This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Type in the term "LDS" in the iTunes App Store's search field and you get a taste of how popular Mormon-related applications for the iPhone and iPad have become. Choices can range from digital LDS flashcards to the "Who Wants to Be an LDS Millionaire" game.
As the world has adapted to the digital revolution, so have Mormons. At any local ward house on Sundays, now you'll see plenty of members carrying iPhones, iPads and Android phones loaded with apps instead of padded scripture cases.
It's a niche market, of course, but there are well over 100 iPhone and iPad applications for Mormon study, plus nearly half as many on the Android Market for Android-based mobile devices. The most popular are digital versions of scriptures from the Book of Mormon and Bible that make the text searchable and include the ability to highlight passages. There are also programs for streaming LDS-based radio programs, children's activities and storybooks, as well as apps that teach church history.
Church member Jacob Lowell often brings just his iPhone on Sundays depending on "how lazy I'm feeling" and if he wants to haul around massive and heavy books, said the 33-year-old Fruit Heights man. "I just take my phone with me and that's all I need," he said.
Michael Jensen, an app developer in Vancouver, Wash., was one of the first to tap into the mobile Mormon app market with his "LDS Scriptures App," which he released a year after the first iPhone was introduced in 2007. It's now available for all Apple mobile devices, as well as for Android, Blackberry, PC and the Mac.
"We've basically grown with the iPhone market," he said about the success of his business (he also makes apps for scripture lessons and a game on church history). "When someone buys an iPhone or iPad and they're LDS, the first thing they search for is an LDS app."
Even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has gone into the mobile app development market and has released four applications that are available for free, including its own collection of scriptures and gospel instruction manuals called "Gospel Library."
Now that official Mormon apps have entered the market, that doesn't seem to phase other developers who have been charging money for their applications.
"There's a market for more of a power user, and that's more my space," Jensen said about the church as his competitor. "We don't have anyone who really matches what we're doing in terms of the platform support and our features. I haven't really seen a direct effect on sales."
Besides, said Hilton Campbell, a Seattle developer who makes the "LDS Hymns Sing-Along" app, "I don't think they're blazing any new ground."
"The church says this is big and lots of members appreciate them [the apps], so then they make them in-house," he said. "It's a huge, wide- open market."
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From scripture-based singalongs for kids to all things gospel
"Gospel Library" (Free, on iTunes and Android Market) • This all-around app includes scriptures, General Conference talks and teaching materials. One advantage: It's initially a small program and you only download the materials you need.
"LDS Scriptures App" ($14.99, on iTunes and Android Market) • All the scriptures in a searchable program that also include bookmarking and highlighting features. Also available in multiple languages, and its bookmarks and highlights can be sync-ed with your computer.
"LDS Children's Sing-Along" ($4.99, on iTunes) • Includes 101 songs from the Children's Songbook, and plays music with a bouncing ball on the lyrics.
"LDS Tools" (Free, on iTunes and Android Market) • Church members can download ward and stake directories and look up calendar event information with this official Mormon app.
"Mormon Radio" (Free, on iTunes and Android Market) • The app for the church's official radio station. Listen to conference talks, magazine articles and scriptures.
"The Scriptures" (Free, on iTunes) • Another app that contains the entire standard works of the LDS Church with the ability to search and highlight.