Pencil Bible Hack 2.3.1 + Redeem Codes

This is a great app. Very easy to use. Although I am very tech-dependent in my personal study, I always missed scribbling over verses on my old paper bibles. I love that you can change the line spacing, font size and even add space for side notes. Simple and genius. My only struggle with this app is that it only has english bibles. English is no my first language. So I end up going back to other bible apps for my devotion. I encourage the developers to try to include modern faithful spanish translation (many hispanic churches are shifting from RV1960 to NBLA, and some textus criticus translations, such as the NTV, are being used in home studies). I know this app would be a slam dunk in the hispanic community, as bible scribbling is extremely common in our community. Please, just include at least two spanish bible options (not only the upcoming RV1960). That would be a great blessing! Praying for the developers.

*Updated Below*
I bought my first iPad/pencil combo about 3 years ago. Every so often I would search for an app that did just this. I gave up for sometime and recently looked again and found this gem. Instantly purchased ESV for a very reasonable price. Though I would love a CSB option (I hope lifeway will play nice). I have a couple minor draw backs that may be on the radar or my own user error. I will change my rating to 5 stars if they are addressed (or I am corrected). 1. It makes marks when I rest my palm on the screen. I’m using an Apple Pencil. Most things that can be “marked up” with the traditional Apple Pencil pop up will ignore the palm. 2. I personally like the Apple Pencil mark up toolbar more than the one built into the app because it lets you adjust the gauge of your stroke. All the ones I’ve tried in the app seem a little chubby. 3. If it could save a color to the currently selected tool that would be awesome (ex: hi lighter stays yellow and pen stays black). Regardless, I plan on using this app daily! Great work!

*Update*
They pretty much instantly responded to my review and were already working on every concern I had. That’s incredible. 5 stars!

I loved the first version. So much, that I purchased it! I was so excited to not have the advertisement popping up every few minutes, however, a few weeks later version 2.0 came out and I miss the first version. I loved that I had a pencil, a pen and a highlighter in the first version. I would toggle between the 3 to get different effects as I was journaling. I also miss the rounded edges that the highlighter used to have. I now have to white out the edges of each line (being careful not to erase the Bible) to make it look neat. I would love for these things from version one to brought back. They made my journaling much more enjoyable.

Some additions that would be great would be an option to chose between an eraser that erases the entire line you wrote and an eraser that just erases the part of the line touched while erasing (like how an eraser in real life works). Another wonderful addition would be the ability to add photos from my iPad library to the journal.

Downloaded this app with lots of excitement since there do not appear to be many options for Bible apps that allow you freely highlight and annotate. However, after two weeks of using this app, I’ll be deleting it for the foreseeable future.

I read lots of reviews prior to downloading and the frequent developer response was that updates were coming and the bugs/glitches had been resolved; however, those responses were 3-6 months ago and it seems I’m still encountering those same issues. Most disappointing is how the app hasn’t saved my notes and highlights. I was 29 chapters into Genesis with marks on every one, and it has only saved 3 of those chapters. The “snap” feature for straight lines, better Apple Pencil compatibility, and ability to purchase the app for a 1x fee have all been mentioned in other reviews that I also agree with.

Feels like it just makes more sense to highlight my paper Bible for now. I’ll check back in a few months and see if any progress has been made…

Like so many others, I have been looking for a Bible app that works with an Apple Pencil for years.

This app has a LOT of potential. But it is just not quite there yet. It desperately needs palm rejection. It also seems to need to recognize the Apple Pencil better, as well. It currently takes me 2-3 minutes to hand-write a few sentences in the app. Something that would take me 20-25 seconds in something like GoodNotes. I’ll draw a letter and part of it will disappear for no apparent reason. Or, due to lack of palm rejection, I’ll start to write and because my hand is laying on my iPad, a long, straight line from my palm to my Apple Pencil appears.

It is also extremely painful having to close the writing bar in order to scroll. Would be great to be able to scroll with your finger (again, palm/finger rejection), OR at least be able to scroll with two fingers.

I also typically have my iPad locked in portrait mode, but “upside down” (i.e. the camera is at the bottom) — this is due to my case and where the holder for the Apple Pencil is. But right now, the app force-rotates to “right side up” portrait.

I will continue to watch this app and hope the developers have some updates for these issues soon. Again, a ton of potential here. I understand there is work being done with publishers, but I look forward to the NLT. Hopefully, things are progressing with the publishers!

I am excited about this apps potential. I’ve been on the lookout for years to find an app for my iPad that I can write on just like I do with my paper Bible. While I’m thankful that this is being developed, it’s not at a place where I can actually use it as a functioning Bible. Here are some of the top reasons why:
1. I use the nkjv and it does not have that yet. I’m looking forward to when it arrives
2. I need to be able to turn the pages just like I do with my paper Bible. As it stands, we only get a chapter at a time and then I need to go back to the menu and load the next chapter. This will never work for me. For a good reference of what the perfect app is for this, see the “olive tree” Bible app. The pages turn just like paper. No going to a menu just to go to the next verse. I suspect this is not possible because under the hood it’s really just reading in a pdf. I could be wrong though.
Add this functionality and that would be glorious!

I think this has the potential to be a amazing Bible journaling app, but I think there are a few features that are missing. 1. It needs Text support because not everybody likes their handwriting and there’s so many fonts that you can choose from. 2. I think it needs the ability for the highlighter or pens to make straight lines. If you just hold at the end of your line and snap straight if that makes any sense, I’m a little OCD, and if my lines are not straight, it bothers me I know it may not bother a lot of people. 3. being able to add images, so that way we can make it cuter in away if we want and with that add a cropping feature with the images so that way if we do need to crop we can. or even have a sticker section so that way we can save some of our images as stickers so that way we don’t have to import every time. 4. adding landscape mode, because not everybody holds their iPad in portrait mode.

I got an IPad a few months ago and was excited to have a digital notebook to take with me on the go. I good Good notes that I put my church sermons on and other notes to take. I have the Bible app but that is great for a phone. I have an Apple Pencil and want to write in a bible. Saw this app and immediately downloaded it. Got in and was disappointed in the Bible versions you all have. Writing with my Apple Pencil is annoying cause it doesn’t ignore my palm when I’m writing or my fingers if i want to scroll or anything it starts writings again. Like everyone else I’ve seen “coming soon” many times but nothing seems like a real change. I haven’t touched or used the app cause its just not working with the “vision” you all had. I’ve been to your website and see more versions are coming but they been coming for a while. I want some sort of update on what we are expecting or going to be getting and when. I want to love this app but till things are fixed and more options than I’m going back to my actual bible I’ll check back later.

I’m already subscribed, but the subscribe pop-up keeps on showing when I press the shapes button. When I click subscribe, it says already subscribed, but I still can’t use the feature. Nothing happens when I click restore purchase. Oh, and I bought the ESV too, that shows I really want to use this app. Now my morning study is interrupted because of this. Unfortunate. [Update 1]: Now I cancelled the “free trial” subscription, because… it literally does not give me anything. If this doesn’t get fixed, please give me a refund for my ESV purchase. Thank you. [Update 2]: Still no good. I want to hang on. [Update 3]: The generous owner and creator made a way to fix ALL the issues. If you’re looking for a minimalistic Bible journaling app, THIS is what you’re looking for.

Update: Changing my review from 4 to 2 stars. While this app has so much promise, the writing feature is pretty terrible. It is very glitchy when I write with the Apple Pencil, and it doesn’t capture a lot of what I’m writing, or it becomes distorted. This makes the app almost unusable for me, as I was hoping to use it to write notes. I will keep watching for future updates.

Thank you so much for creating this app! I have been looking for something like this for years. I don’t love writing in my physical Bible, so this format is perfect. I love the promise that this app offers, and would love to see the following updates. Some might already be in the works…
— Allow landscape functionality
— Allow split view
— Ability to add a blank page before or after a page
— Create an iPhone app that at least provides “view only” capabilities. I use GoodNotes regularly, and I love the ability to pull up files on my iPad and iPhone because I don’t always carry my iPad.
— Ability to create a file/project with just a portion of the Bible. For example, if I am doing a study on a particular book, I can save a version with just that book. This would help reduce file size.

I have just started using the app, so I will update this review as I continue to use it.