Android V6 Beta

Daniel Di Bartolo
Daniel Di Bartolo Member, Logos Employee Posts: 326

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.

 

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Comments

  • Erwin Stull, Sr.
    Erwin Stull, Sr. Member Posts: 2,793

    Patiently awaiting Google to release it. I like new things. [:)]

  • Robert M. Warren
    Robert M. Warren Member Posts: 2,452 ✭✭✭

    macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)

    Smile

  • JT (alabama24)
    JT (alabama24) MVP Posts: 36,480

    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

  • Bukari Daniel
    Bukari Daniel Member Posts: 11

    Things that haven't changed:

    - Homescreen
    - Library
    - Guides
    - Tools
    - Offline functionality

    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. 

  • Kevin A. Purcell
    Kevin A. Purcell Member Posts: 3,405 ✭✭✭

    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 Association

    www.kevinpurcell.org

  • Erwin Stull, Sr.
    Erwin Stull, Sr. Member Posts: 2,793

    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".

  • JT (alabama24)
    JT (alabama24) MVP Posts: 36,480

    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

  • Daniel Di Bartolo
    Daniel Di Bartolo Member, Logos Employee Posts: 326

    Will this come to the Kindle store when it reaches final stable release status?

    Yes

    Is there an apk download for those of using a Kindle?

    We don't have a Kindle beta program. 

  • Daniel Di Bartolo
    Daniel Di Bartolo Member, Logos Employee Posts: 326

    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. 

  • JT (alabama24)
    JT (alabama24) MVP Posts: 36,480

    We have plans to improve our offline functionality in 2018. 

    [Y] Many users will be very happy. [:)]

    macOS, iOS & iPadOS | Logs |  Install

  • Matthew
    Matthew Member Posts: 941

    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!

  • Fr Devin Roza
    Fr Devin Roza MVP Posts: 2,409

    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).

  • Kevin A. Purcell
    Kevin A. Purcell Member Posts: 3,405 ✭✭✭

    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 Association

    www.kevinpurcell.org

  • Cromwell
    Cromwell Member Posts: 54

    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.

  • Graham Criddle
    Graham Criddle MVP Posts: 32,463

    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

  • Bukari Daniel
    Bukari Daniel Member Posts: 11

    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

  • Robert M. Warren
    Robert M. Warren Member Posts: 2,452 ✭✭✭

    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)

    Smile

  • Jason Ledbetter
    Jason Ledbetter Member Posts: 62 ✭✭

    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

  • JT (alabama24)
    JT (alabama24) MVP Posts: 36,480

    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

  • Chris Garrett
    Chris Garrett Member Posts: 54 ✭✭

    - 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

  • Graham Criddle
    Graham Criddle MVP Posts: 32,463

    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)

  • Chris Garrett
    Chris Garrett Member Posts: 54 ✭✭

    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

  • John Goodman
    John Goodman Member Posts: 1,696 ✭✭✭

    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

  • Kevin A. Purcell
    Kevin A. Purcell Member Posts: 3,405 ✭✭✭

    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.

    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 Association

    www.kevinpurcell.org

  • Floyd  Johnson
    Floyd Johnson Member Posts: 4,007 ✭✭✭

    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,
    Floyd

    Pastor-Patrick.blogspot.com

  • Floyd  Johnson
    Floyd Johnson Member Posts: 4,007 ✭✭✭

    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,
    Floyd

    Pastor-Patrick.blogspot.com

  • Andrew
    Andrew Member Posts: 359

    Text-to-speech?  Please?

  • Kevin A. Purcell
    Kevin A. Purcell Member Posts: 3,405 ✭✭✭

    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 Association

    www.kevinpurcell.org

  • Floyd  Johnson
    Floyd Johnson Member Posts: 4,007 ✭✭✭

    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,
    Floyd

    Pastor-Patrick.blogspot.com

  • Matthew
    Matthew Member Posts: 941

    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!