Gospel Library for Android

Discussions around the Android version of the Gospel Library application.
lchilton
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#11

Post by lchilton »

Does anyone know how to go back to a previous version of Gospel Library on Android?
lmcguire
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#12

Post by lmcguire »

LDS.org > Resources (menu) > Media Library (right-hand column); in the right column, Accessing Media > Mobile; scroll to the bottom of the content and choose Android; in the right column, there's a blurb with a link about sideloading - choose that; under the icons for the different apps, is a link for other versions. That takes you to this page: http://www.ldsmobiletester.com/android/ - and from there you pick your app and click the version type you want (you want "Other Versions") and that will give you links to the apks of the previous versions.

You'll have to load the one you want manually, which may require disabling settings which prevent that, but a lot of devices will prompt you to disable the security setting when you try to install.

Liz
kennychapman
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#13

Post by kennychapman »

I also do not like the new interface. I am sure I am in the minority, but I don't like having the icons and GUI stuff, at least if there was a way to turn all of that off and have the old plain look I would be happier. I am going to install the older version and thanks for providing it here. I would love the additional content that is provided with the new version, I just can't stand the eye candy, especially if there is no way to disable it.
eblood66
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#14

Post by eblood66 »

kennychapman wrote:I also do not like the new interface. I am sure I am in the minority, but I don't like having the icons and GUI stuff, at least if there was a way to turn all of that off and have the old plain look I would be happier. I am going to install the older version and thanks for providing it here. I would love the additional content that is provided with the new version, I just can't stand the eye candy, especially if there is no way to disable it.
Maybe I'm missing what you're talking about but I simply switched to the list view (using the second to leftmost button on the toolbar at the bottom - the one that looks like three horizontal lines) and then the interface is seems almost exactly like what it was except for a few font changes and some reorganization of how the content is grouped.
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aebrown
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#15

Post by aebrown »

eblood66 wrote:Maybe I'm missing what you're talking about but I simply switched to the list view (using the second to leftmost button on the toolbar at the bottom - the one that looks like three horizontal lines) and then the interface is seems almost exactly like what it was except for a few font changes and some reorganization of how the content is grouped.
Just to be clear, the icon view looks like this:
glicons.png
(590.21 KiB) Downloaded 194 times
Clicking on the circled button (upper right corner) puts it into list view, which as eblood66 said, is quite similar to the older version:
gllist.png
(63.57 KiB) Downloaded 194 times
eblood66
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#16

Post by eblood66 »

aebrown wrote:
eblood66 wrote:Maybe I'm missing what you're talking about but I simply switched to the list view (using the second to leftmost button on the toolbar at the bottom - the one that looks like three horizontal lines) and then the interface is seems almost exactly like what it was except for a few font changes and some reorganization of how the content is grouped.
Just to be clear, the icon view looks like this:

Clicking on the circled button (upper right corner) puts it into list view, which as eblood66 said, is quite similar to the older version:
On further experimentation it looks like the location and contents of the toolbar changes depending on orientation and screen size. On my phone in portrait mode the toolbar shows at the bottom of the screen. I'm assuming aebrown's version is from a tablet or a larger screen phone in landscape mode. When I look at my phone in landscape mode the toolbar is in the top left of the screen but it only has two buttons. However, in that case there is a 'View as List' option on the menu (accessed via the menu hard button).

So look for the icon that aebrown circled either at the bottom or in the upper right of the screen or look for a menu option 'View as List'.
lmcguire
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#17

Post by lmcguire »

But the list view is a big, long list of practically everything. The old way had only 9 categories on the home page. From there, you drill down to what you want, which is (at least to the perception of some) a much faster way to get where you're going than to scroll through long lists. Everyone I've talked to who doesn't like the new layout, doesn't like it for this exact reason - scrolling through lots and lots of stuff.

(NOTE: researchers have determined that in a list of 7 or fewer items, a human can pick the one they want instantly, more quickly than they can read each individual item; but as soon as the list gets longer than that, the human has to read each item and say (to themselves, subconsciously) "that's the one I want" or "no, not this one". This may well be why some of us prefer the short lists & drill-down option.)

FWIW,

Liz
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sbradshaw
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#18

Post by sbradshaw »

lmcguire wrote:But the list view is a big, long list of practically everything. The old way had only 9 categories on the home page. From there, you drill down to what you want, which is (at least to the perception of some) a much faster way to get where you're going than to scroll through long lists. Everyone I've talked to who doesn't like the new layout, doesn't like it for this exact reason - scrolling through lots and lots of stuff.

(NOTE: researchers have determined that in a list of 7 or fewer items, a human can pick the one they want instantly, more quickly than they can read each individual item; but as soon as the list gets longer than that, the human has to read each item and say (to themselves, subconsciously) "that's the one I want" or "no, not this one". This may well be why some of us prefer the short lists & drill-down option.)

FWIW,

Liz
I agree. This problem with too many categories is in the content itself and shows up both in Android and in iOS. It is hard to navigate.
– Samuel Bradshaw
Wanlorn
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Re: Gospel Library for Android

#19

Post by Wanlorn »

To be fair the recent changes to the Gospel Library App are not useful, but the app icon changing from the nice golden Moroni to the weak white one shows us that this app is becoming a shadow of what it was... It is nice to have the new content and that the app doesn't crash as much as it used to, but too many categories and things are not intuitive on where to find what you are looking for...

Used to be that things were easy to find, now I hunt and hunt and eventually give up most the time... But then changes in the Church are probably having an effect on the changes in the app...
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