Looking for a searchable Bible app for Android phone

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: I do not yet have an android phone but am thinking of getting one primarily to have a convenient pocket size Bible. Trudy has several translations on her phone but the apps are not nearly as easy to navigate as having a print version in your hands. Am I asking for to much, or is there something out there? (it doesn't have to be free)

[Lou]

Tecarta is the one I use on both my iPhone as well as my Kindle Fire (which uses the Android OS). It's available in several translations, varying in price from Free to a few bucks. All versions can be searched either by Scripture reference or an exhaustive concordance.

[Haruo]

I would opt for a larger pocket and a tablet or iPad or Kindle Fire; I find my phone too small to do much of that kind of stuff comfortably. It's good for Facebook and Email, and some news, but most other stuff requires too much sliding around with concomitant risk of hitting a link you didn't mean to. Unless there's a Bible app out there that's smarter than the ones I've seen, and designed with the tiny screen's limitations in the forefront of the mind...

[Tim Bonney]

I'm thinking Olivetree.com has an android app that may work on an android tablet. I use Olivetree on my iphone and ipad. You can get multiple Bible versions, dictionaries, commentaries, and study Bibles. Or if you just want the Bible to read on a tablet you get get most translations from for Kindle on Amazon. Amazon has Kindle apps for Android and iOS if you don't actually want to buy a Kindle. But a lot of the prices on Kindles are quite good now.

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Thanks to the three of you. I will be taking a look at your suggestions.

And Hauro Have some concern about font size also, however If and when I get a new phone it will probably be be in the 5.25 to 5.50 inch range. The text I have have seen on those has been quite readable. I agree that the 3.2 and 3.5 screens get rather tedious in a hurry. If I bought a new bible it would be in the $35 to $60 range I can get a new android phone and apps around $80 to $110.

Can you believe in 1995 the Baptist Book store at SBTS was selling a Bible program for something over $500. Shortly after the first of the school year they sponsored a demonstration by the publisher. After the Demo they had a drawing for the Demo program and Trudy won. Gee, I wish I had that program during my days as a seminary student. She Loaded parts of it on her first PDA and all of it was loaded on her next four Laptops. Unfortunately it can not be read on any phone OS that I am aware of. Maybe the new Windows phone but that it is pretty pricy.

[Tim Bonney]

The internet killed the desktop Bible market with online searchable Bibles. I have a Bible on my laptop that came with a commentary set I bought. It is a Presbyterian publication, "Feasting on the Word." But I almost never fire up the Bible program. I just use the internet or my tablet.

[Lou]

Something to bear in mind as you're selecting a smart phone Bible app is that some of them are cloud-based, and won't function unless you're connected to WiFi or your device's LTE or 4G wireless connection (with any associated data usage limits or fees that your carrier imposes). The Tecarta apps that I use, and I'm sure others as well, actually download the Bible(s) to your device so that content is available when you're offline.

[Ed Pettibone]