Good News Magazine iPad App Now Available
Attention iPad owners - you can now read the Good News magazine on your iPad! A digital version of the Good News can now be downloaded from the iPad App Store. This brand new app is available within the Newsstand category of the App Store.
The Newsstand store features magazines that you can subscribe to and read on the iPad. The Good News magazine app is one of only a few "Christian Magazines" listed in a search result within the Newsstand category of the App Store.
The digital issues of The Good News contain the same articles that are available in the bi-monthly print edition (and on the Good News website). As you flip through a digital issue you will notice areas within the magazine where you can "tap" to access Bible Study aids (booklets or articles at ucg.org) or watch Beyond Today videos. Additional digital pages have been added that feature content that can be accessed from the iPad, such as United Church of God booklets that are available within iBooks or Beyond Today podcasts that can be downloaded from iTunes.
Once you download the free Good News magazine app you can download each issue to your library (starting with the January/February 2012 issue) and subscribe to get new issues added when made available in the Newsstand store. The Good News app functionality allows you to view the table of contents for each issue (and navigate directly to an article), add bookmarks to favorite pages, email a page from the digital issue to a friend, and search for particular keywords inside the issue. New functionality might be added over time as we try to improve the experience of reading a digital magazine.
The Good News app became available in the App Store on May 15, 2012. As of January 2013, the app has been downloaded over 3000 times from various countries around the world without any "advertising" of the new app. Here are some of the App Store locations where iPad owners have downloaded the app from: United States, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, China, South Africa, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Colombia, Singapore, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Brazil, Belgium, Japan, Philippines, Denmark, Republic of Korea, United Arab Emirates, France, Costa Rica, Portugal, Argentina, Thailand, South Africa, Lithuania, Israel, Russia, Norway, Barbados and Saudi Arabia.
This brand new app is available around the globe and being downloaded in numerous places. Those locations (and downloads) will only increase over time as the iPad is becoming one of the most popular mobile devices used to access Web content - including visiting the ucg.org website.
At this time, we only offer the English digital edition of the Good News within the iPad app. We hope to expand the app to feature our other Good News magazine language editions sometime in the future. By way of reminder - this app is available for the Apple iPad and Apple iPhone or iPod Touch (however it may be difficult to read the magazine on devices with a smaller screen than a iPad). A Good New app is not available for any Android supported devices at this time. However, you can download the free Scribd app for Android devices and search for "Good News Magazine".
Here is how to download the Good News Magazine app (you may need to download the Newsstand app first):
1. Go to the App Store on the iPad.
2. Search for "Good News Magazine".
3. In the iPad Apps search result, locate The Good News Magazine app and tap on "INSTALL"
4. Enter in your necessary Apple ID Password.
5. Once the app is installed you can the download any issue and/or request a free digital subscription.
6. Enjoy your digital version of The Good News.
We would like to thank the app development company TapEdition (and their helpful staff) that has graciously built this app and provided us the means of saving thousands of dollars. We are excited that we can now provide The Good News magazine iPad app for those around the world who are seeking to understand true godly ways of living. Thank you!
-- Update: January 15, 2012 --
The latest version/update of The Good News app will not work on the 1st generation iPads. The app is being developed to take advantage of the newer capabilites of the latest iPads. The app will work on the 2nd generations iPads and newer.
-- Update: May, 2014 --
Due to increased cost of supporting this app and the decreased downloads - we will be discontinuing this app and not adding any new Good News magazine issues within the app. We hope in the future, to create another app that will pull in the Good News magazine content and also share other content from the ucg.org website.
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Aaron Booth
Aaron Booth is the Internet Manager for the United Church of God, where he oversees the organization's web presence and digital initiatives. With more than 25 years of experience in the Internet and digital media industry, Aaron has witnessed the remarkable evolution of the web and is passionate about using technology to connect people with meaningful, life-changing content.
Aaron earned an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Ambassador University before continuing his education at Purdue University, where he studied Leisure Studies and Recreation Management. While at Purdue, he discovered a passion for web and multimedia development, launching a career that included work at Purdue University and several web and multimedia companies in Indianapolis. Following the dot-com downturn in the early 2000s, he relocated to the Cincinnati area and joined the United Church of God, where he continues to serve today.
Aaron enjoys finding innovative ways to use technology to make biblical content more accessible and engaging for audiences around the world. He is especially interested in exploring new digital platforms and creative approaches that help people discover and interact with God's Word.
Aaron and his wife, Dawn, have been married for 25 years. They have two adult children and a grandson. Outside of work, Aaron is an avid fly fisherman and serves as the volunteer lead mentor for the Cincinnati chapter of The Mayfly Project, a nonprofit that connects children in foster care with mentors through the healing and lifelong sport of fly fishing.
