Difference between revisions of "Coptic Reader"

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This section describes all the changes incorporated into the different versions of Coptic Reader for both Android and iOS operating systems.
 
This section describes all the changes incorporated into the different versions of Coptic Reader for both Android and iOS operating systems.
  
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Revision as of 17:48, 5 June 2013

Coptic Reader is a mobile application supported on Android 2.2+ and iOS 6.0+ devices (iPhone and iPad). It is developed and maintained by the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States and contains the official Diocese translation of all the prayer books of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Prayers include, but are not limited to, the Coptic Book of Hours (Agpeya), the Holy Psalmody, the Holy Pascha, the three Divine Liturgies with integrated Service of the Deacons, Unction of the Sick, Crowning, Baptism, Distribution Melodies, Antiphonary, and the readings for the entire liturgical year including the Synaxarion. Thousands of pages from dozens of books have been compressed and included in Coptic Reader allowing quick access to all the prayers of the Church.

Coptic Reader Icon
Gospel Response for Weekdays of the Great Fast

Benefits

The benefits of a mobile application that contains all the Church prayers is clear, however Coptic Reader is much more than just a digital version of all the prayer books. Unlike traditional books that present the prayers associated with each season of the year in an exhaustive list, Coptic Reader only displays the prayers/hymns that should be said on a particular day. Once the date/time is set, Coptic Reader will dynamically generate the prayers exactly as they should be prayed on that day including all the appropriate hymns and responses of the day. To make things even easier, Coptic Reader's "Live" mode uses the current date/time to generate all the prayers so no additional configuration is needed. Each time a prayer document is opened, it is generated in real-time.

Traditional Books

Coptic Reader greatly simplifies the current challenge of identifying what prayers/readings should be said on a particular day. Prayers and readings are traditionally spread across multiple books and are determined by several factors including the day of the week, the week of the Coptic month, the Coptic day, the season of the year, the feasts of the saints, the intercessors of the church, etc.

A quick example will clearly illustrate the power and flexibility of Coptic Reader. The Raising of Incense service begins from the Liturgy Book with the Thanksgiving Prayer followed by the Verses of the Cymbals. While some of these verses are found in the Liturgy Book, most are in the Psalmody Book. The tune, content, and order of the chanted verses depend on day of the week, season of the year, and the saint feasts of the day. During the weekdays of the Great Lent, the Verses of the Cymbals are omitted entirely. After the Verses of the Cymbals, several litanies are prayed from the Liturgy Book. The number and content of these litanies depend on the day of the week and whether or not it is a Vespers or Matins service. The Doxologies prayed during the Raising of Incense are again from the Psalmody Book and depend on the season of the year, and the intercessors of the church being prayed in. The Psalm and Gospel readings are found in one of many Katameros Books and are unique for the day (the Katameros is a series of books that contain all the readings for the entire liturgical year). The Psalm and Gospel Responses are again unique depending on the time of year and the feasts of the saints. Finally the conclusion of the service also depends on the season of the year.

While the Raising of Incense takes less than 30 minutes to pray, there are many factors that determine the exact order and content of the prayers. Skipping around from one book to another further complicates the task. In addition to the Raising of Incense, the Divine Liturgies and many other services all have their own set of rules that govern their structure and content. Coptic Reader simplifies the complicated task of piecing together each of these prayers by taking into account the correct rites and displaying only the prayers/readings needed for the current day in the correct order. Coptic Reader even contains a database of saint feasts and allows the user to specify the intercessors for their church. Thus Coptic Reader provides a truly seamless experience by dynamically generating documents that flow naturally from beginning to end with no skipping around required. This approach allows the priests, deacons, and the congregation to focus more on prayer and less on searching to find the prayers that should be said.

Installation

Android

Coptic Reader can be installed on any Android device with Android 2.2 or higher, and may be downloaded from the Google Play Store here.

The Android version of Coptic Reader requires 4 permissions on the Android device. The user will be prompted to approve these permissions at installation time:

  1. WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE - This permission grants Coptic Reader access to write to the device’s SD card which is only utilized to create error reports that can be sent to Coptic Reader developers. These reports are useful for determining the causes of bugs, crashes, and freezes.
  2. READ_PHONE_STATE - This permission allows Coptic Reader to read the serial numbers of certain internal components of the device. These serial numbers cannot be used to track the user's identity in any way, but are utilized simply to manage purchased items.
  3. INTERNET - This permission allows Coptic Reader to provide help by directing the user to this online wiki document.
  4. BILLING - This permission enables Coptic Reader to provide prayer documents as in-app purchases. Note that Coptic Reader is free to download, but not all content is free.

iOS

Coptic Reader can be installed on any iOS device with iOS 6.0 and higher, and will SOON be available for download from the iOS App Store here.

Content

Coptic Reader is a free application that comes with a limited amount of unlocked content. The remaining content must be purchased directly from within the app via in-app purchases. Note that an Internet connection is required to purchase new content, but is not required to use the content once it is purchased.

Free Content

  1. Agpeya - Coptic Book of Hours
  2. Readings - Pauline Epistle, Catholic Epistle, Praxis, Synaxarion as well as Psalm and Gospel readings for Vespers, Matins, and the Liturgy
  3. Raising of Incense - Vespers and Matins services
  4. Veneration Praises - Veneration hymns for the saints
  5. Holy Pascha - All prayers, hymns, and readings of Holy Pascha Week and the General Funeral Prayer

Purchasable Content

  1. Divine Liturgies [$9.99] - Liturgies of St. Basil, St. Gregory, and St. Cyril for all seasons of the year. Includes the complete Service of the Deacons, with all of its rites, hymns, and services.
  2. Distribution Melodies [$4.99] - Songs and hymns chanted during the Distribution of the Holy Mysteries.
  3. Midnight Praises [$4.99] - Morning Praises, Vesper Praises, and Midnight Praises for all days of the week and seasons of the year.
  4. Antiphonarium [$4.99] - Chronicles of the saints read during Praises in English, Arabic, and Coptic.
  5. Baptism [$2.00] - Consecrating the Waters Absolution of the Woman, Holy Baptism, Holy Myron, Loosing the Girdle, and Bathing Prayers.
  6. Unction of the Sick [$2.00] - The seven prayers of the Holy Unction.
  7. Crowning Prayers [$2.00] - Prayers for Crowning (Wedding) and Engagement.

All prices are in U.S. Dollars.

Dates

It is important to understand how dates in Coptic Reader are computed. The Gregorian date displayed in the Season Box on the Home Screen and in the Left Side Bar in the Document View will always match the selected date (or the current day in "Live" mode). If the time is before the Day Transition Time specified in the General Options, the Coptic date will reflect the Coptic equivalent of the Gregorian date. However if the time is after the Day Transition Time, the Coptic date will be that of the following day and will appear in parentheses. During night-time services such as Vespers or Midnight Praises, the rites and readings of the following day are used. For instance during Saturday night Vespers, the readings of Sunday are used as opposed to Saturday's readings. In order for Coptic Reader to function as expected, it considers that the Coptic date is that of the next day when the time is after the Day Transition Time. To make this clear, parentheses are placed around the Coptic date to indicate that the displayed date is that of the following day. Before the Day Transition Time, the Coptic date is displayed without parentheses to indicate that Coptic date matches the Gregorian date.

What's New Dialog

When running a new version of Coptic Reader for the first time, a dialog will be displayed that explains all the changes (bug fixes and features) implemented since the previous version. This dialog also features a "Rate Us!" button that allows the user to rate Coptic Reader on the Google Play or Apple websites.

Home Screen & Sub-Menus

Home Screen
Baptism Sub-Menu

The Home Screen contains two sections. The Season Box shows the currently selected date and Season of the Church, while the Content Library displays the available prayers and menus as a series of icons. Note that the Home Screen changes orientation depending on the Screen Orientation setting in the Settings Menu. In portrait mode, the Season Box is at the top of the screen, while in landscape mode it is at on the left side of the screen.

Tapping on an icon will either open a document or a sub-menu of additional documents. Sub-menus do not feature a Season Box and might display documents either as icons or a list of clickable links. Sub-menus do however feature a Season Box in the Left Side Bar.

On Android devices, pressing the Android "Back" button from a document menu will return to the previous menu. Pressing the "Back" button from within a document will return to the menu used to open the document.

On iOS devices, a back arrow button next to the title of all sub-menus can be used to going back to the previous menu, and a "Pinch-In" gesture can be used to go back while viewing a document.

The Left Side Bar may also be used to navigate between menus and documents on both Android and iOS versions of Coptic Reader.

Season Box

The Season Box on the Home Screen displays the currently selected date in both the Coptic and Gregorian calendars as well as any special feasts for the selected day. In "Live" mode, the Season Box's title is "Season of the Church" to indicate that the displayed season information corresponds to the current day. When a specific date or occasion is selected, the Season Box title changes to "Selected Season" to indicate that Coptic Reader is not in "Live" mode, but is instead is set to a specific day.

Tapping anywhere on the Season Box will open the Calendar Menu that allows the user to enable "Live" mode or select from a series of occasions (feasts, fasts, or other important days) through the current Coptic year.

Note that only the top-level Home Screen features the Season Box in the main view, while sub-menus show the Season Box in the Left Side Bar.

Icons

The Home Screen and some sub-menus feature a grid of icons to facilitate navigation to the various documents. Some icons represent documents, while others open sub-menus that allow access to additional documents. Icons corresponding to content that requires purchase will remain dim until the content is purchased. Tapping on a dim icon will prompt the user to purchase the content. Content may also be purchased from the Purchase Content Menu.

Commemorations Reminder

Coptic Reader contains a database of angel/saint feasts and will automatically include the appropriate responses for saints (verses of the cymbals, doxologies, gospel responses, etc) on the appropriate feast days. Additionally, Coptic Reader will remind the user of these feast days via a popup message that appears briefly at the bottom of the Home Screen and sub-menus.

Documents

Example document showing text, comments, expanded and collapsed sections, and links.

Documents in Coptic Reader have a consistent structure. Each document has title that appears at the very top of the document and in the Left Side Bar. The document body consists of a sequence of multilingual text entries, subtitles, and collapsible sections. When viewing a Document, Coptic Reader prevents the device from sleeping so the screen does not go blank after a period of inactivity.

Text

Coptic Reader currently supports English, Arabic, and Coptic text, but not all documents support all three languages. The visible languages are selectable from the Settings Menu.

Certain passages of text are associated with particular liturgical roles indicating that only a certain group of people should be reciting these prayers. For instance, some prayers are reserved for the priests, deacons, or the congregation. The appropriate titles are used in the text to indicate these roles.

Some prayers are chanted antiphonetically meaning that the North side of the Church chants one verse, followed by the South side in an alternating order. Coptic Reader color codes these antiphonetic verses to make it clear which side of the Church is supposed to chant which verse. Similarly some songs contain refrain verses that are also color coded.

Some text is intended to be read, recited, or chanted, while other text consists of comments or rubrics that give additional information or explain the rites of the Church. Comments are displayed in a different color from the spoken text, and inaudible prayers are displayed in a dim color indicating that they are prayed silently by the indicated role. The Settings Menu controls the visibility of all these various types of text.

Collapsible Sections

Related passages of text are grouped together in collapsible sections. Each section has a title with a plus/minus symbol indicating if the section is currently expanded or collapsed. Clicking the title or the plus/minus symbol will expand collapsed sections of text or collapse expanded sections. The use of collapsible sections simplifies document navigation and allows the user to hide text that is not typically said or is being skipped. A thin vertical line is drawn in the left margin of expanded sections to indicate which text belongs to the section.

Links

Some documents contain links that open other documents. The links are displayed in a unique color and are centered horizontally on the screen and underlined to indicate that can be used for navigation. When a new document is opened via a link, the current document remains in the document history. On Android devices, clicking the Android "Back" button will re-open the previous document again. On iOS devices, a "Pinch-In" gesture can be used to go back. The Left Side Bar can also be used for navigating between documents and menus.

Left Side Bar

Left Side Bar

The Left Side Bar is accessible by swiping right on the screen or by pressing the Android "Menu" button on Android devices. This side bar is divided into two sections, "Related Links" and "Options." The "Related Links" section provides links to documents and menus related to the current document or menu. The "Options" section allows the user to purchase content, change the selected date, update various settings, see additional information about the selected season, and obtain online help information.

When in Document View, the Left Side Bar also displays the icon of the current document (if available) and features a Season Box just like the one on the Home Screen. The Season Box displays the name of the current document can be tapped to change the current date/time.

Related Links Section

The "Related Links" section contains various context-sensitive links based on the current menu or document being viewed. A "Home" link is always available at the top to allow the user to navigate back to the Home Screen. Other links in this section allow navigation to all the higher menus in the menu hierarchy as well as to other documents and menus at the current menu level.

Switch Liturgy (Document View Only)

When viewing any St. Basil or St. Gregory Liturgy document (Offering of the Lamb, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Faithful, or Distribution of the Holy Mysteries), a link will be available for switching between liturgies. The "Switch to St. Gregory" option will be available when viewing the St. Basil Liturgy, and the "Switch to St. Basil" option will become available when viewing the St. Gregory Liturgy. When clicked, Coptic Reader will automatically determine the correct place in the alternate document to navigate to. For instance, when viewing the Anaphora in the St. Basil Liturgy, switching to the St. Gregory Liturgy will navigate to the Gregorian Anaphora. Note that since the St. Cyril Liturgy is very different in structure from the other two liturgies, there is no option to switch to/from the St. Cyril Liturgy.

Options Section

Table of Contents (Document View Only)

Clicking this link will open the Table of Contents Side Bar.

Calendar Menu

Calendar Menu

The Calendar Menu controls the date/time that Coptic Reader will use to determine what prayers and readings to display. This menu provides three options for selecting the date:

Live

Use this option to enable "Live" mode where the current date/time are always used. Navigating between documents will cause the date to be continuously updated to the current date. When in "Live" mode, the Season Box title on the Home Screen will indicate "Season of the Church" and the Season Box title in the Left Side Bar will display "Live Mode."

Select Date/Time

This option opens a date/time selector that allows selecting a specific date/time. Note that in addition to the date, the time of day will also affect the prayers generated. See the Dates section for more information. The date selector control uses Gregorian dates, but also displays the corresponding Coptic date in the selector Title Bar. The selector control consists of 3 horizontal selector bars that control the month, day, and time respectively. The month selector is used for very coarse date jogging, while the day and time selector allow for finer control of the date/time.

Select Occasion

This section displays a list of common occasions from the current Coptic year. Each entry lists the occasion name as well as the Coptic and Gregorian dates of the occasion. To select an occasion for a different Coptic year (either in the future or in the past), the current date must first be changed to the desired year using the Select Date/Time option. This will prompt Coptic Reader to recompute all the occasions for that year and update the occasion list.

Settings Menu

Settings Menu

The Settings Menu provides extensive control over how Coptic Reader generates the documents and how the documents are displayed.

Presentation Mode

Coptic Reader supports two presentation modes:

  1. Scroll Mode - In this mode document navigation is performed by scrolling up and down or flinging for fast scrolling. All text flows continuously from beginning to end in a single view.
  2. Slideshow Mode - In this mode the document is broken up into a sequence of slides that are displayed much like a PowerPoint Presentation. Tapping on the right-half of the screen will advance to the next slide, while tapping on the left-half will navigate to the previous slide. On devices with a physical keyboard, the left/right, up/down, and page up/down keys can also be used to navigate the document. Slideshow Mode is ideal for presenting on a projector or television and supports the use of remote presenters.
Common View Options

The following view options are common to both Scroll Mode and Slideshow Mode, however each mode has independent settings. Changing the settings for one mode, does not affect the other mode's settings.

  1. Screen Orientation - Displays a popup to select either landscape or portrait orientation.
  2. Text Size - This slidebar controls the text size (1-12) of all documents.
  3. Display Comments - This checkbox controls whether or not rubrics and comments are visible.
  4. Display Silent Prayers - This checkbox controls whether or not silent priest and deacon prayers should be displayed. Note that silent prayers are displayed in a dimmer color than the standard text.
  5. Display Languages - Displays a popup to select which languages should be displayed.
  6. Display Roles - Displays a popup to select which roles (priest, deacon, congregation) should be displayed in full. Note that text for hidden roles is not completely hidden, but only abbreviated.
General Options

The following general options apply to all presentation modes.

Annual Commemorations Menu
  1. Annual Commemorations - One of the most powerful capabilities of Coptic Reader is the ability to display the correct responses for the saints at the appropriate times. On a saint's feast day, all the appropriate responses for the saint will be automatically incorporated into all documents. Additionally the Annual Commemorations Menu allows the user to control which responses for the saints are displayed even when it is not their feast day. This can be used to display the responses for the intercessors of a church throughout the entire year. The menu displays a list of all the saints supported by Coptic Reader. Under each saint is a list of all the responses currently enabled for that saint. To change these responses, simply click the name of the saint and select the appropriate responses to enable. Note that not all the responses are available for all the saints. The following prayers/responses can be enabled:
    1. Doxology - The Doxology of the saint during Raising of Incense and Midnight Praises.
    2. Gospel Response - The Gospel Response of the saint during the Divine Liturgy. Note that these responses are included automatically during the Raising of Incense on the feast days of all saints.
    3. Intercessions - The appropriate verse for the saint in the Hymn of the Intercessions before the Pauline Epistle in the Liturgy of the Word.
    4. Melody - The appropriate melody for the saint sung during the Distribution of the Holy Mysteries of the Veneration Praises.
    5. Praxis Response - The Praxis Response for the saint chanted before the Praxis Reading in the Liturgy of the Word.
    6. Verses of the Cymbals - The appropriate verse for the saint chanted in the Verses of the Cymbals during the Raising of Incense.
  2. Set Day Transition Time - Sets the time of day that marks the beginning of the next Coptic day. Since evening services are considered part of the following day, the day transition time indicates when the prayers/readings of the following day will begin to be used. This should be set to the time immediately before Vesper Praises is typically prayed (defaults to 6:00 PM). Note that during late weekday liturgies of the Great Lent, this time might need to be adjusted to later in the day.
  3. Enable Debug Logging - Enables logging for debug purposes. Only enable this feature if asked to do so by a Coptic Reader developer to provide debug information.
Scroll Mode View Options

The following view options are available only in Scroll Mode.

  1. Document Theme - Displays a popup to select between either "Book" or "Low Light" themes. The "Book" theme is designed to look much like a book with few colors and a beige background. The "Low Light" theme features a black background, but uses additional colors to distinguish between the various types of text (prayers, comments, roles, etc). Note that Slideshow mode forces the use of the "Low Light" theme.

Purchase Content Menu (Menu View Only)

Purchase Content Menu

The Purchase Content Menu displays content available for purchase in the "Content Available for Purchase" section and content that has already been purchased in the "Purchased Content" section. Content may be purchased by selecting the appropriate content and clicking the "Buy" button. This will initiate a sequence of screens that prompt the user to enter payment information. Note that all purchasing is managed by the operating system and not by Coptic Reader. Coptic Reader does not have access to and does not store any billing or credit card information.

The "Refresh" button can be used to refresh all purchases and gain access to the newly-purchased content. The "Refresh" button can also be used to restore purchased content after wiping Coptic Reader’s stored data or re-installing Coptic Reader. Note that this step does not need to be performed after a simple application upgrade but only after wiping the application data or uninstalling the application.

Android

Google Play links all purchased content to a user's gmail account. If a user owns multiple devices linked to the same gmail account, all devices will have access to the same purchased content. When content is purchased from one device, Google will send a signal to all other devices linked to the same gmail account prompting them to unlock the content as well. Note that Coptic Reader does not have to be actively running on those devices. If a linked device is not connected to the Internet at the time of purchase, the push notification informing the device that content has been purchased will not be received.

iOS

Apple links all purchased content to the user's Apple ID. If a user owns multiple devices, the same Apple ID can be used to restore content on all devices. Note that per Apple's policy. Once an Apple ID is used to restore purchased content on a device, that Apple ID will be associated with the device for the next 90 days. No other Apple ID can be used on the device until the 90 days have expired.

Search Menu (Document View Only)

The Search Menu allows the user to perform text searches of the current document. This menu is only available while viewing a document.

About Menu

About Menu

The About Menu opens a document called "About the Season" that contains 2 main sections.

General Information

The top section of the "About the Season" page shows the Coptic Reader version, the selected date and season, as well as the names of any saints whose feast days correspond to the selected day. There is also an "Online Help" link that opens an external web browser to access a mobile version of this wiki document.

Season Information

The bottom section of the page shows season-specific information about the Coptic month, feasts, and fasts. The Church rites related to the selected time period are explained in this section.

Online Help Menu

This menu opens an external web browser to access a mobile version of this wiki document.

Table of Contents Side Bar (Document View Only)

Table of Contents Side Bar

The Table of Contents Side Bar is an extremely useful tool for navigating the current document. The side bar is accessible by swiping to the left while viewing a document or by selecting "Table of Contents" from the Left Side Bar.

Each subtitle and collapsible section that appears in the document will be listed in the Table of Contents (TOC). When the side bar is opened, it will automatically scroll to the TOC entry closest to the location in the document that is currently being viewed. Clicking on a TOC entry will navigate to that location in the document and close the side bar automatically.

TOC entries are color-coded depending on their type. Silent sections or links to other documents will be color-coded exactly as they would appear in the Document View. TOC entries that have multiple languages will be displayed in a maximum of two languages. Note that only languages set to visible in the Settings Menu will be displayed.

FAQ

This section provides answers to commonly asked questions about Coptic Reader.

General

  1. A response for a saint or intercessor is not included in Coptic Reader. Can you please include it? - We would be happy to include additional responses. Please contact us and let us know. Please also provide a primary reference for the responses you want to add.
  2. When will additional prayers be added to Coptic Reader? - The Coptic Reader Team is always working to add more prayers. If you have a particular request, please contact us.
  3. How can I report bugs or submit feature requests? - The best way to report a bug is through Coptic Reader itself. When a crash occurs, you will be presented with an option to report the error. Please include as much information as possible when submitting the bug report. Information like the OS version, device model, as well as the exact sequence you followed to see the error is very helpful in determining the cause of problems. If your device does not allow you to report bugs or if you wish to contact the Coptic Reader Team directly, please email us.
  4. How can I get updates on new features or bug fixes in Coptic Reader? - You can connect with the Coptic Reader Team on Facebook.
  5. Can I use Coptic Reader on a PC or Mac? - There is an Android emulator application for PCs and Macs called BlueStacks that allows you to run the Android version of Coptic Reader on a desktop/laptop computer. It has been tested and works well in Slideshow Mode using a remote presenter. At this time, the software is still in beta and does not support Arabic since the Android version utilized is less than 3.0. Once a full version of the emulator is released, the Coptic Reader Team will provide additional details.

Android

  1. Do I have to purchase content for each of my Android devices? - No, Google Play links purchased content to your gmail email address. Once you buy the content from one device, it will automatically be available to your other devices as well.
  2. I want to buy a new phone or tablet, how can I install my purchased content? - When you install and run Coptic Reader on a new device, the application will automatically synchronize your purchased content with Google Play servers. As long as you are using the same gmail account used to purchase the content, and your device is connected to the Internet, the content will be unlocked automatically.
  3. Why can't I access my purchased content? - Purchased content is linked to your gmail account. This information is stored on Google Play servers and is cached locally on your Android device. First make sure that the primary gmail account (the first email address) used on the device you purchased the content from matches the primary gmail account of your current device. Then with your device connected to the Internet, go to the Purchase Content Menu from the Home Screen and click the "Refresh" button. This should restore all your purchased content from the Google Play servers.
  4. Why doesn't Arabic work on my device? - Android 3.0 and later supports Arabic natively. If your device has a version of Android less than 3.0, the only way to support Arabic is to root the device and install a custom ROM that supports Arabic.

iOS

  1. Do I have to purchase content for each of my iOS devices? - No, Apple links purchased content to your Apple ID. Once you buy the content with one Apple ID, it will automatically be available to your other devices as well by using the same Apple ID.
  2. I want to buy a new phone or tablet, how can I install my purchased content? - When you install and run Coptic Reader on a new device, you must use the "Refresh" button in the Purchase Content Menu to restore your purchases using your Apple ID. Note that the Apple ID you use to restore purchases will be associated with your device and per Apple's policy, cannot be changed for 90 days. This means you cannot use another Apple ID for a full 90 days after you restore purchases on a device.

Release Notes

This section describes all the changes incorporated into the different versions of Coptic Reader for both Android and iOS operating systems.

Template:Col-begin

Android

Version 1.67

  1. Updated all rites for the Feast of the Entrance of the Holy Family Into Egypt when celebrated during the Holy 50 days.
  2. Omit section of the Commemoration of the Saints during Midnight Praises only on actual Feast DAY of the Lord.
  3. Fixed typo in Golgotha hymn on Good Friday.
  4. Updated the location of the introductory verses of the cymbals for feast days.
  5. Added antiphonetic colors to Psalm 148 and Psalm 149 in the Baptism Bathing Prayer.
  6. Fixed minor mistakes in concluding hymn of the Vespers of the Ascension Feast.
  7. Added another prayer before Communion to the Selected Prayers of the Agpeya.
  8. Added combined intercessions of the saints to the Hymn of the Intercessions in the Liturgy of the Word.
  9. Fixed issue with search feature where the total number of search results was not displayed correctly.
  10. Fixed minor issues with Verses of the Cymbals for Feasts including Pentecost Period and Ascension.
  11. Updated Conclusion of Adam Psali in Midnight Praises to correctly reflect the current season.
  12. Added Role titles to Agpeya documents.
  13. Added 'All You Heavenly Hosts' to Crowning and Engagement exit procession.
  14. Moved 'Hymn of the Resurrection' in Midnight Praises to a separate section.
  15. Changed text color in Slide Show Mode to pure white for better visibility.

Version 1.66

  1. Added 'Very Early Sunday Morning' to the melodies of the Holy Fifty Days.
  2. Made minor change to Midnight Praises.
  3. Fixed issue with Anaphora for Gregorian Liturgy.
  4. Fixed issue when exiting a document while in search mode.
  5. Added toolbar to navigate through search results.
  6. Updated application color scheme.
  7. Updated comment in the prayer of the Anointing of the Woman (Baptism).
  8. Fixed issue where Slide Show Mode sometimes does not display long pieces of text correctly.
  9. Reduced size of subheadings of collapsible sections.
  10. Improved scaling of +/- icons next to collapsible section titles.
  11. Renamed Select Date Menu to Calendar Menu.
  12. Increased max text size from 12 to 15.

Version 1.65

  1. Fixed issue with slides in Slideshow Mode not appearing correctly.

Version 1.64

  1. Removed Veneration links during Holy 50 days.
  2. Fixed typo in Agpeya selected prayers.
  3. Fixed issue where annual saint commemorations were not being displayed during Holy 50 days.
  4. Added Hymn of Blessing to the beginning of Offering of the Lamb.
  5. Fixed typo with Psalm 150 Resurrection refrain.
  6. Melodies for the Resurrection now appear correctly during weekdays.
  7. Added Procession of the Resurrection to Thomas Sunday Liturgy of the Word.
  8. Improved search feature (made compatible with Slideshow Mode).
  9. Added Season Box to Left Side Bar in all menus except home screen.
  10. Made minor change to crowning prayer.
  11. Covenant Thursday: Updated comment - Liturgy of Waters and Divine Liturgy Trisagion chanted in standard tune, not Paschal.
  12. Good Friday: Add Efnouti nai nan prayer immediately before 3 long kyrie elesions from 6-12th hours.

Version 1.63

  1. Moved Pascha Exposition introductions and conclusions into separate sections.
  2. Fixed misaligned English text in 9th Hour of the Eve of Monday.
  3. Fixed Sunday Pascha incorrectly referring to Monday.
  4. Fixed issue where Sunday Pascha was using Palm Sunday responses.
  5. Fixed issue where Palm Sunday responses do not appear correctly if General Funeral Prayer is opened first.
  6. Fixed General Funeral Prayer Trisagion.
  7. Fixed Coptic Gospel Responses for Palm Sunday Liturgy.
  8. Fixed type in Palm Sunday Matins Gospel.
  9. Removed Synaxarion link from Palm Sunday Liturgy of the Word.
  10. Fixed rubric typo in Paschal doxology for the 12th hour of Good Friday.
  11. Added additional prayers under 'Selected prayers' in the Agpeya Menu.
  12. Made minor corrections to Baptism, Crowning, and Unction of the Sick prayers.

Version 1.62

  1. Updated Liturgy of the Word for Palm Sunday.
  2. Made minor changes to the introduction of the Confession of the Thief on Good Friday.
  3. Added Coptic to selected verses of the Confession of the Thief.
  4. Made minor changes to the General Funeral Prayer.
  5. Removed fade effect from sidebars.

Version 1.61

  1. Updated colors for Priest role and antiphonetic text in Slide Show mode for better contrast.
  2. Added St. Cyril Prayer of Reconciliation to St. Basil Liturgy in collapsed sections.
  3. Updated Great Friday rites.
  4. Fixed issue with Arabic text of Psalm 19.

Version 1.60

  1. Improved support for various size screens.
  2. Fixed freeze issue on document loading screen.
  3. Improved document caching to improve document reload times.
  4. Fixed presentation mode issues where some slides occasionally do not appear.
  5. Fixed issue where incorrect Related Links documents appeared in the left side bar.
  6. Fixed typos in 11th Hour Agpeya prayer.
  7. Removed side bar zoom feature for better animation performance.
  8. Added two additional verses to Anba Abraam Doxology.
  9. Fixed Arabic text of Psalm 19 and Psalm 50 in Agpeya.
  10. Added General Fast Melody for all days of the Great Fast.
  11. Fixed minor issues with Trisagion and Verses of the Cymbals for the 1st Hour of Covenant Thursday.
  12. Fixed Deacon response to Thanksgiving prayer in Crowning Ceremony.

Version 1.59

  1. Fixed issues for Feast of the Annunciation.

Version 1.58

  1. NEW CONTENT: Added Blessing of the Home Service (FREE) under the Special Menu.
  2. Added Adam and Watos Psalies for the Annunciation Praises.
  3. Made several corrections to Palm Sunday, Covenant Thursday, and Good Friday.
  4. Fixed crash when clicking General Funeral Prayer link from Palm Sunday Distribution.
  5. Fixed issues with the Annunciation.
  6. Fixed typos.
  7. Fixed issues with the conclusion of service hymn for Great Fast weekdays, Resurrection, and Pentecost.

Version 1.57

  1. NEW CONTENT: Pascha prayers and General Funeral prayer available FOR FREE from Home Screen.
  2. NEW CONTENT: Added Great Fast Litanies under the Clergy Menu.
  3. Moved Vespers icon from Home Screen to Liturgies Menu.
  4. Removed Antiphonarium from Readings Menu (still accessible via icon on the Home Screen).
  5. Fixed typos in Agpeya.

Version 1.56

  1. Fixed crash issue when switching from another app back to Coptic Reader.
  2. Fixed a bug where opening a related document in the left side bar would incorrectly scroll to somewhere in the middle of the document.
  3. Re-ordered St. Stephen and St. Joseph the Carpenter in all prayers.
  4. Improved animation sequence when clicking a menu item from the left side bar.

Version 1.55

  1. Fixed problem of Procession of the Cross not appearing during Matins of the Paremhotep Feast of the Cross.

Version 1.54

  1. Fixed left side-bar menu issue

Version 1.53

  1. MAJOR GUI UPDATE
    1. Swipe right at any time to access left sidebar menu.
    2. Swipe left when viewing a document to access Table of Contents.
    3. Added additional navigation options in left sidebar menu.
  2. Displayed Great Fast Melodies during the weekdays.
  3. Added Debug Logging feature that can be enabled on request to diagnose functionality problems.
  4. Fixed Gospel Response during Matins and Psalm 150 refrain of Sunday before Great Fast.
  5. Fixed typos in Agpeya.

Version 1.52

  1. Updated Agpeya translation.
  2. Fixed Coptic font error in comment for the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple Feast.
  3. Added missing "Lord Have Mercy" during the Offeratory.
  4. Fixed issue with incorrect Antiphonarium readings for the month of Meshir.

Version 1.51

  1. Added prayers for St. Thomas.

Version 1.50

  1. Fixed bug where Coptic Reader freezes on the "Loading Screen" while loading a document on some devices.

Version 1.49

  1. Added Confession to the Clergy menu.
  2. Added menu icon to document view to return to the Home Screen.
  3. Removed search feature.
  4. Added St. Rebecca Praxis Response.
  5. Fixed Coptic spelling of St. Abanoub.
  6. Fixed typos.

Version 1.48

KEY:

  • V: Verses of the Cymbals
  • D: Doxology
  • G: Gospel Response
  • I: Hymn of the Intercessions


  1. Added free Graveside Prayer to the Clergy section.
  2. Updated prayers for the Paramoun of the Nativity and Theophany.
  3. Fixed Arabic portion of Agpeya Trisagion (Holy, Holy, Holy).
  4. Only show Arabic titles in Table of Contents if Arabic is enabled.
  5. Added the following prayers for the saints:
    1. Archangel Suriel: VI
    2. St. Sarapamon: VDGI
    3. St. Pachom: VI
    4. St. Apanoub: VI
    5. St. Victor: DG
    6. St. Rebecca: VDGI
    7. St. Anthony: I
    8. St. Shenute: I
    9. St. John the Short: VI
    10. Sts. Pishoi and Paul: VI
    11. Sts. Maximus and Dometius: I
    12. St. Abraam: VI
    13. St. Roweis (Teji): VDGI
    14. St. Parsouma the Naked: VDGI
    15. St. Athanasius: VI
    16. St. Joseph the Carpenter: VDGI
    17. St. Takla Haymanout: VDGI


Version 1.47

  1. Fixed crash issue with loading Catholic Epistle and Matins Gospel.

Version 1.46

  1. Made extensive corrections to all readings.
  2. Added Arabic language to Table of Contents.
  3. Improved support for Arabic-only usage (English disabled).
  4. Fixed bug where plus/minus icon next to section titles would appear very small on high resolution devices.
  5. Added alternate Advent and Nativity Fraction.
  6. Added "Rashi O Maria" hymn to Koiahk Praises.

Version 1.45

  1. Added Arabic to Synaxarion.
  2. Added Midnight Praises prayers for the Great Fast.

Version 1.44

  1. Added Midnight Praises prayers for the Nativity Period.
  2. Made minor update to the Litany of the Departed.
  3. Fixed minor issue with Great Ispateer Hymn.

Version 1.43

  1. Added Crowning Prayers to Special Menu for $2.00 that includes both the Crowning and Engagement ceremony prayers.
  2. Updated capitalization of bishop, metropolitan, and Pope.
  3. Updated Hymn of the Twelve Virtues (Papal Hymn).

Version 1.42

  1. Performance update: Reduced document load time by approx 30%.
  2. Removed the auto-rotate feature based on device orientation for performance reasons.
  3. Added Praxis Response for the Pope selectable via the View Menu.
  4. Added additional responses to the Pauline Epistle.
  5. Created Papal Hymns section under the Special Menu that includes all Pope and Bishop responses as well as the Papal Enthronement prayers.
  6. Minor corrections to Papal Enthronement prayer.

Version 1.41

  1. Added free Patriarch Enthronement prayers in "Special" menu.
  2. Added and modified prayers in the "Clergy" menu.

Version 1.40

  1. Added full Koiahk prayers to Vesper and Midnight Praises.
  2. Updated Antiphonarium to include Coptic verses for the entire year.
  3. Added Clergy section to Home Screen that contains commonly used prayers for the clergy.
  4. Enhanced Table of Contents to color-code silent sections and links.

Version 1.39

  1. Improved bug fix related to document links no longer functioning correctly.

Version 1.38

  1. Fixed bug introduced in v. 1.36 where document links were no longer functioning correctly.

Version 1.37

  1. Updated URL to this online wiki document.

Version 1.36

  1. Created comprehensive online instruction manual for Coptic Reader.
  2. Added "Online Help" context menu to Home Screen and sub-menus.
  3. Added "Online Help" link to the "About the Season" page.
  4. Increased maximum document text size from 10 to 12.
  5. Added the ability to set the Day Transition Time in the View Menu. See the online Help for more details.

Version 1.35

  1. Added missing Litany of the Priesthood and Litany of the Assemblies to St. Cyril Liturgy.
  2. Corrected minor problem with Arabic verse in Institution Narrative of St. Cyril Liturgy.

Version 1.34

  1. Fixed crash on start issue with v. 1.33.

Version 1.33

  1. Fixed errors in Antiphonarium.
  2. Added finer control of which prayers appear for the saints. Check it out in 'Annual Commemorations' in the View menu.
  3. Added Doxology and Gospel Response for Anba Abraam Bishop of Fayoum (NEW SAINT).
  4. Added additional prayers the following saints:
    1. St. Theodore
    2. St. Philopater Mercurius
    3. St. Mena
    4. St. Apakir and St. John
    5. St. Sergius and St. Bacchus
    6. St. Cosmas
    7. St. Moses the Black
    8. St. Peter and St. Paul
    9. St. Pachom
    10. St. Barbara and St. Juliana
    11. St. Besa

Version 1.32

  1. Moved Veneration and Baptism prayers to "Special" menu on home screen.
  2. Fixed error in the Verses of the Cymbals for the Coptic New Year.
  3. Added Unction of the Sick Prayers to "Special" menu for $2.00.
  4. Updated Antiphonarium to include both Adam and Watos readings everyday.

Version 1.31

  1. Added slide navigation in 'Slide Show' mode via keyboard keys (left, right, up, down, etc). This enables the use of remote presenters.
  2. Fixed bug in 'Slide Show' mode that could cause some links and section titles to be irresponsive to clicks.
  3. Fixed ocassional crashes that can occur when rotating the device or changing the date while viewing a document in 'Slide Show' mode.
  4. Fixed freeze that can occur when opening/closing a physical keyboard if supported.
  5. Fixed seasonal bug affecting the eve of the Coptic New Year.

Version 1.30

  1. Added Baptism prayers for $2.00. Accessible from home menu.
  2. Added "Introduction to the Creed" and "Creed" to "Offering of the Lamb."

Version 1.29

  1. Fixed crash that occurs when viewing Agpeya Introduction and Conclusion.

Version 1.28

  1. Added Antiphonarium document for $4.99. Accessible from home menu, praises, and veneration documents.
  2. Fixed crash that occurs on startup for some devices after an OS/firmware upgrade. Note that you might need to use the "Refresh" button in the "Purchase Content" menu from the home screen to restore your purchased items.
  3. Miscellaneous hymn fixes.

Version 1.27

  1. Fixed miscellaneous typos and hymn errors.
  2. Fixed occasional crashing issues when exiting a document.
  3. Added support for landscape home screen.

Version 1.26

  1. Fixed crashing issue when changing language options.

Version 1.25

  1. Use Coptic Reader on your projector! Added 'Slide Show' presentation mode accessible from View menu.
  2. Added Veneration icon on home screen.

Version 1.24

  1. Improved system for dynamically generating antiphonetic verses.
  2. Added antiphonetic coloring to verses in Veneration document.
  3. Added selected saint venerations to the Veneration document selectable via the 'Annual Commemorations' menu.

Version 1.23

  1. Added link to Veneration hymns in Raising of Incense and Distribution documents.
  2. Fixed issue where the app would crash on some devices when double-tapping to toggle fullscreen mode.
  3. Added comments indicating which Agpeya psalms should be prayed by the priest.

Version 1.22

  1. Fixed crashing issues when app is not used for a long period of time.
  2. Fixed minor issues with Table of Contents.
  3. Fixed minor issue where sometimes switching between Liturgies does not work.

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