iPad 1

In our ward we have people with old technology. They are not financially prepared for the cost of a new ipad. I help our members with their technology. I am looking for a copy of the Gospel Library that I could put on ipad 1. It is updated as far as it will go. ios 5.1.1 I have searched and am unable to find a copy. I am a little surprised that some sort of depository does not exist that people can take advantage of older versions, and use them knowing that no general support is available to them.

Catherine Syllvester
London, Ontario
cathysylvester@rogers.com

Before you go that far, you might ask what content is available for that old a version. It would definitely be using a library that is out of support, and may not be running any longer.

There was an old gospel library version in the App Store a few months ago.

Gospel Library 2.5 was the last version to support iOS 5.1.1. When Gospel Library 3 was released in mid-2013, it only supported iOS 6+. Gospel Library 4 only supports iOS 9+.

– When Gospel Library 3 was released, Gospel Library 2.5 was left in the app store as a separate app, so that it would still be available to people with older devices.
– A few months later, Apple changed how the App Store works so that older versions of the same app are automatically made available to devices that don't support the newest version. But because the decision was made to release Gospel Library 2.5 and Gospel Library 3 as separate apps, this option from Apple wasn't available.
– Soon after that, Apple began weeding out from the App Store any apps that weren't compatible with the newest device standards, so the old "Gospel Library 2.5" app was removed.

Somehow you'll need to find an old version of Gospel Library 2.5 with a certificate that's still valid. I'm not sure if it's available anywhere.

I downloaded 2.5 SA few months ago when v4 can't out.

I have the same problem. My son busted his phone and we can't afford a new one, so I bought him a refurbished iPhone 4. Now we can't find the Gospel Library on the app store that will work with his 7.1.2. Can anyone out there find the older versions?

Isn't there some way the Tech guys can make the older versions available for those without the funds to keep up with Apple's upgrades?

lrwinger wrote:I have the same problem. My son busted his phone and we can't afford a new one, so I bought him a refurbished iPhone 4. Now we can't find the Gospel Library on the app store that will work with his 7.1.2. Can anyone out there find the older versions?

Isn't there some way the Tech guys can make the older versions available for those without the funds to keep up with Apple's upgrades?

Gospel Library 3.4.13 should still be available on the App Store for devices on iOS 6+ that can't upgrade to iOS 9. What do you see when you search for "Gospel Library" on the App Store?

Me too! I'd really like to see the 2.5 version renamed and put back on the iTunes store ... Perhaps "Gospel Library for iPad G1" or some such thing so it doesn't have newer versions causing it to be weeded out... Let's think outside the box guys...

robhufstetler wrote:Me too! I'd really like to see the 2.5 version renamed and put back on the iTunes store ... Perhaps "Gospel Library for iPad G1" or some such thing so it doesn't have newer versions causing it to be weeded out... Let's think outside the box guys...

As I understand it, Apple has some policy that prevents that. There's no updating of older programs.

Yes, Apple has an extensive review process before an app or app update can appear on the App Store, and will reject an app that isn't optimized to run well on newer iOS devices.

Thanks for the background explanations. I was curious about why I couldn't install the Gospel Library app on my iPad 1. I did come up with some potential workarounds, though, none of them are as convenient as having the Gospel Library app, but they might be helpful to someone.

1. I found out that the Deseret Bookshelf app, which is available for the iPad 1, does have the Scriptures (and a few other excellent Gospel books) for free. For the Scriptures, this seems like a great option. Of course, it doesn't really give you easy access to other LDS materials (at least with the little time that I spent with the app). It does provide methods for adding notes, highlights, and bookmarks to books and can sync them across devices--all very handy. Additionally, the footnotes are included in the Scriptures and hyperlinks (or just "links") in the footnotes can take you directly to the references.

2. Using lds.org in the Safari browser isn't a bad option for getting to the Scriptures and other LDS materials, but, of course, it requires an Internet connection and it doesn't seem to provide a convenient way to do annotations or bookmarks (beyond what the browser already does). There are some annotation and bookmarking features when viewing the Scriptures using desktop web browsers, but I don't seem to see those features when using Safari on the iPad 1.

3. Downloading the various books from lds.org in PDF or .mobi formats using Safari and then opening the documents with either the Adobe Reader app or the Amazon Kindle app isn't a bad way to go. The Adobe Reader and Amazon Kindle apps provide methods for navigating the documents (not as good as other options) and making annotations. The PDF versions of the Scriptures have the footnotes where I didn't see them in the .mobi versions of the scriptures. The .mobi version of the Scriptures does seem easier to navigate.

I know this doesn't really solve the problem of getting the Gospel Library app onto an iPad 1, but it might help someone.

It would be a great feature if the older versions could at least get the material that the newer ones have, some sort of dynamic linking to the newer content. If I have an older version of the software it won't allow me to get the newer versions of Ensign as well as the new Come Follow Me Curr. for next year. Doing this for previous versions probably isn't going to happen I understand, but hopefully it can be done going forward.

vespergo wrote:It would be a great feature if the older versions could at least get the material that the newer ones have, some sort of dynamic linking to the newer content.

Other posts have mentioned that the method of obtaining content has changed, the app had to be rewritten to access the data, and older versions of the app could not be made to accommodate the change. As a compromise, two servers host the data using the two different methods, but the older server is no longer being updated with new content.

I think if it were as simple as a link to the new content for an older version of the app, it would have been done.

We have an older 1st Generation IPad (Model MF432LL/A running IOS 9.3.5. The only version of Gospel Library that appears in the Apple App Store states, when trying to download, that “Gospel Library” is not compatible with this iPad. I have looked in the “Purchased” tab of the App Store and can see Gospel Library, but trying to download that one results in a message indicating that the version is not compatible. Unless Apple or the Church provides earlier versions for download, then the older iPads will not be able to install/use Gospel Library.

billguest wrote:We have an older 1st Generation IPad (Model MF432LL/A running IOS 9.3.5. The only version of Gospel Library that appears in the Apple App Store states, when trying to download, that “Gospel Library” is not compatible with this iPad. I have looked in the “Purchased” tab of the App Store and can see Gospel Library, but trying to download that one results in a message indicating that the version is not compatible. Unless Apple or the Church provides earlier versions for download, then the older iPads will not be able to install/use Gospel Library.

Under Purchased, did you try tapping the download icon that appears while you're still on the list of Purchased apps? Others on the forum have reported that if they tap the download icon from the "Purchased" list, it works, but if they go tap on the Gospel Library icon or app name to open the full listing for Gospel Library, then tap download, it doesn't work. Also, make sure that the title of the app you tap download on says "Gospel Library" and not the older "Gospel Library 2.5", if you happen to have both listed.