The American Bible Challenge to Feature the Bible App

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We’re honored that The American Bible Challenge has chosen to feature the Bible App™ in their second season, debuting this Thursday at 9:00/8:00c on GSN.

If you haven’t seen The American Bible Challenge yet, this record-setting, fun-filled game show airs Thursday nights on the cable television network GSN. Every week, comedian Jeff Foxworthy hosts as three teams test their Bible knowledge, winning money for their favorite charities.

Watch the season premiere of The American Bible Challenge this Thursday, March 21, at 9:00/8:00c on GSN.

Season two introduces several exciting changes. First, as the teams prepare for their intense final round, they’ll get to use the Bible App from YouVersion! Also new this season, GRAMMY® award-winner Kirk Franklin joins the show as musical co-host.

In another first, The American Bible Challenge has brought together several respected, well-known names from the worlds of entertainment, ministry, politics, and business to give you The American Bible Challenge Bible Study. In this devotional, available now in the Bible App, these guests share their favorite passages—along with what God’s Word has meant in their lives.

Subscribe to the The American Bible Challenge Reading Plan with your free YouVersion account, and watch the season premiere of The American Bible Challenge this Thursday, March 21, at 9:00/8:00c on GSN.

Latest iOS Bible App Update Adds New Features

You can get version 4.3 of the Bible App™ for iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch) in the iTunes App Store, available now*. While you’ll find improvements in responsiveness and other adjustments, we’ve also managed to squeeze several new features into this release:

  • Full iPhone 5 support. One of the most common requests we’ve been hearing from YouVersion’s iOS community is support for the iPhone 5’s larger display. It’s here!
  • All-New “Videos” feature. On the Bible App’s main menu—right alongside Reading Plans, Bookmarks, and Notes—you’ll find the brand-new “Videos” option. You’ve already let us know you enjoy watching video with Reading Plans. Now you can experience even more of God’s Word in this new way! Watch and share video content based directly on Scripture, like clips from History channel miniseries The Bible, Big Book Media and Toy Gun Productions’ The Lumo Project, and Jesus Film Media’s JESUS movie.
  • New “Getting Started” experience. When you first install the Bible App on your device, this handy tutorial walks you through everything you need to know, from setting up your free  ouVersion account to signing up for your first Reading Plan. Even if you’re already a long-time Bible App user, you might want to check out this great tool to see if you’ve been missing anything. Inside the Bible App, simply tap Help, Getting Started.
  • Show/Hide cross references and footnotes. Some Bible versions include additional supporting material that expands on the Bible text you’re currently reading. Now you can see these cross references and footnotes directly inline with your text. When you’re in the Bible Reader, just tap the Settings icon (the gear) and check the features you want to see. Hiding them is just as easy — simply uncheck.
  • Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements. We never stop working to improve your experience with the Bible App for iOS and YouVersion. Each new update allows us to pass several of these adjustments on to you, whether they came from issues you reported through our Support website or our own in-house testing and development.

Please tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter about this latest release, and let us know what you think. Your feedback plays a critical role in helping us determine what features we should be focusing our resources on.

 

UPDATE:

*We are aware of an issue affecting some users – if your app will not open or move past the YouVersion opening screen after you update, deleting and reinstalling the app will resolve this issue. Don’t worry about losing your info—your plans, notes, bookmarks, etc. will still be there for you when you sign in again. Our apologies for any inconvenience. Still need help? Head over to our Help Website and contact our team. Or find us on Twitter – @YouVersionHelp


Get Your Bible App 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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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.

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!

 


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.