Covenant Bible Study

There's a lot of potential in this app to be a great study guide. The sections are set up to allow you to write margin notes, and there's a place to respond to the prompt for each day. However, it doesn't remember where you were if you have to leave the app, and always defaults back to the "sample" version of the first book, even if you have made the in-app purchase. Navigation inside of the app is not intuitive, and the only "setting" is to change the font size. Most disappointingly is that the notes appear to be somewhat ephemeral -- they do not get shared between devices sharing the app (i.e. notes taken on my iPad will not appear on my iPhone). I'll need to remember to be consistent in where I make notes, even though I am able to do the readings and such from either device.

Bookmarks work intermittently, no audio on videos, no ability to highlight text, sluggish performance. Will there be an update to improve it?

Don't get me wrong: Covenant is an excellent study, and the possibility to have all course materials in one place, is fabulous. And yet, the app has several glitches that need improvement. First, while the app lets you take notes, there is no easy way to access all your notes in one place, or to export or save your reflections into a third party app. More importantly: if you decide to install the app on a new device or reinstall it, all your notes are gone. Second, the app comes with a built in CEB (Common English Bible) so you can read the assigned passages right in the app. However, it seriously lacks functionality. There's no easy way to navigate, no highlight option in the biblical text. Also, as others have mentioned, the hyperlinks to footnotes leave you stranded at the end of a biblical book. Third, there are some glitches in navigation within the app itself. The bookmarks aren't working properly: when you return to a previous bookmark, it often leads you to a different chapter, sometimes even to the wrong participant guide. Very frustrating when leading a group where you need to switch back and fourth between different materials. Finally, my biggest complaint has to do with the way the app is presented in the App Store: It wasn't until I downloaded the app that I realized that this was only part 1 of the participant guide. The sample pictures make it seem like all three and even the leader guide was included. That the fine print mentions that these can be downloaded as In-App purchase makes things only slightly better.

I would love to be able to write notes in the margins or connected to text so I can recall or ask questions later about the material.

I chose the app because I wanted all tools in one place and I liked the idea of clicking a link to do the daily reading. When I use the footnotes in the CEB window, it leaves me stranded at the bottom of the book (not the chapter) and does not give me the option to jump back to where I was in the text. I'm reading chapter 1 and left stranded at the end of chapter 50. I don't see any option to move easily in the text between chapters and verses. I cannot change the font size in the CEB window.

I got the 3 guides and the leader guide in app. I really like the embedded CEB daily Bible readings, which motivates me. The ability to jot down my thoughts to prepare for group meetings in great because everything hangs together. More motivation. I really like how Covenant is about the bond forming in my group while we also get the big picture in balance about the whole Bible.