Hi friends,
A new update to Through the Word — version 5.1 — is here, and we wanted to give you a look at what’s changed and why.
Most of what’s changed in this release is focused on Groups. If you’ve ever used Groups in the app (or wanted to), you’ll notice a handful of meaningful improvements in how days, messages, and audio all fit together. If you don’t use Groups, the update still brings across-the-board stability improvements — more on that below.
🎥 A walkthrough from Kris
Our founder, Kris, recorded a short video walking through 5.1 and the thinking behind each change. If you have a few minutes, it’s the best way to see what’s changed:
What’s new in Groups
- Groups open to the chapter view, making it easy to see the whole book at a glance
- A dedicated “general” chat area for group conversations about pace, logistics, or anything outside a specific day
- Inside each day, Guide, Bible, and Messages are three clear tabs
- Your group’s messages are saved together with the chapter they belong to
- Every new message you send from 5.1 onward is automatically linked to the day you’re on — your older group history (from before the last update) is still saved with the chapters where you sent it, and messages from the last month will appear together in General Chat
- A new toggle lets you flip between the Bible and Messages while recording — so the verse that inspired you stays right in front of you
- Autoplay is back — it plays Guide → Bible → Messages in one continuous flow, including text-to-audio for typed messages, so you can keep listening hands-free
- Audio speed is one simple setting that applies across everything
- Lock screen and background audio are restored, so listening in the car or from a widget works smoothly again
- You can go back and leave a message on a missed day, even if your group is ahead
For everyone
5.1 also brings broader stability improvements across the app, plus fixes for a few bugs that have been affecting some of our Android friends. If you’ve noticed something not working quite right, there’s a good chance this update addresses it.
Your messages, data and history are safe
We know transitions can feel uncertain, so we want to say this clearly: all of your data, messages, and group conversation history will carry over into 5.1. Nothing will be lost in the update.
One thing worth knowing about messages: the bulk of your group’s history — everything from more than a month ago — will appear exactly where you left it, saved with the chapters you sent it in. Messages from the last month or so will all appear together in your group’s General Chat area, since the previous version of the app didn’t track which day each message belonged to. From 5.1 onward, every new message will attach to the specific day it was sent.
One more thing: if people in your group are still on the older version of the app, their messages will land in General Chat on your end until they update. Encouraging everyone in your group to update to 5.1 is the best way to make sure all new messages land on the right day for everyone.
A note about unread message counts
When you first open 5.1, you may notice your group’s unread message bubble shows a higher count than you’d expect — sometimes quite a bit higher. This is because the previous version of the app didn’t always track which voice messages had been listened to, so some messages you’ve already heard will still appear as unread.
From 5.1 onward, voice messages will track read and unread properly. There isn’t a way to retroactively clear the older ones, but the count will come down as you work through them — and any new messages you receive from here will behave the way you’d expect.
Releasing now
The 5.1 release is live, and the update will come to your device through your app store as usual.
We’d love to hear from you
If you have thoughts, questions, or feedback after watching the video — or once you’re using 5.1 — we’d genuinely love to hear them. You can reach our Care Team any time at [email protected].
Thank you for being part of this community. It’s a gift to get to build this app for and with you.
With gratitude,
The Through the Word Team