Tech Forum

Hi. I am just wondering if there have been any advancements in a windows 10 app? I have been studying my scriptures on my android phone now for a couple years since I switched to a surface pro windows tablet/computer. The windows app is nowhere near as functional as the android and ios versions.

I was just wondering if anyone had any updates on when the windows app would be upgraded and function as well as the android or ios versions. I have been patiently waiting for a couple years now and I would love to be able to study my scriptures on my tablet again!

The Windows app has made substantial strides forward since it was first published to the Windows Store. Currently, focus is on a new version of the app built for Windows 10.

From the splash screen:

In the coming weeks, we will be preparing to replace this beta app with a completely re-written Windows 10 Universal application which our volunteer team has been working on diligently for the past year. We encourage you to move to the non-beta version as the new beta may be somewhat unstable as we roll forward. We also ask you to test the new beta, but not rely upon the new beta app. We are excited for the new version which will address many of the short comings of the current app with new features and improved stability and performance when it is completed. Thanks for all your support.

I just tried downloading the preview version of the app for Windows 10, and it says "This app does not work on your device." My system has been a Windows 10 Pro system for going on a year and a half. Version 1607, build 14393.351, 64 bit.

Any thoughts?

They seem to be making changes on the backend as we type. I've had the exact same problem, and the link just started working for one of my devices. I'm going to try on this one (surface Pro Win 10).

Try this link: https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9nblggh5k3wn

Will it be announced when the new app is ready and fully functional? Will it be similar to the Android or iOS versions? I hope that it will be similar to them.

mlz01 wrote:Will it be announced when the new app is ready and fully functional? Will it be similar to the Android or iOS versions? I hope that it will be similar to them.

Our current plan is to have a beta ready as soon as we can, hopefully in the next month or so. Please be aware that, like the previous version of the application, Gospel Library for Windows v4 is entirely a volunteer-driven effort, meaning it can only progress as fast as our volunteers have time to donate to the project. While we'd all like to donate 100% of our time to the effort, our families and employers would not look very kindly on the idea. The best way to see the project advance faster is to have more capable C# and XAML developers at work on the project, so if you are one join the project. If you know someone, encourage them to join.

The app will be similar to the iOS and Android versions as much as it can where it makes sense. Remember that unlike iOS and Android, Windows has keyboard and mouse interaction to keep in mind in its design. That said, not all features in the iOS and Android versions will be available at launch, though they will be added as quickly as we can manage. Awaited features already present in the new version of the app include tag support, the annotations pane (Notebooks), download all, download section, and journals are on the way. Tabs, a feature that took quite some time to include in the previous version of the app, are also currently in development. Multimedia management, including offline audio and video, is also on its way. The new app will require Windows 10.

We are working on moving Gospel Library for Windows Preview toward using "release" (production) annotations instead of the temporary beta annotations service. This is one of our biggest blockers for a beta. In the mean time, feel free to use the Preview version of the app, linked below, to get a feel for the direction we are taking with the new app. Just be advised that any annotations created in the current version of the Preview will not carry over.

https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9nblggh5k3wn

The link in the changes log now works. The new app looks very good, although you can see that there is still a lot to be done. Kudos to the team and all of their hard work.

The "Download Section" works very good. It did run into a couple of errors while downloading the catalog of Ensigns, which had the downloading stop each time. The error message appears only for a few seconds, so if you step away or minimize the window, you don't know anything has happened. If you didn't catch the error message (which contains the issue it had problems with), you have to search for the offending issue. Download it by itself, and you can then proceed with the mass downloading. There is a balloon that indicates how many files are left to download, which is very nice. If there is an error that stops the downloading, the number just stays the same.

While the app asks you to log into your account, it still doesn't sync with LDS.org. Hence, no bookmarks, annotations, or anything such as that.

I do think that the format of the magazine and General Conference issues is better with the Windows 8.1 version. In that version, when you open an issue, the articles are listed in boxes, with the title and maybe part of the first sentence in the box. For General Conference, the box contains the title with the author listed below. With the Windows 10 app, the boxes are replaced by a picture is that of the front cover with the title below. Also, in the Windows 8.1 version of the Conference issues, the session is listed as merely the session (i.e.; Saturday Afternoon), while in the Windows 10 version, a picture of the front cover is there with the session listed. Click on that icon, and "Saturday Afternoon" (or whatever session) appears. Perhaps there will be a list of all of the speakers for that session?