Android: General Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot technical issues or errors on the Bible App.

Devices vary a lot (operating system, settings, age, storage) so these steps are general guidelines and may not match your device exactly. For anything device-specific, check your manufacturer's documentation or support site.

If you're having an issue with a specific feature, check that feature's help article first; it may have its own troubleshooting section. Otherwise, work through the steps below in order, checking after each one whether the problem's fixed before moving to the next.

Make Sure You Have the Latest Version

1. Open the Play Store and search YouVersion.
2. Confirm you're looking at YouVersion Bible App + Audio, made by Life.Church (with a dot between "Life" and "Church"). Some lookalike apps copy YouVersion's name and icon to trick you into installing them, often to sell your data. Check our Privacy Policy to see how we protect you.
3. If the button says Update, tap it and let the update finish. If it already says Open, you're up to date.
4. Try the Bible App again.

Force Close and Reopen the App

1. From your Home or App screen, open your recent apps:
   • Gesture navigation: swipe up from the bottom, hold, then release.
   • 2-button navigation: swipe up from the bottom.
   • 3-button navigation: tap Overview.
   (Your navigation mode depends on your phone's settings; check System Navigation if you're not sure which one you use.)
2. Swipe the Bible App off the screen to close it.
3. Reopen the app and try again.

Clear the Bible App's Local Cache

Clearing the cache can fix a range of issues. On Android, you'll also need to force stop the app afterward for the cleared cache to fully take effect.

1. Open the Bible App, select You, then tap the Settings gear (top right).
2. Scroll down and select Clear Local Cache.
3. Force stop the app:
   1. Open your device's Settings app.
   2. Tap Apps (or Apps & notifications), then See all apps if needed.
   3. Find and select the Bible App.
   4. Tap Force stop, then confirm.
4. Reopen the Bible App and try again.

Clear Storage and Restart Your Device

This is a stronger fix than Step 3, and often resolves things on its own; it's worth trying even if Step 3 didn't help. Clearing storage matters here: restarting your device without clearing storage first usually won't fix the problem.

1. Go to Settings > Apps, find the Bible App, and open Storage.
2. Tap Clear Storage.
3. Press and hold your device's power button until Power Off / Restart options appear, then select Restart and confirm.
4. Reopen the Bible App and try again.

Steps vary by device. Check Google's Android support site if yours looks different.

Sign Out, Then Sign In Again

1. Sign out.
2. Sign back in.

Remove and Reinstall the Bible App

This gives you a completely fresh install. Your Highlights, Notes, Prayers, completed Plans, and Streak are all saved to your YouVersion account on our servers, so you won't lose any of that when you sign back in. The one exception: any Bibles you downloaded for offline use will need to be downloaded again.

Before you start, make sure you know your sign-in credentials.

1. Sign out.
2. Remove the Bible App.
3. Restart your phone.
4. Reinstall the app and sign back in.

Still stuck? Contact us.