Android: General Troubleshooting

Overview

We’ve aimed to make this document as clear and thorough as possible. However, devices can vary significantly in terms of operating system version, settings, age, speed, and storage capacity. The steps provided may not exactly match your device, but they serve as guidelines or suggestions to help you achieve your goal.

General Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing a specific issue with the Bible App, refer to the troubleshooting section in the corresponding article for that feature before following the procedures in this article.

Try the troubleshooting steps, doing each one and checking if the problem is fixed before moving on to the next step.

Make sure you have the most up-to-date version

1. Open the Play Store on your device.
2. Select the Search field.
3. In the Search field, search for YouVersion.
4. Make sure you are looking at the correct Bible App:

YouVersion Bible App + Audio made by Life.Church—with a dot between Life and Church.

1. If the button says Open, your Bible App is already up to date.
   Or
   If the button says Update, select it, and allow the update process to complete.
2. Try using the Bible App again, and see if it now works as you expect.

Force close the App, then re-open it

1. Go to your device’s Home screen or App screen.
2. Display all your open apps using one of the methods below:
   1. Gesture navigation: swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go.
   2. 2-button navigation: swipe up from the bottom.
   3. 3-button navigation: select Overview.
   Your navigation mode (Gesture, 2-button, or 3-button) depends on your phone’s settings. You can adjust this in your device’s settings under System Navigation or Navigation mode.
3. Swipe the Bible App off the screen.
4. Try using the Bible App again, and see if it now works as you expect.

Clear Bible App Local Cache

On devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers, apps store data in memory (cache) for short-term use. Normally, when you close an app or browser, they clear this memory space, freeing it for other apps. However, if an app or browser doesn't close properly, its data might remain in memory. The next time you open the app, this leftover data can cause unexpected behavior. This procedure helps you manually clear the memory space on your device.

1. Open the Bible App.
2. Select More (≡).
3. Select Settings.
4. Scroll to Bottom: select Clear Local Cache.
5. Try using the Bible App again, and see if it now works as you expect.

Sign out, then sign in again

1. Here’s how to Sign Out.
2. Here’s how to Sign In.

Restart your device

Devices use various methods for shutting down and restarting, so the steps we outline here might not exactly match your particular device. We recommend that you refer to your specific device’s documentation, look online, or ask a friend for help.

1. Press and hold your device’s power button until the Power Off and Restart options display.
2. Select Restart, then Restart again to confirm, then wait for your device’s default screen to return.

Check Google’s Android website for more details.

Remove the Bible App, then reinstall it

Every troubleshooting method we’ve suggested so far still leaves Bible App files on your device. If you’re still having issues, this method will give you a completely fresh install. But don’t worry: everything you’ve done with the Bible App—Highlights, Bookmarks, Prayers you’ve created, Plans you’ve completed, your current Streak, etc.—is all saved with your free YouVersion account, which is stored on our servers. When you sign in to your account again at the end of this procedure, you’ll still have all of those things, with one exception:

1. Sign Out.
2. Go to the phone’s Settings.
3. Go to Apps and find the Bible App.
4. Go to Storage & Cache and clear both storage and cache.
5. Remove the Bible App.
6. Restart your phone.
7. Reinstall the Bible App and Sign in.

Contact us if you still need help.