Bible App for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Gets Major Update–Available Now

Version 3.3 of the Bible App™ for iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) is in the iTunes App Store now! (Complete instructions for how to update are at the end of this post.) You’ll find this latest release packed with updates and improvements:

  • For the first time, you can select multiple verses at one time to bookmark, highlight, share, or create a note.
  • The sign-in/sign-up process is now streamlined for speed and clarity.
  • The Settings screen is redesigned to give you better access to more functionality like support and Reader changes. (Look for more updates here on our blog in the coming months…)
  • Navigating to another book, chapter, or verse is updated to reflect the way most people actually navigate Scripture. You should find getting around a lot faster and easier now.
  • Now you can use your Facebook account to sign up for your free YouVersion account, which will let you easily track your Bible reading, add notes and highlights, and share online—just a few of its many benefits.
  • Find technical support directly inside the Bible App. You can even send support requests through email that will automatically include all the information our Support team needs to answer your questions quickly and accurately.
  • YouVersion’s amazing community of volunteers has done it once again, making the Bible App’s Japanese interface even better.

Here are some sneak peeks of what you can expect…

Select multiple verses in the Bible App™  Book/Chapter/Verse Navigator in the Bible App™  Technical Support inside the Bible App™
Sign up for free YouVersion account with Facebook  Options for Multiple Selections in the Bible App™  Advanced Bookmark Options in the Bible App™

A few new features are specific to iPhone and iPod touch only:

  • Now you can view Scripture in fullscreen mode by simply double-tapping on the Bible Reader. (Just double-tap again to return to normal reading mode.)
  • Highlight your favorite verses with custom colors and sync them online or on other devices that support this feature.
  • Bookmarks now offer advanced features like titles, labels, and highlight colors.

Share the love. Please tell your friends with Apple devices about this new release. And we’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter.


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.

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.

Publishers—And Partners Like You—Help Grow the YouVersion Russian Community

Bible App™ Icon on Russia MapPublishers. The passion of the YouVersion community is to make it easy for people to engage with the Bible and connect with each other, no matter where they live or what language they prefer. Through partnerships with key Bible publishers, YouVersion is privileged to offer Russian versions of the Bible in easy-to-understand translations. Two we have available right now are:

  • Slovo Zhizny (RSZ) Provided by Biblica, this full Bible version was translated in an informal Russian language style. Beginning from a base of biblical languages and employing a meaning-based translation philosophy, Slovo Zhizny was completed in 2000.
  • Синодальный перевод (RURSV) Begun in 1813 by the Russian Bible Society and completed in 1876, the Russian Synodal Translation based its Old Testament on the Jewish Masortic text and its New Testament on Greek editions popular at the time. This particular version, which includes revisions incorporated in 1956, is perhaps most commonly associated with the Russian Orthodox Church, although it has also been widely enjoyed by Russian Baptists, other Russian Protestants, and even Roman Catholics. In fact, its reach during the last two centuries even influenced certain developments in the Russian language.

Volunteers. The incredible impact that the YouVersion community is making around the world is only possible because of dedicated volunteers—people just like you. Volunteers are simply ordinary, everyday people who choose to use their gifts and talents in other languages to help share the story of God’s love with others worldwide. If you can help us translate new features and services in any language—but especially into Russian—we’d love to hear from you. (We’ll also be launching Korean soon…more details in the weeks to come.) Just use our volunteer sign-up form to let us know what you can do.

If you’re still not sure volunteering is for you, please read and prayerfully consider this message from one of our awesome Russian language volunteers. Read in her own words what working with YouVersion and the Bible App™ has meant to her:

“I became enthusiastic about YouVersion when I first noticed my husband and a few of our friends using it on their phones. In a busy world where so many things occupy our minds, the Bible App helps us engage with God’s Word and maintain a biblical perspective. I realized that if simply using the Bible App could draw my husband and friends (who know English) closer to God, then there were probably many other people who don’t know English who could also be inspired and motivated by YouVersion, if it was just in their language. That’s why I volunteered: To help other Russian-speaking people connect with God and His Word.”
—Kateryna in Warsaw, Poland

YouVersion for Russian Readers and Speakers All Over the World

Through the Bible App™ and YouVersion.com, for the first time, the YouVersion community now has the potential to reach literally tens of millions of native Russian speakers and readers—no matter where they live. Partnerships with generous publishers of Bibles in Russian have made it possible for us to steadily add popular, easy-to-understand versions like Slovo Zhizny (RSZ) and Синодальный перевод (RURSV).

Of course, Bibles are only one part of the YouVersion experience. Our incredible community of volunteers also mobilized to bring Russian speakers everything YouVersion has to offer, entirely in their native language, including menus, email exchanges, conversations on social networks like Facebook and Twitter, reading plans—even technical support!

Russians in Russia. Russians represent a massive new community for YouVersion. According to The World Factbook, Russia (also known as the Russian Federation) is the ninth most populous nation in the world, with almost 139 million people. Wikipedia says that although more than 100 languages are estimated to be spoken across Russia, 99% of its people understand Russian and share it as their common language.

Russians around the world. Russians living in Russia are only the beginning of this story. Russian speakers live literally everywhere in the world. According to Wikipedia, the largest concentrations of Russians living outside the country are in former Soviet States such as Ukraine (8 million) and Kazakhstan (3.8 million). But many also live in the European Union, and significant numbers have even emigrated to Canada, Australia, and the United States. As air travel and a globally connected economy have made our planet smaller, Russians have truly become citizens of the world.

We’re thrilled to welcome our Russian speaking brothers and sisters into our ever-growing global YouVersion community. And we’re excited that together we can now reach more people than ever before with the life-changing story of God’s love.

YouVersion and the Bible App: Fall in Love with the Bible All Over Again…Or for the First Time

Our simple mission at YouVersion is to make it easy for everyone to freely engage with the Bible, no matter where they live or what language they speak. And of course, our connection to God through His Word is made so much richer when we share that experience with others. We love hearing stories from our YouVersion community about how you use the Bible App™ in your everyday life, and about what it means to you. Here are just a few of the things that people from all over the world have been telling us:

“The Bible App has been a true blessing! I’m able to keep the Word with me every day! I study the Bible more using the index, reading Bible chapters from start to finish…. And the daily encouraging messages are such a helpful way to start the day off right.”
—Phyllis B.

“Having the Bible with me all the time has made me fall in love with the Word of God all over again. The convenience is wonderful to have, and I appreciate that I can search and have numerous versions right in the palm of my hand.”
—Isabelle M.

“I found the Bible App on my husband’s phone a little over a year ago. I asked him about it because he was a ‘non-believer.’ He told me had been reading it, and last June he came home a NEW man! Now he’s on fire for Christ! He even uses the Bible App to witness to his friends. I promise you this app was divinely placed on his phone!”
—DeCole C.

What’s your story?

What about you? Has the Bible App changed the way you connect with the Bible? We’d love to hear from you on Facebook, Twitter, or on the form below. What’s your story?