Most downloaded Bible app continues to gain momentum
OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The YouVersion Bible App, which has been installed on more than 350 million devices worldwide, continued to see Bible engagement increase throughout its 10-year anniversary this year. Today, YouVersion announces the most popular Bible verse of 2018.
The most shared, bookmarked, and highlighted verse by YouVersion community members around the world this year is Isaiah 41:10: "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
"This year's data shows people worldwide are continuing to turn to the Bible in search of comfort, encouragement, and hope," said Bobby Gruenewald, Pastor, Innovation Leader for Life.Church and YouVersion Founder. "We're humbled that 10 years after its release, people continue to use the YouVersion Bible App in record numbers to connect with God's Word."
With more than 1,800 versions in more than 1,250 languages, Bible reading in the app is on the rise across several continents. With the addition of a new Japanese Bible version within the app, Bible engagement in Japan saw year-over-year growth of 104 percent. Additionally, Bible engagement in Eastern Europe is growing quickly with Romania seeing an increase of 100 percent. In South America, Chile and Argentina are the fastest growing countries with 79 percent and 60 percent growth in Bible engagement, respectively.
"Many of us grew up with the ability to read the Bible in our heart language, but countless people around the world don't have that privilege. That's why we're passionate about making the Bible available in more languages through the app," said Gruenewald. "We're eternally grateful to the generous publishers and Bible societies who have joined us in the mission of increasing worldwide access and engagement with the Bible."
Bible engagement reached new heights this year as YouVersion data showed a 27 percent increase in daily active users compared to last year. In fact, the YouVersion community listened to 4.2 billion chapters and read more than 27.2 billion chapters of the Bible this year, which is a year-over-year increase of 40 percent and 62 percent.
Additionally, the YouVersion community has been taking advantage of habit formation features like Bible Plans, which help users develop the discipline of daily Scripture reading. This year, users completed more than 950 million Bible Plan days, a 59 percent increase compared to 2017. Contributing to this increase is the addition of more than 1,800 Bible plans this year, 34 percent of which are in non-English languages.
Throughout 2018, the YouVersion community also took advantage of social sharing features to share a record-breaking 409 million Bible verses, including text and Verse Images. To further this momentum, YouVersion launched Bible Lens in August as a new way to help people see how the Bible intersects with their daily lives. Bible Lens is a free app that matches relevant Bible verses with a person's photos and automatically creates visually appealing, sharable artwork. Within the first weekend, app users drove Bible Lens to the top of Apple's App Store charts as it reached #2 of all apps and #1 in the Lifestyle category.
YouVersion also saw significant growth in its Bible App for Kids, which released in 2013. With 9 languages added this year, children can now experience the animated Bible stories and interactive games in 42 different languages. Compared to last year, the number of app installs has increased by 55 percent, totaling nearly 27 million devices worldwide.
"This generation is on pace to become the most Bible-engaged generation ever, and we believe the Church should keep investing in new technologies to help adults and children connect with the Bible," said Gruenewald. "We're honored to be a part of how God is reaching people around the globe through His Word, and we're eager to see how Bible-engaged people make a difference in this world for decades to come."
For more information about the YouVersion community's Bible engagement in 2018, visit share.bible.com/2018.
About YouVersion
Created by Life.Church, YouVersion is on a mission to help people engage with the Bible. The team designs and builds experiences that make it easy for people to integrate the Bible into their everyday lives. Since 2008, the Bible App has offered a free Bible experience that can be accessed on smartphones, browsers, voice platforms, and more. The Bible App for Kids launched in 2013 and engages children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The newest app, Bible Lens, analyzes objects in photos, finds the most relevant Bible verse to match, and automatically creates beautiful, shareable artwork. For more information about YouVersion, visit youversion.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Rachel Feuerborn
405-216-7072
rachel.feuerborn@life.church
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/36eb6a4c-cc72-41ec-bdc3-bc4ab49dd1df
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/350e9089-4a1b-455a-ab07-7dcd399b9357
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/85736d34-290b-4088-818c-96ef061e6e29
