9 tips to make the most of the Bible app

I spend a good deal of time on my phone that I wish I didn’t but I can tell you, there is one investment of time I spend on my phone that has added a ton of value to my life.

I can complain a good bit about technology and the hold it has on me some days but we are living in a pretty cool age when the Bible is at our fingertips any given moment of the day. I recently shared a feature of the YouVersion Bible app that a lot of people didn’t realize was possible, so I thought I’d share my favorite features and ways to use the app.

1. Compare different versions of a verse.

I have always loved reading different versions of a verse to get the deeper meaning but this changed the game for me! When you click on the verse, hit compare and you will see that verse (or verses if you click more) in a bunch of versions. You can also add a list of your favorite versions and see just those.  

2. Listen to the Bible audibly.

I am reading the Bible through the year and I can tell you, in this season with littles, the only way I’ve been able to stay on track is being able to listen as I drive on some days. You can even speed up the pace which I don’t recommend too much because you can lose all meaning and just try to “get through it” but I do have it at a 1.25 speed because it is a bit slow.

3. Listen as you fall asleep with timer feature.

If you have trouble falling asleep, I can’t think of a better way to drift off than listening to the Word of God. The timer feature is PERFECT for this! Just tell it how long to play for!

4. Go through a plan with friends.

Did you and a friend just have a long convo about something you’re both struggling with? Find a plan that would be helpful in that area (you can literally hit “share” on the plan and text to a friend). You can actually get a big group to do it as well! I shared on Insta a plan I did several months ago and invited y’all to join. We all left comments and could see what others were learning along with us. Can we say accountability??

5. Notes.

In the past, I have shared how I will put a verse next to some of the prayer requests I write in my journal. You can create a note called “May Prayers” and add all those verses to the note so you can access them easily on the go! You can create notes for ANYTHING! In the past, I’ve had a note for each of my goals along with what the goal is, my why and a few other things and then attach a few verses that pertain to it. I had one for flying that I referenced moments before takeoff. It just had some super rational thoughts along with the Scripture verses. It was really helpful. Leave a comment if you have any other suggestions for ways to use the Notes!

6. Labels.

Ok so admittedly, I was annoyed that I would highlight a ton of verses and never know how to find them again. Finding the labels feature was this Type-A, structure-loving gals dream feature. If you highlight a verse and want to be able to easily find it again, add a label to it based on topics you want to remember. Here are several of mine: prayer, energy, share with girls, Instagram (share with you guys!), grumpy mom, waiting, led not driven (my word for the year!). To find, just click on bookmarks and then labels at the top to see just the topic you want to look at at the time.

7. Ellipsis.

If you see … you can click that to see more details. It’s basically a Study Bible on your phone. To make sure you have this feature turned on, go to More > Footnotes > On.

8. Daily Reminder.

Get a notification set up each day to remind you to get into the Word!! They have streaks now so if you are trying to build a habit and are encouraged to see the progress, you will love the streaks feature. You don’t have to do anything. You will just see when you open the app how many consecutive days you’ve spent in the Word!

9. Personalize.

You can change the language, font, font size, colors. You can even take the red letters out and just have black text.

Ok, there you have it!! Any other tips?? There are several other features I didn’t even mention about videos, graphics and things for kids but these have been my favorite. What about you? What are your favorite features of the Bible app?