Ready for beta testing: Try out smart Bible search (without a license)

Anna Adent · 2025-02-19T19:57:05+00:00

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We are excited to introduce users to smart Bible search very soon. We are also excited that alongside the release of this new search mode, we will have functionality in place that enables users without a license to try out smart Bible search!

While trying out smart Bible search, it is clearly communicated how many free uses are remaining and when they have been used up. The way the smart Bible search mode works is otherwise the same between licensed and unlicensed use.

In order to receive beta testing on this functionality, we have removed the license for smart Bible search from beta testing.

Give it a try on Desktop (or Mobile) and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Comments

Aaron Hamilton

This seems to work well. My only feedback is that 3 is too few. A user could use up all three attempts before they even figure out what they're doing. I suggest 10.

Maybe 5?

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359251#Comment_1359251

I was thinking 5 as well. (And thinking how likely is it for Logos to jump from 3 to 10.)

Aaron Hamilton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359260#Comment_1359260

I was thinking that perhaps by the time a user reaches 10 searches they may appreciate it enough to miss it when it's gone. How much can a user grow to like a feature after only 3 uses?

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359264#Comment_1359264

Depends on the feature—I liked SBS before it showed up 😛

Ok, joking aside, I agree that 3 uses is definitely not enough, and that 10 would be great.

I personally rarely submit more than 2-3 searches at a time in one session, but YMMV.

Aaron Hamilton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359272#Comment_1359272

same. However, my understanding is that this is the total number of free Smart Bible searches that will be allowed on the account… ever. It's not as though they will refresh at the next session.

Anna Adent

@Aaron Hamilton Even with the efforts we have made to decrease the time to value and making the app easier to use, you make a good point on the amount of time it may take a user to grow to like a new search mode enough to miss it. We don't want to cut the user short on that opportunity.

I should have made a note in my original post that the 3 gratis uses will reset at the beginning of each month. Does this sound more reasonable?

Aaron Hamilton

I should have made a note in my original post that the 3 gratis uses will reset at the beginning of each month. Does this sound more reasonable?

Thank you for clearing up my misunderstanding @Anna Adent. Yes, that does sound much more reasonable. With this in mind, I think 10 would be too much. If costs permit, I would still advocate for 5, but I do think 3 is fine.

With this new information, I have one more suggestion. After a user has used up all of their free searches, include a note about when their search count will refresh, saying something along the lines of "Your 3 free Smart Bible searches will be available again starting 3/20."

DMB

I think 3 is enough to say 'meh'. Waiting another month to say 'meh' again seems about right.

More seriously, when I saw the post, I couldn't think of anything I'd search for. I rarely search 'Bible'. Almost always raw text.

Joey Midgett

I guess you have to be in the Beta program for this?

Aaron Hamilton

I think 3 is enough

@DMB ok, you've convinced me. I agree; 3 monthly is enough.

I guess you have to be in the Beta program for this?

@Joey Midgett yes, but Smart Bible search should be available in v40 for all subscribers next week.

Aaron Hamilton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359281#Comment_1359281

I actually think that Smart Bible search might be the one Smart search where Logos AI could legitimately be/become superior to all other chatbots, as long as one is purely looking for Bible verses and nothing else.

DMB

Oh, I agree. It'll rescue Logos from academism (made that up).

Mark Barnes (Logos)

Thanks for your feedback on how many uses it might take for someone to get real value from Smart Bible Search. We've started with what we think is a fairly generous approach (that free tries will reset at the end of the month), but that policy is likely to change as we learn more about how people use Smart Bible Search. Being candid, it's hard to strike the right balance between "enough to be useful" and "not enough to reduce the value of a subscription."

John Graves

I don't understand why I am not subscribed since I have a max subscription? It keeps saying I have used up my trial?

Aaron Hamilton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359340#Comment_1359340

It's just because you're beta testing, and Logos would like beta testers to test this functionality (3 free Smart searches per month) that will exist for nonsubscribers once v40 is released next week.

How do I turn off this "feature" testing? It's becoming inconvenient for those of us who are actually subscribers to only be limited to 3 Bible searches until next month.

Aaron Hamilton

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359452#Comment_1359452

You can always leave beta, but that won't grant you access to Smart Bible search any sooner. I expect normal Smart Bible search functionality to return to beta users who are subscribers as soon as v40 stable is released next week.

It is important to keep in mind that the beta program does not exist primarily for the benefit of the user, but for the benefit of the software. If that seems unappealing, there is no obligation to continue as a beta tester.

John Graves

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359341#Comment_1359341

Ok when I click the link to see more it says you're subscribed. Thanks for clarifying. 3 isn't enough to see enough to get a feel for the way it works compared to regular search but I think it's obvious I just click and don't take time to read the fine print or instructions. 😁

Aaron Hamilton

(that free tries will reset at the end of the month)

@Mark Barnes (Logos) I see now that the free tries will reset for all users simultaneously at the end/beginning of the month. This approach makes sense. I still think it would be helpful to include a note about this on the page that displays when a user has used up their searches.

I suggest the information be modified to basically say the following:

"Did you enjoy your free preview of Smart search, which enabled you to use natural language to search for Bible passages? Your 3 free Smart searches will be available for use again on the first of next month. If you want to continue to use Smart search before then, you’ll need to subscribe.

Alternatively, you can switch back to Precise search to search for Bible verses containing specific words."

This small change would inform the user exactly what is included in the version of Logos they are using and what they would have to do to bypass that restriction if it's insufficient for their needs. Without this information, it will likely take many users at least a couple months to figure out what their Smart search restrictions are. It is easy to not take immediate notice of the remaining search count (as has already been demonstrated by more than one user during beta testing).

Justin Gatlin

My annoyance at using the old fuzzy search instead of the Smart Bible Search shows how good the new feature is!

I agree that three free searches is probably a fair number, but you are going to get pushback from the crowd that thinks any visible indication of a subscription feature is showing AI down their throats. I assume those people are disproportionately loud in the forum and that the advertising benefit of someone trying it before they buy it is worth it. I would hate to see the free version of Logos become like so many apps where the majority of menu options will just tell you that you can't use the software meaningfully without a subscription, but I think this is a reasonable compromise between user experience and business needs.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359676#Comment_1359676

Commercializing Bible study is pretty much a done deal. From 'the loud' 'crowd'.

Mark Barnes (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359467#Comment_1359467

@Aaron Hamilton while free credits will reset at the end of March and April, I can't guarantee they'll reset at the end of every month. And even if they do, it might not be three credits. If we adjust the free uses we offer, I don't want people to feel that we're reneging on a promise. That's why we've deliberately chosen to leave the message slightly vague.

Jason Van Vliet

Now that v 40 is released I've been able to try out Smart Bible Search. So far, it's very helpful! I understand why the Smart Bible Search would default to relevance ranking of results. However, there are certainly times when I'd like to use the excellent natural language power of Smart Bible Search but then have the search results placed in canonical order. I realize that I can switch to Precise Bible Search and use the "Passages" option, but then I lose the natural language function.

Yes, I would like to have my cake and eat it, too 😊. Are you able to add sort order options such as "Passages" (or "Canonical Order") and "Relevance" to the results panel, to the left of the "Add Versions" button, just like it is arranged in the Precise Search results panel? That would be the best of both worlds!

Mark Barnes (Logos)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1360096#Comment_1360096

We'll consider adding canonical sort to Smart Bible Search. Regardless of that, in the future, you should be able to:

v41: Export Smart Bible Search results to a Passage List and sort canonically.
v43?: Run an inline Smart Bible Search, which will display canonically.

Harry Hahne

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1359279#Comment_1359279

If the trial limit is only 3 uses, I think the reset should be daily. If it were 10, perhaps it could be weekly. Three uses per month is hardly enough to become comfortable with any feature, let alone to trust how reliable the AI search is.

Also, for beta uses the limit should be removed while the Smart Search is still in beta testing, even without a subscription. Beta users are more likely to find the quirks and bugs than the average user and they are more likely to give the new feature a substantial test.

DMB

3 uses is for marketing …

Yasmin Stephen

If the trial limit is only 3 uses, I think the reset should be daily.

With three uses a day, there would be little incentive to subscribe.

I wasted all three just trying to figure out what was going on! I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one.

Joey Midgett

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1363833#Comment_1363833

I think he was speaking of people who have not subscribed. Subscribers get unlimited, well as far as their AI credits will allow.