Now needs to wifi to work
Also, it does not include the text pages in the front of the hymnal. These are the pages with worship helps such as baptism, Apostles Creed, etc.
Response from developer
Yes, Internet is necessary for many of the features in large part because down loading sample audio files, page images for 6 different instruments, and search engine features for potentially hundreds of hymns would be too large for many devices. While this causes problems for those without an internet connection, we believe the alternatives are much worse. We would either have very limited features and materials or somewhat limited features and an app that would monopolize device resources and prevent other apps from being installed on the device. The texts are copyrighted and not available on the app. Hymnary.org contains this hymnal, and many of the hymnals in Hymnary.org contain the liturgical texts that are found in hymnals (although there may be fees associated due to copyright royalties and licenses).
Disappointing
Response from developer
We are sorry your hymnal does not match the hymnal in this app. This app is an exact copy (scanned from the actual hymnal and completed in collaboration with the publisher) of the 2013 hymnal "Glory to God: Hymns, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs." Perhaps you confused this app with the "Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal" with the purple cover and the same year of publication. We also have this app available. It is also worth noting that we have just added a table of contents feature which has hyperlinks directly connecting hymns to the table of contents to help with both locating hymns and identifying which hymns are copyrighted and which hymns are in the public domain.
No support and troubling problems
Response from developer
We are sorry to hear about your issues with the app, but happy to report that we have listened to complaints such as yours. We have increased our resources spent on tech support, and we have just now started reading and responding to these reviews here. We have provided tech support in the past, but we hope to do better in the future. Also, feel free to email me directly at ccel@calvin.edu. While I'm not a tech support person, I'll be sure that someone responds to your email.
Good app, requires Internet, has no index
There is a search function, but no hymn index.
Accompaniment version is $50, so I bought the $20 pew version, with simple midi piano accompaniment. Apparently, the accompaniment version includes the pew version, but you get no credit if you upgrade.
Response from developer
Thanks for the feedback. Although there is no hymn index, we have recently added a comprehensive table of contents. The table of contents provides a list of hymn titles, information about which hymns are in the public domain and which hymns are copyrighted, and it provides information about associated tunes. The table can now be reached by going to the hymnal cover page, tapping the (i) button in the top left corner, and choosing the “Table of Contents” tab.
Poor performance and support
Response from developer
In terms of the app ‘forgetting’ the paid subscription, we do not believe this is an issue. We’ve not been able to duplicate this error in testing, and we’ve heard no other complaints since this one was posted. We apologize for the problems you’ve encountered. We have done an update on this app and corrected several issues. In terms of the tech support, Hymnary.org is a small, non-profit organization with limited resources. Providing tech support is a challenge. However, we realize the importance of this and have increased tech support resources. We have also added a table of contents that can now be reached by going to the hymnal cover page, tapping the (i) button in the top left corner, and choosing the “Table of Contents” tab.
