UPDATED: The Ultimate Mobile App Guide for Latter-day Saints
Today. Right now. This very instant. It seems that everyone has a smartphone with a reason locked and loaded, ready to use it. Oh, you have a smartphone, too? Then you may agree how wonderful it is that instant gratification has been made a top priority in our era.
But wouldn’t it be incredible if we brought that wired enthusiasm into sharing the gospel? ThirdHour.org has compiled a guide of all the best mobile apps for Latter-day Saints.
So whether you’re an experienced troop leader for the Scouts who has no idea how to work an iPhone or a hip Sunday School teacher in a YSA ward, this guide is for you.
Note to the reader: Some of these apps are different for iPhone and Android depending on the device. If an app is available for iPhone, it may have a similar counterpart available for Android, though the functions may differ. This also applies to the price. Some things that are free for Android may not be free for the iPhone and vice versa.
Also, some of these apps aren’t officially Church sponsored. Many of them are, but some aren’t. Please take that into consideration when you download an app especially if it requires additional purchase.
Essential Latter-day Saint Apps
Gospel Library
Contains every scripture, magazine, map, and reference that you could ever need in a single app. This includes all of the General Conference talks and Sunday School manuals as well! Sign in to your ChurchofJesusChrist.org account and you can make notes and highlight as you study. The best part of the app is that it opens up to the last item you were on. Never lose your place in your scriptures again.
The Mormon Channel
The official media channel for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is available as an app for iPhone and Android. Keeps users updated with Mormon Messages and other video series, uplifting music and talk radio streams, audio recordings, and Church magazines. It even includes links to blogs for your enjoyment.
The Book of Mormon
Whether you have the Gospel Library app on your device or not, this app features the Book of Mormon in many languages, includes audio for easy listening, and uses simple navigation. You can share easily with a nonmember or read the Book of Mormon in your spare time.
Member Tools
Sign in with your churchofjesuschrist.org account, and this app provides ward and stake directory information for your area. This app allows you to look up the phone number of your Relief Society President or Ward Mission Leader no matter where you are—or any other ward member’s calling for that matter. It also includes the stake calendar, just in case you lost your ward newsletter.
JustServe
Provides dozens of different service opportunities within your community for you to volunteer and help out with. This app allows you to browse through opportunities based on location so that you can easily find events or projects you can participate in. Also gives you the option to add your own opportunities for others to volunteer for.
Gospel Living App for Youth
Released in February 2020 in 15 languages, this app provides content that inspires youth to set goals and has links and tools to help them in their gospel learning and daily living.
The new Gospel Living app was described by Elder Gerritt W. Gong in the Face to Face event in November 2019. “Properly used, technology can help you live in a noisy, distracting and consuming world,” Elder Gong said. “Designed especially for you, the Gospel Living app can give you a safe place to focus on what really matters.” Download the app in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
- Available for iPhone and Android
- Price: Free
- Average rating: 4.5/5
Latter-day Saint Holy Places (iPhone) and Latter-Day Temples (Android)
Not only act as directories for Latter-day Saint temples where you can find phone numbers, addresses, and temple websites but also gives members an opportunity to track temple attendance. These apps also feature photo galleries, histories, and the dedication prayers for each temple.
Church News App
New in 2019. Stay informed and inspired with the Church News app, which puts our worldwide coverage of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints right into your pocket. As “A Living Record of the Restoration,” this simple and easy-to-use app will be your source for all the news, growth and ministry of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The app provides news and information around topics such as Living Faith, Leaders & Ministry, History Revisited, Members and more. It’s now easier than ever to find the inspiring stories or latest news you are looking for about the Church.
The Church News app is now available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Get download information from the website.
Apps for Personal Study
Scripture Notes
Are you tired of inflexible scripture study tools? Scripture Notes is a brand new interface for studying the scriptures and taking notes in ways not previously possible. Now you can compare multiple chapters side-by-side, perform searches and see results in context by adding in the previous and next verses right in the search results, and then save your results to a collection and record a master note about all those verses. This app is powerful and just getting started. https://scripturenotes.com.
- Available for: All desktop computers, Mobile apps coming
- Price: $4.95/month or $49.95/year
- Rating: 5/5
ScripturePlus
This app allows users to read volumes of Latter-day Saint scripture, including the Book of Mormon, alongside informative study material, such as images, videos, charts, KnoWhys, and Quotes from scholars and General Authorities.
LDS Scripture Citation Index
Have you ever wanted to find a talk that references a particular scripture? Then this app is made for you. An index of every scripture in the standard works links you to every use of that scripture in talks given by the general authorities. Now integrated with the Gospel Library app if you want to have it open up talks and scriptures via your Gospel Library app.
LDS Daily Verse
Users receive an inspiring scripture, conference quote, hymn, or video each day to give them extra motivation throughout the day. Users have the option to favorite and share different content based on what they found meaningful to them.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Average rating: 4.5/5
Scripture A Day Widget
Similar to LDS Daily Verse, users receive a scripture from the Old Testament, Book of Mormon, New Testament, and Doctrine and Covenants straight to your smartphone home screen. Since this is a widget, it will display on a home screen, readily available for your spiritual edification. Wake up to a new scripture each day!
- Available for: Android
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.5/5
Refill My Soul
This meditation app is a wonderful way to intertwine mindful thinking and LDS scripture. There are eight free episodes to listen to in order to find your inner peace. Each episode is about eight minutes long and subscribers are saying, “I always come away feeling empowered and at peace, ready to deal with a difficulty or fall asleep or be energized to face a task.”
- Available for: Apple
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5/5
LDS Podcasts Free
A vast collection of Latter-Day Saint related podcasts for those who study best by listening to scriptures, talks, devotionals, podcasts, etc. Allows users to stream as they listen or download individual podcast episodes to listen to later.
- Available for: Android
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.5/5
LDS Articles of Faith
For quick use, all of the Articles of Faith are now available on a single app. This app includes tips and games for quick and easy memorization, including a quiz and a word scrambler. The app even provides the 13 Articles of Faith in varying languages.
LDS Tools: Family Home Evening
An app that makes having both exciting and enriching Family Home Evenings much easier for families of all shapes and sizes. Includes ideas for different activities, lessons, songs, treats, etc. Has enough content to provide two years of Family Home Evenings without duplication.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.8/5
LDS Talk Tool
Keep track of talks, scriptures, or quotes for your own talk or lesson at church. This app is integrated with the Gospel Library to make it easier to organize talk or lesson ideas in your gospel study. You can also export to your computer for easy access.
- Available for: Android
- Price: Free
- Rating 4.7/5
PLinXs
This app is for prayer, meditation, and mindfulness. You can use this app to connect with others who need prayers or request prayers for yourself or a loved one. You can track and monitor your prayers to let other people know that you prayed for them if you wish to do so.
LDS Ponderize
Instead of printing or writing out your scripture to ponderize each week, this app easily transfers your scripture verse to your lock screen for easy and frequent viewing. Includes reminders to ponderize throughout each day and a weekly reminder to add a new scripture.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Rating 4.5/5
Bible Videos
Have the official Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos easily accessible on your device. Watch high quality videos that will strengthen your faith and understanding of Christ’s life and ministry. Videos stream over your Internet connection.
Apps for Your Calling
Gospel Media
Have all the paintings, photos, and illustrations from the Gospel Art Library at your fingertips. You can easily access gospel art for lessons, FHE, or personal use. Keep all of your gospel art in one place with this easy-to-use app.
LDS Callings Tools
This is a mobile tool released in 2019 that integrates with churchofjesuschrist.org and allows leaders to track and communicate about new callings that are being considered until the time they become official. It also includes functionality to create custom tags to help leaders better know and minister to members.
LDS Ordinances & Tools
Contains quick access to important information for priesthood holders. Provides guidelines for sacrament prayers, setting aparts, priesthood blessings, performing baptisms, etc. Never worry about forgetting the wording for how to perform an ordinance with this handy mobile app.
- Available for: Android
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.7/5
Musical Apps
Sacred Music
Find hymns and children’s songs in the official hymn app from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Includes sheet music and audio for each hymn found in the Hymn book or Children’s Songbook, with additional children’s songs for Primary. Find all of your Latter-day Saint music in one place! As of 2020, there is a new section in the app titled Hymns at Home. You now have the option to sing along to your favorite hymns at home.
The Tabernacle Choir
Take the world-famous Tabernacle Choir with you, no matter where you go. With a library of sacred music, you can listen or watch old favorites, stay updated with the choir’s blog, shop in the mobile store, and purchase tickets for upcoming events. This is an official app from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sing Along Hymns
A great way for families to sing along and memorize the hymns and children’s songs of the Church. It provides images and clear text for anyone to easily sing along to their favorite songs. A wonderful resource to use for Family Home Evenings, as it provides an accompaniment to singing that is friendly to all ages.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5/5
LDS Animated
Teach your young children Primary songs using your phone. This app plays music videos with beautifully animated stories along with your favorite childhood hymns. The lyrics scroll at the bottom of the screen so your kids can sing along. The songs are available in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free (In-app purchases)
- Rating: 4.5/5
Apps for Kids
LDS Scripture Word Search and More
If your children need extra incentive to be reverent during Church meetings, use this word search app to keep them focused on gospel themes. It features several different categories such as Book of Mormon, Pioneer, and New Testament.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free (In-app purchases)
- Rating: 4.2/5
LDS Matching Game
Keep your children occupied with this gospel-centered memory game as numerous temples, current prophets and apostles, and other gospel topics are scrambled to be matched. A great option for keeping the kids quiet during long meetings or helping children to learn the names of the General Authorities.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.7/5
LDS Children’s Activity App
Includes a variety of fun, gospel-themed games which kids are sure to love. A total of seven games are featured in the app with classics such as memory, hangman, and word search available to play.
- Available for: Android
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.5/5
LDS Fun
Keep your child entertained at church with illustrated gospel games. This app allows your child the opportunity to learn gospel principles and be reverent while painting, doing puzzles, playing matching games, connecting the dots, and finishing gospel-themed mazes. This app features the art of Spring McDonald, and is described as “a digital reverent book.”
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 5/5
LDS Scripture Heroes
Teaches children about the lives and testimonies of different scriptural heroes (including the Bible, Book of Mormon, and early history of the Church) through several interactive games. This app is a great method for helping young children to learn about important figures in a fun and rewarding way.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free (In-app purchases)
- Rating: 4.8/5
Apps for Latter-day Saint Youth
Doctrinal Mastery
An app designed to help those who attend seminary memorize scriptures in a fun and easy way. It contains all 100 scripture verses required for memorization within the Book of Mormon, Old Testament, New Testament, and Doctrine and Covenants. App provides multiple quizzes and puzzles for student use.
LDS Youth
An official Church-sponsored app providing the latest news and articles for LDS youth. Complete with videos, music, and the beloved Mormonads, this app engages the youth in a way that is easily shared via social media and is perfect for home or church settings.
Simple Progress
This app enables young women to set daily Personal Progress reminder notifications. It links to ChurchofJesusChrist.org directly. Simple Progress can also send notification emails to leaders, providing instant progress updates. Streamlining the reporting process, improving focus on the value experiences, and encouraging young women to work independently on Personal Progress are the app’s main aims. Simple Progress advocates a nag-free way for young women to accomplish their Personal Progress goals. The app is available in Spanish and in English.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.6/5
Missionary Apps
LDS Pamphlets
Contains each of the short pamphlets produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These are commonly used by missionaries while teaching, thus, having a digital version certainly can come in handy for a missionary or anyone hoping to share the gospel with a friend.
My Mission (LDS)
Allows for missionaries and their families to keep a record of their experiences. Includes a mission map to mark different areas the missionary as served, as well as sections for pictures, letters, stories, and more.
- Available for: Android
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.6/5
LDS Missions
Provides a full description of what Latter-day Saint missionaries are, their roles, and locations in the world where missions have been established. It also includes information about our beliefs. Want to know more about the mission area a friend or relative is serving in? Check out the map, flags, economy, and society options for any mission with this app.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Rating: 3.7/5
LDS Missionary Tracker
Allows individuals who are close to missionaries to see when they depart and return, and where they will be stationed. A count-up setting lets you know how many days your missionary has been gone, and a countdown setting tells you how many days they have left. Use this app to set a weekly reminder to write your missionary.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: $2.99 (In-app purchases)
- Rating: 3.6/5
Family History Apps
Take a Name LDS Family History
This app uses your FamilySearch account to help you find names to take to the temple. Take a Name “typically delivers dozens of temple ready family names in a matter of minutes,” according to its website. And because the app’s creator is a FamilySearch partner, you can use it to reserve ordinances and print temple cards directly from your phone. Though the app is free, there is an optional donation option that encourages users to donate whatever they are willing to give in order to keep the app up and running.
FamilySearch Tree
You can take your family tree with you on your mobile device. This app doesn’t require Internet access and automatically syncs with FamilySearch when connected. You can browse your tree on the go, add information, read about your ancestors, or find pictures. This is an easy-to-use and official family history app released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
FamilySearch Memories
Need an easy way to add memories to your family tree? You can easily snap pictures, record audio, or enter stories to your family tree on the go. Take pictures with your smartphone of old documents, pictures, and memories, as well as adding memories to your immediate family at graduations, weddings, and family reunions.
Ancestry
Discover more about your ancestors with an app that allows you to research old records for family information. This app works alongside FamilySearch to provide even more historical records, photos, and memories.
Find a Grave
Locate graves of your ancestors with just your smartphone. You can snap pictures of graves and share them, request photographs of headstones, and create bio pages for your ancestors. This app simplifies finding a grave on the go and makes it easy to locate, research, and add to information about your ancestors.
LDS Laughs Mobile App
Good news! You don’t have to wait until the New Era comes to your door every month for the “Extra Smile” cartoon section anymore. Now you have 300+ hilarious LDS comics at your fingertips with the free mobile app LDS Laughs! Latter-day Saint cartoonist Arie Van De Graaff will crack you up with gags and jokes on topics like scouting activities, youth antics, sacrament meeting talks, missionaries, scripture stories, ward basketball, and more.
- Available for: iPhone
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.7/5
It’s important to remember that you don’t need to download all of these apps. Pick the ones that you will see yourself using often, especially if you’re considering making a purchase. The apps that are funded by the Church (for the most part) should be free, but many of the other apps in this guide are designed by the Church but aren’t funded by it.
As time passes more apps will be designed and released for public use, adding to the Latter-day Saint app spectrum. But until that time, this guide should carry you through all of your mobile gospel app needs. Happy sharing!
Bonus App—Lifey:
Lifey provides many helpful short videos about not only mission stories, but a variety of aspects of life that are related to The Church. Since Lifey began, the app has grown through voluntary participation of church members recording one-minute videos of advice, stories, and opinions.
Lifey is a new way members can share the Gospel online—by sharing mission stories, answering questions about Latter-day Saint beliefs, and sharing Gospel messages in English and 100+ other languages. Lifey reached 10,000 contributions in February 2020.
- Available for iPhone (in the Apps store) and Android (via Google play)
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5/5