Freely-Given.org Apps

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Congratulations, you have reached the Freely-Given Apps page.

The following app test versions should work on most Android phones and tablets. However, until we submit them to the Google Play Store, before you can install them you first have to let your Android device install apps from unknown sources. Usually you can enable this in Settings / Security or Settings / Apps.

Once that’s done, you simply need to click on the appropriate link below to download the app. Then you have to open the Downloads folder on your device (I found the Files app in the Apps list on my device) and click on the file in there to install it.

If you want to upgrade the version already installed, at this stage you should uninstall the old version manually before installing the newer version. (This is because the old settings data may be incompatible until we get to v1.0.)

None of these apps require any special permissions. Other than Bible Door, they contain all their data inside the app and so they don’t even require Internet access to use them.

If you try or use any of these apps and have suggestions for improvements, please email your suggestions and comments to Freely (dot) Given (dot) org (at) g mail (dot) com. Thanks.

You can learn about the internal data format of the Bible Door (was CustomBible) programs here.

Bible Door

This alpha version test app will allow you to enter a code from the Bible Drop Box results page and it will then allow you to view your own custom Bible version. An entire Bible (actually two) can be downloaded to the device to view offline. You can swipe left/right between sections and double-tap to view individual verses along with any footnotes and cross-references.

This is the link to download the app (v0.0065, 8MB, last updated 8-June-2018). This version works sometimes in the following conditions:

  1. Until this app gets into the PlayStore, you may need to change the security settings for your device to "Allow installation of apps from unknown sources"
  2. Startup (wizard) screens don’t offer the opportunity to go back.
  3. Typing the link code correctly can be messy, and to delete a code, you have to place the cursor near the beginning and delete that first.
  4. Some set-up screens will not display all the fields in landscape mode -- just turn back to portrait.
  5. You cannot tell the app where to put files so you’ll need 2MB per Bible on your device.
  6. If you get a white screen, or a red screen with errors, i.e., a program error, first thing to try is stopping the app (swipe app off from recent apps screen), and then restart it.
  7. Bottom bar and many other features are still only shells in this version.
  8. This version won’t automatically update -- you have to come back here and look.
  9. I suspect this version can only download Bibles via WiFi, not via your mobile data connection.
  10. I can get it running (after restarting the setup about three times at different points) on my Android 8.1 phone, but after the setup, it gets a red error screen on my Samsung tablet with Android 11 which I can’t get past.

Plans for future versions include:

  1. Rewrite the app from scratch in order to update to the most modern code standards
  2. Allow the app to detect which verse you actually double-click on (it currently goes to the first verse of the section)
  3. Make the displayed entries more attractive
  4. Animations for when you slide to the next section
  5. Design a nicer icon
  6. Submission to Google Play Store
  7. Add (indexing and) search

CustomBible-WEB

This almost-obsoleted app allows you to view (the still in-progress draft of) the World English Bible even when offline. You can swipe left/right between chapters and double-tap to view individual verses along with any footnotes and cross-references.

This is the link to download the app (v0.20, 2.1MB, last updated 24-Apr-2014).

Plans for future versions include:

  1. Allow the app to detect which verse you actually double-click on (it currently goes to the first verse of the section)
  2. Make the displayed entries more attractive
  3. Settings menu causes a crash on Android 2
  4. Animations for when you slide to the next section
  5. Design a nicer icon
  6. Submission to Google Play Store