OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 5, 2016 /
Christian Newswire/ -- With users in every country of the world, the YouVersion Bible App has reached a quarter of a billion downloads. The Bible App was one of the first 200 apps in Apple's App Store debut eight years ago, and this year has been the biggest year yet for Bible engagement through the app.
"We are humbled by how many people use the Bible App on a regular basis," said Bobby Gruenewald, Life.Church Innovation Pastor and YouVersion Bible App founder. "When we decided to make the Bible available as an app, we never could have imagined how much it would revolutionize the way people engage with Scripture."
Use of the Bible App continues to grow with significant increases in downloads in several countries across the globe, from Argentina to Tanzania to Palestine, and some countries like Mozambique, Nepal, and Bangladesh are growing by triple digits.
Along with the increase in downloads, the app saw higher engagement with Scripture in these countries. As a whole, the YouVersion community read and listened to more than 13 billion Bible chapters this year, and created more than one billion highlights, bookmarks, and notes.
Bible verse sharing reached a record 230 million shares this year, including 2016's most popular verse, Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
Many users also began reading the Bible in their primary language for the first time. In July, the Bible App became the first app ever offered in 1,000 text languages, and Gruenewald says it's only the beginning.
"We're thrilled to partner with the many Bible societies and translation groups that make it possible for us to offer the Bible in more and more languages every month. Our goal is that every person with a mobile device will have access to the Bible in their native language through the Bible App," said Gruenewald.
For a detailed look at the Bible App's most recent milestones as it reached and surpasses 250 million downloads, visit
www.bible.com/250million to see 2016 stats and real-time data.
About YouVersion and The Bible App
YouVersion was launched as a website in 2007 as one aspect of Life.Church's missional approach to technology to help increase access and engagement with the Bible. Since launching as one of the first 200 apps available in Apple's App Store in 2008, the Bible App has been installed on more than 250 million devices and in every country of the world. Featuring nearly 1,500 versions and supporting more than 1,000 languages, the Bible App helps people with busy, on-the-go lifestyles read the Bible at any time and in any place. To learn more or to download the app, visit www.bible.com/app.
