Getting started in Android and iOS : Stichting Online Bible Europe

If you should see things in this (or other) article(s) which are not correct, please let us know, by raising a ticket (top right of this screen). This article has been updated for the following versions of the app: Android 1.4.134 and iOS 1.9.17.

If you have not already installed the app, please see the following website where you will find a link to the App Store and Playstore, the required minimum OS version and more information: https://onlinebible.com/olb-en.

Installation

When you install the app, it will automatically be installed in the system language of your device. It will also include a basic set of modules (Bibles, commentaries, dictionaries etc.) to ensure all functionalities described below work. There are more modules available, some free, some have to be purchased. These are all in the store in the app.

If you want the basic set in other languages then you will also find that is the store as one complete download per language. If you should change the language of your device, and open the app it will automatically install the base package of that language. Please note that the lexicons will always be in English only unless you purchase these in a different language.

At present 8 languages are supported: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish and Afrikaans. If your device is in a different language the English version will be installed.

Introduction

In the Online Bible app there is a "Quick help" overview.
This can be found in the "Info & Settings" screen. It gives a very brief overview of the functionality behind the various icons.
View a short demo of the functionality:
Demo using commentaries in the Online Bible
(Please note: this demo is on a much earlier version of the app. The appearance of the button to open the second screen has changed.)
You can also read on for a step by step overview of the main features that are available in the Online Bible:

Main features of the Online Bible:

Reading a Bible verse in different translations.
In the main screen you see the open Bible.

In the bar at the top you see on the left which Bible is open. By selecting this you get a dropdown list of other installed translations, and a link to the store where other translations can be downloaded (some have to be purchased). In iOS this link is at the top of the list, while in Android it is at the bottom.

The icons you see to the right of the selected translation vary depending on what is available . The screens of Android and iOS are somewhat different.
To choose a verse, click the reference as shown below:
Opening a commentary
In the Online Bijbel various commentaries are available (and again, more can be purchased in the store). Commentaries are shown in the "Reference screen". You can open this by clicking on the green bar at the bottom of the screen.
On the left in this Reference screen you see a open module. By selecting this you get a drop-down list. Various categories of material can be shown here: commentaries, lexicons, dictionaries and other books. Ensure you are looking at the relevant category. In this case, select a commentary
The commentary now opens in this bottom screen. You can change the size by sliding the bar up and down. By clicking on the two squares (so the top one turns blue) it is possible to synchronise top and bottom screen. Also here the icons in iOS are sometimes in a different location to Android, but the use is the identical.
Opening a dictionary
The Online Bible also contains a number of Bible dictionaries. These can be found in the same way as commentaries. And words within the dictionary can be found by clicking on the book icon.

However, to make use of the integrated functionality, it is easier to click on a word in the Bible text (top screen). In a pop-up screen you then get a list of all installed dictionaries which contain that word. Please note that if you select a word in a translation that contains Strong numbers (see next item) the first entry in the list will be a lexicon. If the lexicon opens directly, then you have no dictionaries which include that word.
By clicking one of the shown titels (if there are more than one) you get that entry in the Reference screen.
Using Strong numbers
Strong numbers can be a great help when you are not really familiar with Greek or Hebrew. A number of translations have been linked to Strong numbers. With these Strong numbers you can see lexicon entries in the Reference Screen. Several translations contain Strong numbers, such as the AV and RWebster. When a translation has been linked, you will see the "Strong number" icon (S#) at the top of the screen
You can find out more here:
Viewing different translations simultaneously
This is possible with split screen functionality on an iPad, but not with an iPhone or on Android. It is on the wish-list.
For the iPad: with a Bible open, go to the list of available Bibles. The current one is shown with a colour. Find the translation you want (can also be the same as currently open).
Instead of clicking on the name, click on the Split Screen symbol.
The two are opened in parallel and are independent. Different verses can be placed in parallel. There is no functionality to synchronise the two.
Searching in the Online Bible
A very useful function is the ability to search for specific words or phrases.
Click on the search icon (looking glass) at the top of the main screen. You then get the search pop-up screen.
On this screen you can enter a search term. By default the open translation is selected, but you can change this if required. Clicking on a result will show that verse, but if you go back to search, the search term has been remembered and you can continue looking at other verses.

The search functionality offers quite a few possibilities. For details refer the following article: Searching in the Bible
Opening a book:
Apart from Bibles, dictionaries, lexicons and commentaries, the Online Bibles also contains Books. The difference with commentaries is that they are not indexed by Bible verse. They are intended to be read as books. They do contain hyperlinks to be able to see quoted verses etc.
These books are also shown in the Reference screen (second screen at the bottom).
The book icon (on the grey bar) now shows the index of the book, so the chapters. this way the chapters can be read in a similar way to e-books.
Adding your own notes
This function is not available in the apps yet. It is high on the wish-list.
Cross References
The Online Bible contains a large number of cross references. These are not linked to a specific translation.
By clicking on a verse number (left of the Bible text) you get a pop-up menu, of which one item is Cross References. By clicking on this you get a pop-up with these verses. Click on one and it will open in the main screen. You cannot add own cross references.
Foot notes (Inline notes)
Some translations contain footnotes or inline notes. On paper some are in the text while others are at the bottom of the page. Within the Online Bible these are always shown in the text, in a different font, and {between this type of brackets}.
Bookmarks
Putting a bookmark against a verse can be useful to find a specific verse back again, but also to group a (limited) number of verses on a topic. .
A bookmark can be created by clicking on a verse number and choosing Bookmark from the menu. That will automatically create a bookmark. In the standard system you get the choice of two categories, each with their own colour.
If you are a premium user you can create new categories (with colours and names) and modify the standard ones. Multiple bookmarks can then be arranged in logical groups. Once these groups are created, that verse number will show with the selected colour. See item 13 below for more information on maintaining categories.
Bookmarks can be retrieved again from the bookmark icon (ribbon) at the top of the screen. Bookmarks can be removed by swiping left. Premium users have the option to edit the bookmark (swipe right) but also to select which categories (or groups of categories) they wish to see at that point in time. Swiping a specific bookmark to the right gives some editing options.
Bookmarks are only available for Bibles, not for items in the Reference screen.
Please note that bookmarks (and highlighting) are always stored per Bible translation. As an example, if you create a bookmark in the ESV, this will not be visible in the NASB. If you delete a translation, bookmarks and highlighting in that translation will no longer be visible, but they will not be deleted. Restoring the translation will mean they can be seen again.
Highlighting
When selecting a few words, next to a copy function, you also get a highlighting icon at the top of the screen. Selecting and highlighting is not limited to one (part of a) verse. The same categories for Bookmarks are available to store highlighted text (so also the added functionality when a premium user). Once highlighted, those words will show with the selected colour. To see a list of highlighted verses use the bookmark icon. For the functionality available refer the next point as highlighting and bookmarks are treated the same. Swiping to the right gives some editing options. To delete a highlight from the list, swipe it to the left.
Categories of bookmarks and highlighting
The app has two standard categories, but as a Premium User you have the possibility to maintain these and create as large number. Each category is given its own name and a colour. To do this you can choose the option to maintain categories, when creating a bookmark, but you can also go to the "Info and Settings" section, select Premium user, and then use the option "Edit categories". If you are not a premium user, you have two fixed categories to use.
Backups
It is possible to make a backup of installed modules, bookmarks and highlights. You cannot choose which, everything is included. You can make a backup manually or choose the automatic option which will create a backup when you make changes. Five versions of backups are kept. The next one will automatically delete the first. Backups are stored per account, not per device. The five backups are therefore all devices with the same account together. In this way bookmarks and highlighting can be synchronised between devices. In the list of backups you can see both the date and the device on which it was made.

Notes: Backups are not possible if you are not logged in with an Online Bible account. Any imported titles are not backed up (Android only).

For more information on backups see Backup and restore.
Dark theme
Premium users also have the option to reverse the colours, so while letters on a dark background. To select this, go to "Info and setting", select "Premium Account" and choose the option "Dark theme".
Copying text
With the copy functionality one or more verses can be copied to the clipboard and pasted in other apps. There are a number of parameters you can set. These appear in the pop-up screen. To start a copy click on a verse number, or select some text and select the option "Copy". Note: if you select this last option, only whole verses are copied.
When you click on a verse, you get the verse menu where there are two options
- You can select Copy, and then get a pop-up menu with various parameters and the possibility to add verses. Pressing Copy again copies the verse(s) to the clipboard. The parameters from the pop-up screen are stored, but can always be changed or the defaults restored
- You can select Copy (quick) and then the verse will be copied straight to the clipboard, using the parameters that have been set (see previous bullet). The translation will be the one open in the main screen.

Below you see the pop-up screen where you can customise what the copy should look like. This is thew Android screeen, but the iOS one is similar.
The parametres you can set are fairly self-explanatory. By default you will get the translation which is active in the main screen, but that can be changed. Also you can choose your own abbreviation. All these parametres are stored so will be identical next time you call up the copy function, or use that particular translation.
You can add or remove verses with the plus and minus sign at the top. When ready press Copy, and then paste in another app.
Updates
Top left you may sometimes see a number in green on top of the "Info & Settings" button.
This number refers to the number of updates that are available. Click on it to go to the next screen. There you will see a number next to the relevant line. These updates can be a content update, a new newsletter of sometimes a new feature.
There is a specific line "Content Update", click on this and you will see which titles have been updated. Note this is only for updates to titles you have installed. New titles are not shown in this way.
There is also a line News which shows that a new Newsletter is available.

Please note that updates to the app are not shown in this way. App updates are always made through the App Store (iOS) or the Google Playstore (Android).
Adding more content
With the Online Bible, you may want to have an additional Bible translation or a particular lexicon at your disposal. To avoid including an extensive explanation here about the various options which can also be found elsewhere, please refer to a special article on this topic: Getting more content.
Deleting an account (iOS only)
Avoid this option. Apple makes it mandatory to include this in the app, but it will probably delete more than you bargain for. Please read the last paragraph of this article: An Online Bible Account
Basically we recommend not to delete your account as all purchases on all platforms will be lost forever.