Android V6 Beta
After months of design and development work, we're excited to share this Beta of the new and improved Logos Bible app! Since this is a large update, we are incrementing the version #. Going forward, we're starting from 6.0.
Here’s what’s new:
- An all new tabbed browsing navigation system. You can now open as many books or tools as you want-- and effortlessly navigate between them. Tabs can be books, guides, or tools.
- Quickly and easily split your tabs
- Link your tabs so that they scroll in unison
- When reading a book or using a tool, quickly swipe between adjacent tabs. Read one book while the one next to it scrolls in sync. This will be great for study Bibles and commentaries.
- Drag and drop your tabs to reorder them
- Simplified reading screen and navigation bar. Navigation chrome slides away on scroll.
- Bible button: click the Logos icon to quickly jump to your preferred Bible
-With this new release, we will only be supporting devices running 5.0 and above. Users running 4.x or lower will no longer receive updates or customer service support for their device. You will still be able to use the Logos app, but performance will degrade over time. Supporting 5.0 and above lets us take advantage of numerous benefits associated with the more recent Android versions.
Things that haven't changed:
- Homescreen
- Library
- Guides
- Tools
- Offline functionality
A quick reminder: As a this is a Beta version of our app, you’ll experience more crashes and stability issues than you would with our production build. This is the most significant update to our Android app ever, and so we’re still working to stabilize it. Using this Beta version really helps us to identify pain points, so thanks for hanging in there!
How to join the Beta
To join the Logos Beta please navigate to https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.logos.androidlogos on your Android device and follow the instructions.
How to leave the Beta
If you wish to return to using the stable version of Logos please navigate to https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.logos.androidlogos on your Android device and tap the “Leave the program” link.
Comments
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Patiently awaiting Google to release it. I like new things. [:)]
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Things to make us go.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
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Daniel Di Bartolo said:
An all new tabbed browsing navigation system. You can now open as many books or tools as you want-- and effortlessly navigate between them. Tabs can be books, guides, or tools.
Are you sticking with "tabs" as the nomenclature? I believe elsewhere you have used "workspaces" or something like that... which I prefer. I don't consider what you have to be "tabs," but rather something better.
macOS, iOS & iPadOS |Logs| Install
Choose Truth Over Tribe | Become a Joyful Outsider!0 -
Daniel Di Bartolo said:
Things that haven't changed:
- Homescreen
- Library
- Guides
- Tools
- Offline functionalityPlease will you do something about the offline functionality, AM in a country where internet is a rare thing, and am not able to study as I want to. The internet is only found in the cities, therefore one has to travel many miles to find the internet, so this my plead to you to fix the offline functionality.
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Will this come to the Kindle store when it reaches final stable release status?
Is there an apk download for those of using a Kindle?
Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
Brushy Mountain Baptist Association0 -
I like the new UI/Functionality. Pressing the "Back" button on the phone exits the program instead of cycling through history, which I really like. I also like what you are calling "Tabs". I agree with alabama24 in that it should be called "Workspace".
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Bukari Daniel said:
Please will you do something about the offline functionality, AM in a country where internet is a rare thing, and am not able to study as I want to. The internet is only found in the cities, therefore one has to travel many miles to find the internet, so this my plead to you to fix the offline functionality.
When most users complain about this, I have little sympathy. They have internet access daily, even if not in every location throughout their day. It is for users like yourself, however, whom I have great empathy! [:(]
The truth is that FL views the mobile app as secondary. It is primarily a "reader app" (and they call it such). For that purpose, it works well.
macOS, iOS & iPadOS |Logs| Install
Choose Truth Over Tribe | Become a Joyful Outsider!0 -
Kevin A. Purcell said:
Will this come to the Kindle store when it reaches final stable release status?
Yes
Kevin A. Purcell said:Is there an apk download for those of using a Kindle?
We don't have a Kindle beta program.
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Bukari Daniel said:
The internet is only found in the cities, therefore one has to travel many miles to find the internet, so this my plead to you to fix the offline functionality.
You're right-- we can do a better job at this. We have plans to improve our offline functionality in 2018.
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Daniel Di Bartolo said:
We have plans to improve our offline functionality in 2018.
[Y] Many users will be very happy. [:)]
macOS, iOS & iPadOS |Logs| Install
Choose Truth Over Tribe | Become a Joyful Outsider!0 -
Does this version still use the "old" notes system that is fully compatible with Logos 7 (as opposed to the "new" system being used on the web app)? Thanks!
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I'm so glad to see the Android Beta arrive so soon after the iOS. Very good sign! Thanks!
A few things I've noted:
1. When you open the app for the first time, a few intro screens show off some features. At least one of those will need to be updated for this release.
2. When scrolling with two resources open on the screen that are syncing together... if I scroll resource B, a visual cue appears on resource A indicating it has navigated, even when it hasn't navigated.
3. (this applies to iOS as well) On the screen where you can see all your open tabs (screens? windows?), I would find it more aesthetically pleasing if there were a visible cue that surrounds the tab (with a different background color "inside" the tab), indicating that the two panels inside the tab are in fact in the same tab. Currently it looks like two small tabs, rather than one tab with two resources.
4. When adding a new tab, I really like the new design, with the Library - Tools - Documents - Favorites tabs. Congrats. Currently the favorites tab is not working for me at all (it simply shows the tabs).
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Daniel Di Bartolo said:Kevin A. Purcell said:
Is there an apk download for those of using a Kindle?
We don't have a Kindle beta program.
At one point you used to let users download the APK on Android to install manually. Is that possible?
Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
Brushy Mountain Baptist Association0 -
I appreciate the improvements. One issue I've spotted is that with the color scheme 'Low light' the text in resources is fine but on the menus it is so faint it is unreadable.
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Matthew said:
Does this version still use the "old" notes system that is fully compatible with Logos 7 (as opposed to the "new" system being used on the web app)? Thanks!
Yes
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Daniel Di Bartolo said:
You're right-- we can do a better job at this. We have plans to improve our offline functionality in 2018.
That will be wonderful, can't wait. Thanks
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Daniel Di Bartolo said:
With this new release, we will only be supporting devices running 5.0 and above
Gee, thanks. I hope I don't have to reinstall 5.17 later, because I won't be able to find the APK.
I didn't see that last night. I should read more carefully.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
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Yes, this. Low light is now unusable and has been my default for a long while.
Two finger scrolling also is super speed... I can't move a page down a line or even a paragraph now, it goes "pages".
When my app started up after the update, I had split screen resources showing and it was not obvious how to get rid 9f one of the resources. In the past, I thought you just slid the width of the resource to wanted to 100%.
-j
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Jason Ledbetter said:
it was not obvious how to get rid 9f one of the resources. In the past, I thought you just slid the width of the resource to wanted to 100%.
You now kill the second resource via the workspace browser.
macOS, iOS & iPadOS |Logs| Install
Choose Truth Over Tribe | Become a Joyful Outsider!0 -
Daniel Di Bartolo said:
- Link your tabs so that they scroll in unison
Does anyone know how to link the tabs so they scroll in unison? I can link panels that are on the same screen, but I can't seem to link tabs so all the resources scroll together.
Thanks!
Chris
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Chris Garrett said:
Does anyone know how to link the tabs so they scroll in unison? I can link panels that are on the same screen, but I can't seem to link tabs so all the resources scroll together.
In the "workspace / tab" selection screen there is a link button at the top left
If you tap that you get the option to link different panels together
(Screenshots from iOS but I assume the Android app will work similarly - I am not running the Android beta at the moment)
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Fantastic. That is it, thanks Graham!
For what it's worth, on Android, the link symbol is on the bottom left, but easy to find once you told me what to look for.
Thanks!
Chris
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The new interface breaks the humble page turn... tapping to turn the page also pops up the menu and covers the content! Swiping does work but is more effort. The page turn is also way too slow... for a great example see ibooks which really lets you flick through a book in super speed!
גַּם־חֹשֶׁךְ֮ לֹֽא־יַחְשִׁ֪יךְ מִ֫מֶּ֥ךָ וְ֭לַיְלָה כַּיּ֣וֹם יָאִ֑יר כַּ֝חֲשֵׁיכָ֗ה כָּאוֹרָֽה
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The below way of doing this is a terrible step backwards for this single issue. The tab should have a way to do it without having to open this screen. It does now. You can press and hold the area in the corners of the two open books and its there. Now you have to tap a few times to get it to do this. Terrible step backwards!!!
That's one of my few complains. I like most of the other changes.
Graham Criddle said:Chris Garrett said:Does anyone know how to link the tabs so they scroll in unison? I can link panels that are on the same screen, but I can't seem to link tabs so all the resources scroll together.
In the "workspace / tab" selection screen there is a link button at the top left
If you tap that you get the option to link different panels together
(Screenshots from iOS but I assume the Android app will work similarly - I am not running the Android beta at the moment)
Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
Brushy Mountain Baptist Association0 -
Kevin A. Purcell said:
At one point you used to let users download the APK on Android to install manually. Is that possible?
I was able to install the app on my Kindle using a side loaded version of the Google Play Store. A Google search will give the steps needed to do this - though I expect you know how to do this already.
Blessings,
FloydPastor-Patrick.blogspot.com
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Jason Ledbetter said:
Two finger scrolling also is super speed... I can't move a page down a line or even a paragraph now, it goes "pages".
That was my first concern as I began using the new beta as well. Needs to slow down so the user can fine tune the location.
Blessings,
FloydPastor-Patrick.blogspot.com
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Text-to-speech? Please?
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Floyd Johnson said:Kevin A. Purcell said:
At one point you used to let users download the APK on Android to install manually. Is that possible?
I was able to install the app on my Kindle using a side loaded version of the Google Play Store. A Google search will give the steps needed to do this - though I expect you know how to do this already.
Thanks. I too did that for another reason. This makes the newest Kindle Fire 10 a great table for a very small price.
Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
Brushy Mountain Baptist Association0 -
Kevin A. Purcell said:
This makes the newest Kindle Fire 10 a great table for a very small price.
I don't know but it seems like a very small table - but it does make for a great tablet. [:D]
Blessings,
FloydPastor-Patrick.blogspot.com
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So far I like most of what I see from using it on my phone, and I look forward to also being able to use this on my Kindle Fire. There is one feature that either seems to be missing or that I can no longer find. The older version of the app had a grey bar at the bottom with a circle that indicated position within a book. It was a quick way for me to gauge my reading progress relative to the total length of the book. Moving the circle along with my finger allowed me to quickly skim through a book. Was this feature removed, or am I just missing it? Thanks!
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The reading progress indicator was removed
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Graham Criddle said:
The reading progress indicator was removed
Thanks for the reply to confirm I did not miss anything. I will definitely stick with the "Bible" app for studying and settings such as Bible classes, but the removal of the progress bar likely means I will start using one of Faithlife's other apps (maybe Vyrso or Noet) for simple reading, assuming Faithlife does not eventually remove the functionality from those apps as well. There was just something very satisfying about seeing how far I could move the progress indicator over the course of the day. Still, very excited about the changes Faithlife has made overall to the app!
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Matthew said:
but the removal of the progress bar likely means I will start using one of Faithlife's other apps (maybe Vyrso or Noet) for simple reading, assuming Faithlife does not eventually remove the functionality from those apps as well
Once the app moves over into the stable channel I expect the changes we are seeing here will become common across all of them.
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Fr Devin Roza said:
I'm so glad to see the Android Beta arrive so soon after the iOS. Very good sign! Thanks!
A few things I've noted:
1. When you open the app for the first time, a few intro screens show off some features. At least one of those will need to be updated for this release.
Agree. When I first booted the app I was presented with the new split screen view and it took me a little while to work out how to close the lower tab. It was also a while before I'd cracked the linking system. This could have been solved with a quick intro.
A couple of other things:
1. It would be nice two ways to resources open:
I. As is now.
II. Resources open in current tab/Pane/workspace/whatever. Long press to open in a new pane/workspace thing.
2. I am at a bit of a lose as to why you'd go to all this hard work on a new beta when android users still can't do a simple filter to decide which interlined lines show in resources like Lexham Hebrew Interliner, etc. Especially, since this is a feature that I've had on iOS for ages!!! Please look to correct this in the next beta update... Pretty, please? :-)
Current Mobile Devices: Kindle Fire HD 8; iPhone 8
Carpe verbum.
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Thank you for all the improvements and changes. Reflected below is my feedback:
Status Bar in Reading View
The Reading View of V6 Beta 1 included a bluish gray status bar across the top of the screen (same color as the background of the tab selection screen). I thought this was a great color choice. It allowed me to comfortably focus on the resource text below it. The black status bar of the original stable version was also an excellent choice which perfectly blended with the black bezel of my phone.
Unfortunately, in V6 Beta 2, the color of the Reading View’s status bar has changed to a blue shade which in my opinion is too conspicuous for use on a screen intended for distraction free reading. For use on other screens this color is fine, but for the Reading View screen I believe it is distracting.
Please change the color of the status bar in Reading View back to the bluish gray color used in V6 Beta 1 or to the black color used in the original stable version. The transparent status bar of the closed beta version would also be a good choice.
For the most immersive reading experience, please consider adding an option to hide the status bar all together.
Displaying References
Tapping on a reference within a Bible or other resource while in Reading View opens the top and bottom toolbars. Please allow users to tap on a reference without causing the top and bottom toolbars to open. (This may be a known UI issue if in the Release Notes thread Faithlife is referring to these toolbars as “section controls”.)
Bible Button
Although I personally would have preferred a gray colored Bible Button along the bottom toolbar, since the majority of my time is spent in Reading View with the toolbars hidden, I had come to accept the blue Logos icon used in V6 Beta 1. The much larger Bible Button used in V6 Beta 2 in my opinion is not an improvement.
Please change the Bible Button design back to the smaller Logos icon used in V6 Beta 1 or at least decrease the size of the current button.
Font Style Options
Allow users to select a font style of their choice from a set of available options. Please include Verdana as one of the options.
Increased Text Size Options
Provide more variety of options for larger text sizes. The current text size selector bar has few usable options (most are too small).
Highlighting Notes
Provide an option to filter which highlighting notes are displayed (as is available with the desktop version). This would allow users to select any one or combination of highlighting notes when they don’t wish to view every highlight that has been made within their preferred Bible.
As an example, I routinely create several highlighting notes for each book of the Bible I study with each highlighting note containing highlights saved from a specific custom pallet (e.g., Initial Observations, Theological Themes, Hebrew Poetry, etc.). Having this option would allow me to focus on one of these areas of study at a time, several of them together, or all of them.
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I've been using the Android v6 Beta quite a bit. In general I like the new interface. I only have one major complaint about how it works.
I like how the top and bottom bars disappear when scrolling down, reading a resource. However, when you tap on a Bible reference in the text (or other reference) to pull up the pop-up window, the bars appear on the top and bottom of the page. This is quite irritating. It makes sense for the bars to appear if I tap in the text in general, but not when tapping on a hyperlink / reference in the text to make the pop-up window appear with the reference, please do not activate the bottom and top bars.
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Fr Devin Roza said:
when you tap on a Bible reference in the text (or other reference) to pull up the pop-up window, the bars appear on the top and bottom of the page
I noticed that the bars at the top and bottom will appear and also disappear when clicking on a reference within the text. If the bars are already visible/revealed when clicking on a reference, the bars will then hide when the reference pop-up appears.
This doesn't interfere with my reading . . . just not sure I understand the reason behind it.
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The back button in Android is totally broken in this beta. For example, open the ESV Bible, select a cross reference and tap to navigate to it. Read it, then select the back button to try to go back to where you previously were. Closes the app or does some other thing that is not going back. Previous to this beta this works properly.
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Yep still a problem in the beta.
Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
Brushy Mountain Baptist Association0 -
1. Swiping between workspaces doesn't work anymore after the last update. (ANDROID 6.0.1 on Sony Z3 Tablet)
2. A more general problem: if the user's divice has a non english system UI language, it's quite difficult to describe bugs or errors, or even ask questions about the app because the app's UI language depends on the System language. Suggestion: an option to select between available UI languages within the app after a restará of the app.0 -
Can anyone on the Android beta confirm whether or not the pop-up problem has been fixed? On iOS, when you pop-up a link to a verse-range, you'll get all the verses in the pop-up (or at least a decent number of them). On Android, you often don't even get the whole of the verse. (If you want to test this, commentaries are a good place to see links to a verse-range). Thanks. (I'm on a Kindle Fire, and therefore don't have access to the beta.)
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
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Mark Barnes said:
Can anyone on the Android beta confirm whether or not the pop-up problem has been fixed? On iOS, when you pop-up a link to a verse-range, you'll get all the verses in the pop-up (or at least a decent number of them). On Android, you often don't even get the whole of the verse. (If you want to test this, commentaries are a good place to see links to a verse-range). Thanks. (I'm on a Kindle Fire, and therefore don't have access to the beta.)
It has not been fixed.
I think this is easily the biggest downside to the Android app compared to the iOS app.
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Hello,
I love the new version, but it would be great if you provide us with a close all button.
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Fr Devin Roza said:Mark Barnes said:
Can anyone on the Android beta confirm whether or not the pop-up problem has been fixed? On iOS, when you pop-up a link to a verse-range, you'll get all the verses in the pop-up (or at least a decent number of them). On Android, you often don't even get the whole of the verse. (If you want to test this, commentaries are a good place to see links to a verse-range). Thanks. (I'm on a Kindle Fire, and therefore don't have access to the beta.)
It has not been fixed.
I think this is easily the biggest downside to the Android app compared to the iOS app.
i confirm, still broken.
Dr. Kevin Purcell, Director of Missions
Brushy Mountain Baptist Association0
