Apps

I hadn't thought about using an app to track reading through the Bible, but it came up in a group when I made my announcement, and here we are with me writing a post.

First the background information about my devices, I have both an Samsung 10.1 Android tablets, two years old; a Samsung S4 phone, eight months old, and an iTouch, first generation and five years old. Because of what I own, I decide not to try to test an app on my old iTouch, but I did find an app that exists on both the iPhone and android platforms.  I did test on both my Android devices as sometimes what works on one won't work on the other. Although in this case I saw no difference between the two devices.

I also decided I didn't have the ability to go through the pages of Bible apps to test each one. Instead I used ratings at Google's Play Store to find two possible apps for you to use.

The first app I checked out is the "You Bible" from LifeChurch.tv. This app also is available in the itunes store. There is a tied in website where you register and search and find the Discipleship Journal Four Reading plan and add it to the account you set up with this app. Once the plan is installed on your account, you'll find it by clicking on the reading plans on the pop up tool bar found hidden on the left side of the interface.

This app has much to recommend it. You can use many different translations of the Bible. However, you do need to be aware that those translations will only be available when your device is not connected to the internet if you download them. The app suggests downloading at least one translation so you won't get caught with no translations. Some translations are not available for download.

The app also has recorded versions of some translations. This is not the mechanical voice your phone might use, but a real recording of human being. Again, not all translations have recordings.

This plan also gives you some flexibility in terms of reading on other devices or at home from your Bible. It does that by continuing to advance day by day whether or not you interact with the app. So if you are close to on target it will be close to where you are on the plan. It also lets you use a calendar to jump around so if you get ahead or behind, you can jump forward or backward. Finally, you can go to the settings and tap on "Catch me up" and it will reset you from the last day you marked read in the app. This means you can start anytime during the year and if you get way behind, reset the app.

A simpler app is DJ Bible Reading Plan from Divine Software. They also have a website. This app comes pre-loaded with the ESV translation and the Four Readings plan. Each day you see a page with the four readings which you tap and then read. On each reading page there is a button to go to the next page. This app can also play a recording of the ESV. Further you can customize the day you start the plan with a date and the app will show you how far ahead or behind you are each day. Unfortunately this app does not allow you to pick any date, but instead is limited to a few dates each year to start from.

There is one big downside to this app: there is no easy way to mark days read that you've read elsewhere or move through the days. To move a day ahead, you must tap into a reading, scroll to the bottom of the page where you can then tap "Completed?" or "Next Day." And you must tap that completed button to check off a reading. Once completed is tapped that reading is gone and I far as I can tell you can't get it back. I'm afraid this lack of flexibility bugs me a bit, but if you plan to use only your phone, this app could be a great option because it does exactly what it should do without a lot of extra stuff to distract you.