The Church has released a major update to the Gospel Library mobile app for both Apple iOS and Android, as well as a beta version for Windows 10. Version 4 of the app is available from the Apple app store and Google Play. If you already have the app on your device, it should update automatically.
With the Gospel Library mobile app, you can study the scriptures, conference talks, and other materials.
All content can now be annotated
You can highlight, link, tag, and add comments to all content. Previously, you couldn’t annotate some things, like chapter headings, study helps, bulleted and numbered lists in lesson manuals, hymns, and videos. You can also organize all content into notebooks.
Study tools are more intuitive
- Your annotation notes can now include rich text formatting, including bold, italics, and lists.
- It’s easier to save passages into custom notebooks and share your notes with others.
- When you create a link between two passages, the app now creates bidirectional links (links that go in both directions between sources).
- Easily access footnotes by directly displaying the related scripture references in the redesigned sidebar.
Features are more unified between Apple iOS and Android
Now, whether your device is an Apple iOS or Android, the features and functions will work more the same. For example, footnotes on phones are now located on the side like tablets, the text selection buttons on iOS and Android have the same icons in the same order, and the redesigned Notes section looks more the same on iOS and Android.
In 2017, similar changes will be made to the Windows version of Gospel Library and the study tools on LDS.org to provide a further consistent multi-screen experience. For Windows users who have upgraded their desktop or mobile device to Windows 10, a 4.0 beta release can be downloaded from the Windows store.
Below are the specific enhancements you’ll find in iOS:
- Enabled split-screen support for iPads
- Reverted to text-selection buttons
- Added a “clear” highlight style
- Added black and sepia color themes
Below are the specific enhancements you’ll find in Android:
- Redesigned audio playback experiences
- Redesigned bookmarks and screens
- Provided calling-based content delivery
- Added blue color theme
New video tutorials
See the What’s New feature within the Gospel Library app to learn about ongoing improvements. The short videos under the Tips collection (located at the bottom of the home library screen) can help you learn to use the app in powerful new ways and discover features you might have missed. More video tips will be added over time.
Once you learn about these new features, please share them with your friends and family using the hashtag #GospelLibrary.
New content
Three items have been added in the Church History collection to support your study of the Doctrine and Covenants in 2017:
- Gospel Topic Essays
- Revelations in Context
- Joseph Smith’s Accounts of the First Vision. (Learn more about the new study materials for 2017.)
New beta app for Windows 10
For Windows users who have upgraded their desktop or mobile device to Windows 10, a 4.0 beta release can be downloaded from the Windows store.
When you use the app, be sure to log in with your LDS Account so that everything you do will be backed up and synced across all your devices.
For people with older Android devices: To run the new Gospel Library 4.0, you must have the Android 4.0.3 operating system or higher. Therefore, some older devices, such as a first generation Kindle Fire, won’t be able to run the new version of the Gospel Library.
Learn how you can download Gospel Library at GospelLibrary.lds.org.
I haven’t been able to highlight text in my scriptures or in a different lessons. Is there some special trick I need to know to be able to do this? Please tell me Hal.
I have an ipad 2, I think my app updated automatically. It will now not open although I see a new splash screen when I attempt to launch the app. After a few seconds the app closes and returns me to the home screen.
I had the same problem on my iPad 3 and my wife on her iPad 2 Sunday morning just in time for church they both updated and quit working. The iPad 3 started working after several hours but the iPad 2 is still not working.
How do I get the old program back?
You probably just need to uninstall it and then reinstall it.
I did that and it still is not there
If I spend years building up notes and annotations in my scripture app, after I die I would like my family to have access to the record. Please create a process for me to name a “beneficiary” or “beneficiaries” to give access to them after their death. Thanks.
I’m working on an article about that topic right now. It may not be ready for another month, but stay tuned.
I recently changed from an Android to an iPhone. On the app on the my Andriod you could see the chapter headings for each book of scripture. It really helped me find the chapter I needed. I was surprised to find on my iPhone just the chapter number and no chapter heading. I would love to see the chapter headings for an entire book at a glance.
Is there a way to listen to audio of the Ensign articles? I had downloaded all audio files for Dec Ensign in the old app but when I upgraded they are gone and I audio doesn’t seem to be available for the Ensign??
This is being corrected and should be there by tomorrow.
The audio files are still not available – I have an iPhone 7 and an iPad mini both have the same issue
The Audio is still unavailable for magazines. Is the a fix for this? I have iPhone 7
I have an Iphone and an Ipad and have never figured out how to “unhighlight” something. Sometimes I will highlight something by mistake and I can’t seem to correct the mistake. Can you explain to how this is done?
When I go “back” to the content I was viewing before hitting a link, it is not taking me back to where I was previously, instead going to the beginning of the chapter or section, making me lose my place. Any suggestions?
I can see I’m going to get a lot of use out if the split screen- great work!
I can’t open the January 2017 Ensign in the updated app. Am I the only one? Other months will open.
The January 2017 Ensign won’t open in the updated app. Is this happening to anyone else? Other months will open.
I updated to the new version and cannot figure out how to add notes right in the scriptures as I was able to do in the old version.
LOVE the update! I’m not able to bookmark pages. Before, I would simply touch and hold the bookmark and it would automatically add to the page I was currently viewing. Now, I’m not sure how to move bookmarks around from page to page. Any advice?
Never mind! Just figured it out. All I had to do was tap the “Refresh” symbol to move and place the Bookmark elsewhere. Thanks! Keep up the great work!
The latest update is totally useless. Every time I try to open anything, I have to redownload everything. And it constantly crashes. It is a total waste of time now. How can I obtain the last version so I can actually utilize the application when I’m on the road, or wanting to study/reference something. I am going to uninstall this current app since it is totally useless. Definitely not up to the normal church standards.
It’s really nice that I can do this and I can do that. Stop telling me this nonsense! Tell me HOW to do these things. Someone mentioned a “refresh” button. Where is it? How do I highlight text? I’ve highlighted splotches of text accidentally but don’t know how I did it. Where do I go for instructions?
One of the best features for me was reading the scriptures on my iPhone with the footnotes open on the bottom so I could see the footnotes WHILE I was reading the scriptures. Now it seem like I can either look at the footnotes or at the scriptures, but not both at the same time. Am I missing something?
Thank you.
I love the update, thank you. One problem is it frequently freezes. Is there something I’m doing wrong?
Also, I have the hardest time figuring out how to un-highlight or unmark something. What am I missing?
I love this. Highlighting has been so hard. I have tried to highlight parts of the lessons for the Podcast and I couldn’t.
Excited to try again.
Is there a way to get the old app. I can’t make this one work. I can’t bookmark. I can’t find the way to listen to my scriptures like I used to do.
Hate the new update. Is there a way to go back to the previous version?
The android app continues to crash every time I attempt to highlight a passage. Almost unusable now…please resolve.
I also am having many problems with the new update. Frequent freezing, would like to just go to a scripture,,,not open in sidebar then have to go to scripture if I want to mark and comment, seems like this is an added step. I would also like to know how to undo an underline. I have tried countless times to do this and it seems impossible is there a trick involved because simply hitting the trash is not working no many how many times I try!
Every time I try to listen to something the app crashes. “Unfortunately gospel library has stopped.” Is the only thing I can read in the app. It crashes after a couple of minutes of being open no matter what I am trying to do. I have uninstalled/reinstalled multiple times. I have an android phone.
I’m having a problem on my iPad Mini (iOS 10.2.1) when I mark scriptures the Gospel Library app will freeze and I can’t do anything with it unless I shut down and restart my iPad. This only started happening with the newest release (version 4.0.3). It’s an intermittent problem. Some days it’s fine and other days this problem pops up. The same thing happens on my wife’s iPad. Any suggestions?
I have been using Gospel Library on my 1st generation Kindle Fire for a few years. It appears that a change has been made and I no longer get the latest Church magazines (Feb issues) anymore. Is there any solution?
To run the new Gospel Library 4.0, you must have the Android 4.0.3 operating system or higher. Therefore, some older devices, such as a first generation Kindle Fire, won’t be able to run the new version of the Gospel Library. You can still run the older Gospel Library app. We are still publishing new content to the app version 3, but not earlier versions.
I am running Gospel Library version 3.1.0. But I am not getting the February magazines to be on the lists (perhaps more). This has been visible for about a month. In New Era and Friend no Feb issue shows. For Ensign and Liahona, there is a Feb preview articles issue that has been there for about a month.
In the past updates have come in automatically. How would I check on this. I am puzzled.
While hunting on the Internet a week ago, I saw some others with the same magazine problem. I never saw a solution.
Check your settings to be sure you are logged in with your LDS Account and sync to see if this solves the problem.
My wife has a first generation Kindle Fire and can no longer use Gospel Library. If I upgrade to a fifth generation? She has an Android tblet and uses it there but she really likes her Kindle.
The first generation Kindle will still run version 3.0 of the Gospel Library.
After she updated Gospel Library on her Kindle so it would the same as her Android, it will no longer run on her Kindle.
I do not care for the lighter colors of the highlighter and I wish there were more colors to choose from.
I used the be able to listen to audio of the lesson manuals and no longer can… is there something I’m missing? It was very helpful as a gospel doctrine teacher to be able to listen to my lesson while driving around and internalize/ponder it. I really miss this feature!
I upgraded the new system but the teachings of the prophets do not come up, neither do the magazines. What can I do so they do?
How do you create a bookmark in gospel library for the kindle
My wife is using Gospel Library on her android tablet. It used to work great but now if she tries to download any new content it says it couldn’t create the download directory.
She uninstalled it and reinstalled thinking it might fix thisw but now she can’t download any of the content and it is empty.
any idea what is wrong? How do we fix this?
The best thing is to submit feedback within the app. They can see which software system you are using and address your problem.
it’s great ! Would love to see page numbers associated with the written pages in the manuals, on the screen, so that I can more easily participate in lessons.
Thank You so much !