Before!

If you use reading plans, whether online at YouVersion.com or in the Bible App­™, then you already know how much they can help you engage with the Bible every day. On Friday of last week, we had 62 plans. Today we’re adding 68 more brand new ones—the most we’ve ever brought you at one time. That’s 130 unique paths for you to choose from to interact with God’s Word.

Why so many? Because we’ve been listening, and we’re trying to respond to requests from the amazing YouVersion user community. We want to equip you with as many tools as possible to help you—and the people you’re reaching—genuinely connect with the Bible. Whether you’re exploring faith, or you’re seeking to grow closer in the relationship with Christ you already have, or you’re simply looking for encouragement, you’ll find something just for you in YouVersion’s reading plans. Here are just a few examples:

  • Teens/Youth. We now have more than 20 plans devoted to topics that young people face every day.
  • Parenting by Design. This devotional offers quick, daily encouragement for parents who want to raise a Bible-centered family.
  • 1-Minute Daily Devotions. Right from the Heart Ministries developed this series of short, inspirational readings you’ll want to meditate on throughout your day.
  • New Testament Books. Individual plans lead you through most New Testament books.
  • Practical Topical Plans. Through a collaboration with the Stewardship Council, we have 3 new focused plans you might try: Debt, Compassion, and Busy Women.

YouVersion's Available Reading Plans

And of course, we try to make it simple for you to share what you’re reading with the other people in your life on Facebook and Twitter. Simply connect the Bible App to your social networks and go.

All this is only the beginning. Keep watching this space. Right now we’re working on new plans in additional languages. More announcements to come…

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Brand New Today from YouVersion: 3 Reading Plans for Lent

Reading Plans on an iPadWe’re pleased to bring you three terrific new reading plans, each one specifically for Lent, available immediately at YouVersion.com and in the Bible App­™. This year, Easter Sunday will fall on April 24, which means that Lent, the period leading up to Easter, will begin next Wednesday, March 9. Lent is traditionally a time of fasting, prayer, charitable giving and surrender of vices. By focusing our thoughts daily on our relationship with God, most of us who participate in Lent together consider it a purposeful way to draw closer to Him.

  • Lent for Everyone is a devotional from N.T. Wright, generously being made available to YouVersion users for free by SPCK Publishing. This plan leads you through a portion of the Gospel of Matthew each day, and includes some ideas to help you reflect on that day’s reading. (Look under Devotional.)
  • Devotions for Lent from Holy Bible: Mosaic is another devotional, this one being provided free to YouVersion users from Tyndale House Publishers. Devotions for Lent from Holy Bible: Mosaic presents selected Bible passages each day, with supporting inspirational writings to provide context and insight into what you’re reading. (Look under Devotional.)
  • 40 Days of Lent is a plan that focuses each day’s reading solely on Scripture. You’ll discover the person of Jesus and His significance to us through passages predicting His coming, as well as directly from His own words and His life. (Look under Topical.)

To choose your next reading plan, visit the list of plans at YouVersion.com. To learn all about how to select and use reading plans for your mobile device, select from the following links:

Several more reading plans are on the way, each one uniquely crafted to help you connect daily with God’s Word. Lent is an ideal time of year to experience what the Bible and its message can mean to you personally, and to strengthen the bonds of your relationship with Christ. We’d love for you to share your journey and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.