Gospel Library is the gospel study app of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The library includes the scriptures, general conference messages, music, learning and teaching manuals, Church magazines, General Handbook, videos, audio recordings, gospel art, and more.
This guide will help you understand how to use Gospel Library as a tool to improve your gospel study at home, at Church, and on the go.
Gospel Library is available on the Google Play Store and Amazon Appstore.
Gospel Library is available on the Google Play Store and Amazon Appstore.
The first time you open Gospel Library, you’ll see the Home section. You’ll also see a bottom bar with three buttons: Home (house icon), Library (books icon), and Screens (square icon with a number). Home and Library are the two main sections of the app and are described below.
The Home section of Gospel Library provides quick links to common resources, including the scriptures and the current Come, Follow Me lesson. It also has study tools (which are described in the “Learning More” section of the user guide) and a daily scripture verse and general conference quote.
You can customize what you want to see in the Home section by opening the overflow menu (three dots at the top right) and choosing Edit Home.
Tap the Library button on the bottom bar to open the Library. In Library, you can browse all of the content in the app. Content is organized into categories—for example, Scriptures, General Conference, or Music.
With some exploring from the main library, you should be able to find a scripture chapter, a general conference talk, a magazine article, or the Come, Follow Me curriculum.
To go one step back, tap the back button () in the top left corner. Or, if you want to quickly go to the root of the Home or Library section without having to tap back several times, you can tap the Home or Library button again on the bottom bar.
When you’re in a content chapter or talk, you can also tap the title bar at the top of the screen to open the drop-down navigation menu, which shows the path back to the Library.
When you leave the app and come back later, the app will remember where you were so you can pick up where you left off. Or you can use the back button, Home or Library buttons, or drop-down menu to go somewhere else.
The first time you open Gospel Library, you’ll see the Home section. You’ll also see a bottom bar with three buttons: Home (house icon), Library (books icon), and Screens (square icon with a number). Home and Library are the two main sections of the app and are described below.
The Home section of Gospel Library provides quick links to common resources, including the scriptures and the current Come, Follow Me lesson. It also has study tools (which are described in the “Learning More” section of the user guide) and a daily scripture verse and general conference quote.
You can customize what you want to see in the Home section by opening the overflow menu (three dots at the top right) and choosing Edit Home.
Tap the Library button on the bottom bar to open the Library. In Library, you can browse all of the content in the app. Content is organized into categories—for example, Scriptures, General Conference, or Music.
With some exploring from the main library, you should be able to find a scripture chapter, a general conference talk, a magazine article, or the Come, Follow Me curriculum.
To go one step back, tap the back button () in the top left corner. Or, if you want to quickly go to the root of the Home or Library section without having to tap back several times, you can tap the Home or Library button again on the bottom bar.
When you’re in a content chapter or talk, you can also tap the title bar at the top of the screen to open the drop-down navigation menu, which shows the path back to the Library.
When you leave the app and come back later, the app will remember where you were so you can pick up where you left off. Or you can use the back button, Home or Library buttons, or drop-down menu to go somewhere else.
There are a few tools available to help you study when you’re in a chapter or article. We’ll use Alma 37 from the previous section as an example. First, navigate to Alma 37.
Throughout the chapter, words with footnotes appear in blue. Tapping on a footnoted word opens a related content sidebar where you can see the content of the footnote.
If you want to see the full list of footnotes for the chapter, tap the overflow menu (three dots) in the top right corner, and choose Related Content. This opens the sidebar. You can close the sidebar by swiping from the left edge of the sidebar or by tapping the close button () at the top.
On bigger screens, the sidebar can be pinned open using the Pin Sidebar option at the top of the sidebar. This allows you to see the main content and related content side by side.
When you’re looking at an individual footnote in the sidebar, each reference in the footnote is listed separately with its title. Referenced verses are expanded with a snippet of quoted text so you can get an overview without leaving the chapter you’re studying.
Tapping the title of a reference in a footnote navigates to the referenced chapter. Any time you follow a link or navigate to a different location, the back button will take you where you came from.
If you scroll down a bit in Alma 37, you’ll see page numbers in the right margin. Some of the content in Gospel Library has page numbers to help in settings where physical scriptures or manuals are being referenced.
Some users like to read in full screen mode. Double tapping near the middle of the screen turns on full screen mode, hiding the top navigation bar and expanding the reading area. To exit full screen mode, double tap again.
When you finish reading a chapter, if you want to go on to the next, you can swipe sideways from the middle of the screen—swiping right or left goes to the previous or next chapter, respectively.
There are a few tools available to help you study when you’re in a chapter or article. We’ll use Alma 37 from the previous section as an example. First, navigate to Alma 37.
Throughout the chapter, words with footnotes appear in blue. Tapping on a footnoted word opens a related content sidebar where you can see the content of the footnote.
If you want to see the full list of footnotes for the chapter, tap the overflow menu (three dots) in the top right corner, and choose Related Content. This opens the sidebar. You can close the sidebar by swiping from the left edge of the sidebar or by tapping the close button () at the top.
On bigger screens, the sidebar can be pinned open using the Pin Sidebar option at the top of the sidebar. This allows you to see the main content and related content side by side.
When you’re looking at an individual footnote in the sidebar, each reference in the footnote is listed separately with its title. Referenced verses are expanded with a snippet of quoted text so you can get an overview without leaving the chapter you’re studying.
Tapping the title of a reference in a footnote navigates to the referenced chapter. Any time you follow a link or navigate to a different location, the back button will take you where you came from.
If you scroll down a bit in Alma 37, you’ll see page numbers in the right margin. Some of the content in Gospel Library has page numbers to help in settings where physical scriptures or manuals are being referenced.
Some users like to read in full screen mode. Double tapping near the middle of the screen turns on full screen mode, hiding the top navigation bar and expanding the reading area. To exit full screen mode, double tap again.
When you finish reading a chapter, if you want to go on to the next, you can swipe sideways from the middle of the screen—swiping right or left goes to the previous or next chapter, respectively.
Most content has an audio recording. For content without a recording, the device’s text-to-speech function plays an automated recording. When you are scrolled to the top of a chapter or article, you will see a floating audio button () in the bottom right corner. Tapping the audio button opens the audio player for that chapter.
To start listening, tap play (). To pause, tap pause (). To close the audio player, tap the close button ().
The buttons immediately to the left and right of the play/pause button allow you to jump backward () or jump forward () 10 seconds in the audio. When listening to music, previous and next track buttons show.
For additional audio controls, such as playback speed or audio type, tap or pull upward on the player.
If you stop listening in the middle of a chapter and come back later, the audio player will remember where you were and start playing from where you left off.
General conference talks, Come, Follow Me lessons, and other content include videos. Videos are indicated by a video thumbnail with a play button.
To play a video, tap the play button (). Then you can use the controls in the video player to pause, change the volume, or open the video player in full screen.
Audio and video files can be downloaded for offline use.
Most content has an audio recording. For content without a recording, the device’s text-to-speech function plays an automated recording. When you are scrolled to the top of a chapter or article, you will see a floating audio button () in the bottom right corner. Tapping the audio button opens the audio player for that chapter.
To start listening, tap play (). To pause, tap pause (). To close the audio player, tap the close button ().
The buttons immediately to the left and right of the play/pause button allow you to jump backward () or jump forward () 10 seconds in the audio. When listening to music, previous and next track buttons show.
For additional audio controls, such as playback speed or audio type, tap or pull upward on the player.
If you stop listening in the middle of a chapter and come back later, the audio player will remember where you were and start playing from where you left off.
General conference talks, Come, Follow Me lessons, and other content include videos. Videos are indicated by a video thumbnail with a play button.
To play a video, tap the play button (). Then you can use the controls in the video player to pause, change the volume, or open the video player in full screen.
Audio and video files can be downloaded for offline use.
Sometimes you don’t know where to find something in the app. At the top of the screen, you can find the Search button (). Tap the search button to open the search panel.
Start typing what you’re looking for in the search bar (for example, “faith” or “gathering of Israel”). As you type, search suggestions will show below the search bar. If one of the suggestions matches what you’re looking for, you can tap it. Otherwise, tap the search button on the keyboard to start a full search.
At the top of the search results list, there are filters that can be used to narrow the results. More information about the search filters can be found in the “Advanced search” section of the user guide.
To clear the search and start over, tap the Clear button in the top right.
Sometimes you don’t know where to find something in the app. At the top of the screen, you can find the Search button (). Tap the search button to open the search panel.
Start typing what you’re looking for in the search bar (for example, “faith” or “gathering of Israel”). As you type, search suggestions will show below the search bar. If one of the suggestions matches what you’re looking for, you can tap it. Otherwise, tap the search button on the keyboard to start a full search.
At the top of the search results list, there are filters that can be used to narrow the results. More information about the search filters can be found in the “Advanced search” section of the user guide.
To clear the search and start over, tap the Clear button in the top right.
If you want to have multiple sections of the app open at the same time, you can use screens. Screens are similar to tabs in a web browser. Tap the screens button (square with a number) in the bottom bar.
The screens panel lists all of the screens you currently have open. To open a new screen, tap the floating plus button () in the bottom right corner of the screens panel. You can have as many screens open as you want.
To close a screen, open the screens panel then tap the close button on the screen you want to close. You will always have at least one screen open (your current screen) while the app is open.
If you want to have multiple sections of the app open at the same time, you can use screens. Screens are similar to tabs in a web browser. Tap the screens button (square with a number) in the bottom bar.
The screens panel lists all of the screens you currently have open. To open a new screen, tap the floating plus button () in the bottom right corner of the screens panel. You can have as many screens open as you want.
To close a screen, open the screens panel then tap the close button on the screen you want to close. You will always have at least one screen open (your current screen) while the app is open.
You can use bookmarks to keep track of your current reading, interesting articles, or favorite chapters you want to come back to.
When you’re on a chapter you want to bookmark, tap the bookmarks button () in the title bar. Next, tap the floating plus button () in the bottom right corner. You can type a name for the bookmark or leave it at its default and save. The bookmark will be added next to the verse or paragraph you’re scrolled to.
To rename a bookmark, open the bookmarks panel then tap the context menu next to the bookmark and choose Rename. You can also reorder the list of bookmarks by long-pressing a bookmark in the bookmarks panel and dragging it up or down in the list.
To move the bookmark to a different chapter, navigate to the new chapter, open the bookmarks panel, tap the context menu next to the bookmark, and choose Update.
You can use bookmarks to keep track of your current reading, interesting articles, or favorite chapters you want to come back to.
When you’re on a chapter you want to bookmark, tap the bookmarks button () in the title bar. Next, tap the floating plus button () in the bottom right corner. You can type a name for the bookmark or leave it at its default and save. The bookmark will be added next to the verse or paragraph you’re scrolled to.
To rename a bookmark, open the bookmarks panel then tap the context menu next to the bookmark and choose Rename. You can also reorder the list of bookmarks by long-pressing a bookmark in the bookmarks panel and dragging it up or down in the list.
To move the bookmark to a different chapter, navigate to the new chapter, open the bookmarks panel, tap the context menu next to the bookmark, and choose Update.
Long-pressing text in a chapter will select the text and bring up the annotation menu. The first button on the annotation menu is Mark (), which allows you to highlight or underline the selected text.
After tapping Mark, you can choose a different color or style by pressing Style () in the annotation menu. When you’re done, tap away from the annotation menu and the mark to close it.
To change or delete a mark you’ve already created, tap lightly on the mark. The annotation menu will appear again. The Remove () button will delete the mark (and any notes, tags, notebooks, or links attached to it).
There are several other buttons in the annotation menu:
Long-pressing text in a chapter will select the text and bring up the annotation menu. The first button on the annotation menu is Mark (), which allows you to highlight or underline the selected text.
After tapping Mark, you can choose a different color or style by pressing Style () in the annotation menu. When you’re done, tap away from the annotation menu and the mark to close it.
To change or delete a mark you’ve already created, tap lightly on the mark. The annotation menu will appear again. The Remove () button will delete the mark (and any notes, tags, notebooks, or links attached to it).
There are several other buttons in the annotation menu:
In the Home section under Study Tools, you will find four items: Annotations, Tags, Notebooks, and Study Plans.
Annotations has all of the marks and notes you’ve created in Gospel Library with the newest on top. You can use the Annotations section to review what you’ve been marking or studying recently or to go back and find something from a long time ago.
Tags has the list of any tags you’ve created. From here, you can browse content you’ve tagged or manage your list of tags.
Notebooks has a list of your notebooks. You can add, edit, and remove notebooks or add new notes using the floating plus button inside a notebook. When you’re inside a notebook, you can reorder your notes by long-pressing a card and dragging it up or down.
You can rename or remove a tag or notebook using the context menu next to each item in the tags or notebooks list. Both lists also have a filter bar and sort menu that make it easier to find a specific tag or notebook if the list is long.
In the Home section under Study Tools, you will find four items: Annotations, Tags, Notebooks, and Study Plans.
Annotations has all of the marks and notes you’ve created in Gospel Library with the newest on top. You can use the Annotations section to review what you’ve been marking or studying recently or to go back and find something from a long time ago.
Tags has the list of any tags you’ve created. From here, you can browse content you’ve tagged or manage your list of tags.
Notebooks has a list of your notebooks. You can add, edit, and remove notebooks or add new notes using the floating plus button inside a notebook. When you’re inside a notebook, you can reorder your notes by long-pressing a card and dragging it up or down.
You can rename or remove a tag or notebook using the context menu next to each item in the tags or notebooks list. Both lists also have a filter bar and sort menu that make it easier to find a specific tag or notebook if the list is long.
A study plan is a checkable list for studying a book, conference, manual, or topical collection. A schedule or reminder can be added to help you to track progress and accomplish study goals.
To create a study plan, go to Home > Study Plans. Then choose one of the featured plans, or tap the plus button to create a custom plan for any publication in the library.
A study plan is a checkable list for studying a book, conference, manual, or topical collection. A schedule or reminder can be added to help you to track progress and accomplish study goals.
To create a study plan, go to Home > Study Plans. Then choose one of the featured plans, or tap the plus button to create a custom plan for any publication in the library.
If you plan on using study features like bookmarks, notes, or study plans, you will want to sign in with your Church Account in Gospel Library settings.
When you’re signed in, your personal Gospel Library data is backed up and synced to your Church Account. This keeps it safe in case anything happens to your device. It also allows you to access your data from Gospel Library instances on other devices and on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
In addition to syncing your personal data, signing in allows you to access role-based content that may be available for your calling (for example, if you’re a full-time missionary, signing in will allow you to access training materials).
Screens and history do not currently sync.
If you plan on using study features like bookmarks, notes, or study plans, you will want to sign in with your Church Account in Gospel Library settings.
When you’re signed in, your personal Gospel Library data is backed up and synced to your Church Account. This keeps it safe in case anything happens to your device. It also allows you to access your data from Gospel Library instances on other devices and on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
In addition to syncing your personal data, signing in allows you to access role-based content that may be available for your calling (for example, if you’re a full-time missionary, signing in will allow you to access training materials).
Screens and history do not currently sync.
To share a quote from a chapter or article, select the text you want to share then tap the share button on the annotation menu. This will bring up a list of sharing options provided by Android or any third-party apps you have installed.
To share a full chapter, go to the chapter then choose Share from the overflow menu. This will bring up a list of sharing options.
You can also share the contents of a tag or notebook.
To share a quote from a chapter or article, select the text you want to share then tap the share button on the annotation menu. This will bring up a list of sharing options provided by Android or any third-party apps you have installed.
To share a full chapter, go to the chapter then choose Share from the overflow menu. This will bring up a list of sharing options.
You can also share the contents of a tag or notebook.
If there are publications you access frequently and you don’t want to spend a lot of time looking for them, you can add them to a custom collection.
To create a custom collection, go to the Library. Choose Custom Collections from the overflow menu then tap the floating plus button (). Type a name for the custom collection then press Save. When you press back, you’ll see that the custom collection has been added to the main library screen.
To add a publication to the custom collection, find the publication in the Library and long-press on the publication. Choose Add to from the publication’s context menu. Finally, tap on the custom collection you want to add it to. You can add as many publications as you’d like to a custom collection following the same pattern.
If there are publications you access frequently and you don’t want to spend a lot of time looking for them, you can add them to a custom collection.
To create a custom collection, go to the Library. Choose Custom Collections from the overflow menu then tap the floating plus button (). Type a name for the custom collection then press Save. When you press back, you’ll see that the custom collection has been added to the main library screen.
To add a publication to the custom collection, find the publication in the Library and long-press on the publication. Choose Add to from the publication’s context menu. Finally, tap on the custom collection you want to add it to. You can add as many publications as you’d like to a custom collection following the same pattern.
Gospel Library has a few tools in search to help you find content more quickly.
Recent searches show when you open the search panel before you start typing. You can repeat a previous search by tapping one of your recent searches.
Search suggestions appear as you type, providing shortcuts to scripture verses, hymns, reference materials, and publications by title. For example, if you type “ne37” you’ll see a link to 1 Nephi 3:7 in the Book of Mormon. If you type “October 2022” you’ll see a link to the October 2022 general conference.
Search filters allow you to refine or filter search results. There are five search filters:
The Sort by menu provides a way to sort search results by relevance, recency, or book order. Sort options vary depending on the selected search filters.
The Clear button in the top right clears the search and resets the search filters.
All Gospel Library content is searchable when a user is connected to the internet. When a user is offline, search is limited to key resources, such as the scriptures and recent general conferences.
Gospel Library has a few tools in search to help you find content more quickly.
Recent searches show when you open the search panel before you start typing. You can repeat a previous search by tapping one of your recent searches.
Search suggestions appear as you type, providing shortcuts to scripture verses, hymns, reference materials, and publications by title. For example, if you type “ne37” you’ll see a link to 1 Nephi 3:7 in the Book of Mormon. If you type “October 2022” you’ll see a link to the October 2022 general conference.
Search filters allow you to refine or filter search results. There are five search filters:
The Sort by menu provides a way to sort search results by relevance, recency, or book order. Sort options vary depending on the selected search filters.
The Clear button in the top right clears the search and resets the search filters.
All Gospel Library content is searchable when a user is connected to the internet. When a user is offline, search is limited to key resources, such as the scriptures and recent general conferences.
The first time you open Gospel Library, it will connect to the internet to install its starting content, which includes the scriptures and a few other publications. From that point on, the scriptures and any other publications you download will be available offline. The app will check for content updates periodically when it connects to the internet.
If you want to install all of the books in a section at once, long-press on the section you want to download and choose Download All from the context menu.
If you want to listen to audio recordings or watch videos offline, they will need to be downloaded in advance. Tap the download button () on the video thumbnail or choose Download in the audio player’s context menu to download the individual file. Or you can download audio for a full publication by navigating to the list of chapters in the book then choosing Download Audio from the overflow menu.
Downloaded audio and video can be managed under the Downloaded Media section in Gospel Library settings.
The first time you open Gospel Library, it will connect to the internet to install its starting content, which includes the scriptures and a few other publications. From that point on, the scriptures and any other publications you download will be available offline. The app will check for content updates periodically when it connects to the internet.
If you want to install all of the books in a section at once, long-press on the section you want to download and choose Download All from the context menu.
If you want to listen to audio recordings or watch videos offline, they will need to be downloaded in advance. Tap the download button () on the video thumbnail or choose Download in the audio player’s context menu to download the individual file. Or you can download audio for a full publication by navigating to the list of chapters in the book then choosing Download Audio from the overflow menu.
Downloaded audio and video can be managed under the Downloaded Media section in Gospel Library settings.
Gospel Library has several settings that you can adjust to tune the app based on your preferences. To open Settings, use the overflow menu from anywhere in the app.
Gospel Library has several settings that you can adjust to tune the app based on your preferences. To open Settings, use the overflow menu from anywhere in the app.
Go back
Open the audio player
Play audio or video
Pause audio or video
Jump backward 10 seconds in the audio
Jump forward 10 seconds in the audio
Download audio or video
Open the bookmarks panel
Create or add something to the list
Open the search panel
Open the overflow or context menu
Mark the selected text
Copy the selected text
Define the selected word
Share
Link
Note
Tag
Notebook
Style
Remove
Close the current panel
Go back
Open the audio player
Play audio or video
Pause audio or video
Jump backward 10 seconds in the audio
Jump forward 10 seconds in the audio
Download audio or video
Open the bookmarks panel
Create or add something to the list
Open the search panel
Open the overflow or context menu
Mark the selected text
Copy the selected text
Define the selected word
Share
Link
Note
Tag
Notebook
Style
Remove
Close the current panel