Category: Mobile App

Get the App! – UTB App now available

Posted on by Phill Sacre

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was working on the Understand the Bible App. I’m pleased to announce that things have progressed to the point where it’s ready to be rolled out for general usage.

As of the time of writing, you can install it, you can use it to do UTB courses, and you can use it for Church with UTB.

I do need to write a tutorial for how to use Church with UTB, but apart from that it’s ready. Have a look at the app page for some screenshots and instructions!

Please do get in touch if you have comments or feedback, I’d love to hear it. (Constructive though, please!)

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Update on the Understand the Bible App

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Back in 2020 – during those long, dark days of lockdown – I decided to create an app for Understand the Bible. Suffice it to say that it didn’t exactly set the world alight, and I decided to mothball it a few months later. Last year I created Church with UTB, and developed an app to go along with it. Although it still didn’t set the world alight, I have been using it regularly in our own church. With the experience I’ve had of developing the two different apps, I thought the time was ripe for putting that to good use and developing a new app which will combine them both.

So, as of today, the old Church with UTB app will no longer work, and instead you can access it using the new app. I’m pleased with it so far, but there is still plenty of work to do.

However, I’m releasing it now because I’d love your feedback. Please do let me know in the comments what you think of it – if you like it, if you have any comments or suggestions, etc. I’m willing to hear all of it!

I think the new app is a big improvement on both the apps which I’ve developed so far:

  • You can do a certain number of courses on the app (I haven’t put in Firm Foundations or the Holiness course, for example), but all the basic courses are there.
  • The app will remember where you are up to – i.e. which courses you have finished, which you are working on, and which session you are currently on. (You don’t have to be signed in – it just saves that information to your browser).
  • Church with UTB has a new ‘fullscreen’ mode which I hope will make it easy to use on a big screen.

Please do try it, and please do let me know what you think!

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News: Changes to how you do courses

Posted on by Phill Sacre

When this website launched back in November 2019, I decided I needed to create courses and lessons (rather than simply YouTube videos). When we went into lockdown last year, I ended up with more time on my hands and so I decided to do build a course system from scratch. I can’t remember now why I built one from scratch – it seemed like a good idea at the time! I think it was because I wanted it to be integrated with a mobile app.

Anyway, as you may have seen, recently I decided to simplify the way I publish courses (see the announcement last month). I’ve decided that this is also the right time to move to an “off the shelf” system for running courses. I simply don’t have the time at the moment to create videos and perform my regular church duties, as well as maintaining a code base for this website!

So here’s what’s happening in summary:

  • The mobile app has been formally retired – you won’t be able to download it from now on. If you had already downloaded it, it will stop working.
  • If you had completed any courses here on the website, your progress will be lost.
  • All new courses added will be under the new system. It’s now operational and you can sign up for courses on the Courses page. (I hope to tidy up a few things over the next few days).

I’m sorry if any of these things affect you – very few people used the app, and few people had started courses or were actively using it. However, if you were one of them, I am very sorry and I hope that you’re able to make use of the new system.

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The Understand the Bible App

Posted on by Phill Sacre

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been working on a mobile app for Understand the Bible. Last week I submitted the Android app to Google, and it has been approved. I am now ready to start testing the app.

If you’d like to help out by testing the app before it is released, please do get in touch. There’s no risk to testing an app, and I think the app is ready, but it would be good just to check that it works on a range of devices!

Actually, I think you might be able to get there just be visiting this website.

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