The YouVersion Bible App experienced a record-breaking 798,000 downloads on January 5, marking the largest single-day installation total in its history.
Bobby Gruenewald, the founder of YouVersion and a pastor at Life.Church, shared with The Christian Post that the app “saw 18.2 million people engage in the Bible reading and more than 798,000 installs” on that Sunday.
This figure surpassed the record set on the first Sunday of the previous year, while New Year’s Day ranked as the third-highest installation day in the app’s history.
Gruenewald noted, “We tend to see a seasonal uptick in Bible engagement at the beginning of the year as people start new habits and are interested in reading the Bible for the first time.” He added that this year’s increase is “even higher than this same time last year, and it’s a trend we’re seeing globally.”
The YouVersion app reported significant increases in installs and engagement, particularly in African nations and throughout Asia and the Middle East.
Notably, Ethiopia saw a 198% increase in activity, Egypt experienced a 94% increase, Turkey had a 74% increase, Ghana saw a 65% increase, and Pakistan experienced a 48% increase. Overall, Northern Africa recorded a staggering 297% increase in activity, while the Middle East saw a 166% increase.
Gruenewald emphasized that the team is continually looking for ways to improve the app to help users engage with the Bible consistently. “Because we know people are interested in creating new rhythms, we put a lot of work into designing features to help them make Bible engagement a daily practice that is sustained throughout the year.”
One of the app’s most popular features is Bible Plans, which provide “daily devotional content rooted in Scripture” to assist users in studying, understanding, meditating on, and applying biblical truths to their lives.
Gruenewald told The Christian Post, “Every week, we add new plans in multiple languages to help people continue to engage in the Bible every day.” He also emphasized the “Plans with Friends” feature, which allows users to study Scripture together, noting that communal support enhances consistency.
Gruenewald expressed amazement at being part of a daily process through which God works, stating, “Every time someone opens the Bible is an opportunity for the power of God’s Word to change their life.”
Since its launch in July 2008 by Life.Church, the YouVersion family of apps has been installed on over 850 million devices globally and is available in 2,100 languages. At the end of last year, YouVersion reported an average of 11.2 million new device installs each month in 2024 and approximately 14 million people engaging with the Bible daily.
