Laridian’s Plans for Android OS

We are taking a unique approach to the Android version of PocketBible. Due to popular demand, we are making alpha releases of the program available from time to time as we have a relatively stable build. An alpha release is one that is not feature-complete. It is a work-in-progress. The current version is described more thoroughly in our blog. Select one of the links below to read more.

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PocketBible for Android FAQ

Are you developing PocketBible or MyBible for Android? Yes. We are working on a version of PocketBible for Android.

When will it be released? We have been releasing alpha versions of the software steadily over the last few months. We have not announced a date for a “final” build.

Will I have to repurchase all my Bibles and reference books? No. We have a buy-it-once, own-it-forever policy here.

Will I have to pay for the Android version of PocketBible? I already own lots of your products. The initial alpha versions will be free. But eventually we’ll post a version in the Android Marketplace and find a way to charge for it. We may do something like the iOS version, where the basic version of PocketBible is free but a version with advanced features is available for an additional nominal fee.

My phone does not allow me to install apps I download from the Internet — only those that come from the Android Market. The initial versions of PocketBible for Android will be distributed as an APK file downloaded from our website. You won’t be able to install these unless your phone/carrier permits it. But once we get a fairly complete set of features in the program we’ll put it on the Android Market so you can buy it.

So how will I load my existing Bibles from my Palm (or Windows Mobile or iPhone) onto my Android device? You won’t. Instead, you’ll run PocketBible on your Android, then from within PocketBible you’ll log into your download account and you’ll have access to all the Bibles and reference books you’ve previously purchased. You’ll download any or all of those books directly into PocketBible.

It sounds like I need full-time Internet access to use PocketBible then, right? No. You only need it when you want to download a new Bible or reference book. Once the books are on your device, they are stored locally (either in main memory or a memory card) and accessed from there.

Will I be able to transfer notes, highlights, and bookmarks to PocketBible for Android? Eventually. The ability to synchronize notes, highlights and bookmarks will come in a later release of the program. In the meantime, iPhone users can sync this data with our server so it will be ready to load onto your Android device. Palm and Windows Mobile users can sync with PocketBible for Windows, then from there to the server using the iPocketBible.com sync provider. And of course PocketBible for Windows users can sync directly to the iPocketBible.com server. If you keep the server current, then when you switch to Android all you need to do is sync with the server and you’ll be done.

I have a lot of suggestions for how your Android software should work. Who do I submit them to? During the alpha phase of development, we already have a long to-do list that reflects the features we know we need based on writing Bible software for almost 25 years. You can post comments to our blog articles or send an email to tech support if you absolutely must give us your suggestion list.

I have questions that aren’t answered here. Click here to see all the public statements we’ve made about Android on our blog. If you don’t find an answer in one of the articles there or in the comments that follow, post a comment to an appropriate article and we’ll do our best to answer your question.