A Million Downloads and Counting—Will YouVersion Kids App Spur Bible Literacy?

YouVersion, creator of the hugely popular and free Bible app downloaded on more than 115 million smartphones and tablets, has launched the Bible App for Kids, geared to ages 4 through 10.

Available for free on Apple, Android and some Kindle mobile devices at bible.com/kids, the Bible App for Kids has already been downloaded a million times since it was made available Thanksgiving Day. The app was developed in collaboration with the international ministry OneHope, which has touched nearly a billion young lives with God’s Word.

Mobile devices have become the new home PC, and children are increasingly using either their parents’ or their own smartphones and tablets to engage with content.

“Just like we’ve seen the Bible app transform how our generation is engaging with Scripture, we believe the Bible App for Kids will change how the next generation discovers the grand narrative of the Bible,” says Bobby Gruenewald, innovation pastor at LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma, which created YouVersion.

The primary catalyst for the project was the YouVersion community itself, the world’s largest digital Bible-sharing community. Though some kids were already using the Bible app, it wasn’t really made with them in mind. Yet a YouVersion survey indicated more than 95 percent of community parents surveyed would be interested in the Bible App for Kids and that it would help their children engage with the Bible more in their everyday lives.

“We don’t think this is just an amazing Bible app for kids; we think it’s one of the best mobile experiences available for children,” Gruenewald says.

An engaging, interactive adventure that’s beautifully illustrated and animated, the Bible App for Kids explores the larger story of the Bible, from a walk through the garden with Adam and Eve to a journey to Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. The app was designed from the ground up to engage kids who can’t read or are beginning and early readers.

“With translations in other languages besides English in the works, the app will also make it possible to reach children worldwide. Even in countries where evangelism is difficult, smartphones are prevalent,” says Rob Hoskins, president of OneHope.

Gruenewald adds that they plan to add features that allow parents to interact with their kids by connecting their YouVersion accounts.