How To Install new Bibles

Update!
Since version 4.1.0 of the app, there is a new internal browser that makes it a lot easier to install Bibles and Schedules.

To use this new browser to install a Bible:

1. Click on the settings icon top / left of the Bible window.
2. At the bottom click the "Download and install new Bibles" button.
3. This is just like a normal browser - type in the website you want to visit and download the EPUB file you want to install.
4. It will detect the download and take over from there.

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The Equipd Bible app is a specialised EPUB reader.

The app cannot just read any EPUB file - the file needs to conform to a number of conventions in order for the Equipd Bible to be able to open it. The reason for this is that every single EPUB file is an independent unit - they can be alike, but are most likely different in some way. The internal folders can be different, the filename conventions could be different, and the HTML used inside each chapter could be different.

As a result this website will list EPUB files that are known to be compatible with this app, and that the Equipd Bible has been trained to open. This currently includes all Bibles listed on the download page, and most Bible EPUB files found on JW.org.

Installing Bibles, Step-by-step

Once you have located a compatible EPUB file, you can install it by following these steps:

1. Download the file using the Safari browser
2. Make sure the download is complete, and the file size is greater than "0"
3. Click "Open in..." and choose the Equipd app with the all black app icon.
4. The Equipd Bible app will open and say "Importing: filename.epub". Do not close or leave the app until the file has finished importing.
5. Once it has imported you will be presented with the Settings window for that Bible
   1. If you want to make this Bible your "Preferred Bible" then toggle the setting here. The Preferred Bible will be used to show your Bookmark extracts, and in other parts of the app.
   2. You can also change the name and abbreviation of the Bible if you prefer
   3. If this is a Chinese Bible (detected by the language settings defined in the EPUB) then you can optionally enable side-by-side viewing of Pinyin. Zhuyin (Bopomofo), and Sidney Lau for this single EPUB file. *
6. Click "Done" and you should see your new Bible at the top of the list in the side-by-side view
7. Click the Admin button (top/left) and "Bibles" if you ever need to change the settings for this EPUB in the future. From this Admin screen you can also quickly toggle the Bible on/off in the side-by-side view.

Trouble with iOS 13?

Many users have had challenges installing Bibles since iOS 13 was released. Some of these issues are related to a small change in how the sharing works. You need to make sure that you have enabled the "Equipd Bible" app in the share options. Please see this video which walks you through a demo of the NWT in Arabic being downloaded on iOS 13 and installed on a live iPhone.

In some instances the Equipd Bible app has not appeared as a Sharing option to enable. How do you fix this issue? Users have reported that they had to delete and reinstall the Bible app several times before it finally appeared in the list. This seems to be a problem with iOS 13, so hopefully Apple will fix this issue in a future update.

Video Tutorial

There is a great tutorial on AppChasers showing you how to install Bibles from JW.org here. The following video tutorial shows how to download and install Bibles in EPUB format from the JW.org website. You can download and install other Bible translations and languages here.




Installing via iTunes

if you have a desktop with iTunes on it, the app does support File Sharing via iTunes. This means you can download the EPUB files on your desktop, and then using iTunes, copy the files across to the Equipd Bible app. Then the next time you close/open the app it will detect the EPUB files and try to import them. If you are importing multiple EPUB files then you will not be shown the EPUB Settings window after each EPUB is imported. If you are not sure how to use File Sharing via iTunes then maybe refer to this document from Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201301

Clarification for Chinese Users

I saw somebody provide instructions in an App Store review around installing the same EPUB file multiple times in order to get the Pinyin and Characters showing side-by-side. This is not necessary! You do not need to install multiple copies of the same Chinese EPUB file in order to get side-by-side viewing of the Characters / Pinyin etc. A single Chinese EPUB can power multiple Bibles in the side-by-side view. As shown in the attached screenshot below, in the EPUB Settings for your Chinese Bible(s) you can toggle the Pinyin, Zhuyin, Sidney Lau on/off as you prefer.

Steps to enable Chinese Pinyin if you forgot:

1. Go into Admin (top/left)
2. Make sure you are on the "Bibles" tab along the top
3. Click on the row for the Chinese EPUB you installed
4. Turn on Pinyin under "Chinese Options"

The Pinyin version of the epub will now show side-by-side with the other Bibles you have installed.