Ascension App

Frequently Asked Questions

The Ascension App Explained

The Ascension App is a free-to-download Catholic Bible and Catechism app, containing the full texts of the Great Adventure Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church, Ascension Edition, as well as daily readings and reflections. These features are free to all, so long as you've downloaded the app and signed in.

Once you download the app, you'll be asked to set up a user name (your email) and a password, and then be given a tutorial of the app's features, which can also be found in your profile if you'd like to review it again later.

The app itself is free to download, but you can purchase or cancel the premium subscription in the app itself for access to special features such as Fr. Mike's Advent series, 60+ study plans, 1000+ Bible answers, and the Bible in a Year companions in the app. Some physical Ascension products are also available for purchase within the app.

If you're using an Apple device, you can download the app through the App Store here.

If you use an android and need to download it through Google Play, you can download the app here.

App Features and Navigation

For visual guides on how to use many of the app's features, please watch the videos on this webpage.

Additional guides can be found in the following:

  • Your Profile: The person/profile icon is in the top right of your screen. Here, you can watch/rewatch the app's navigation tutorial, start or stop a premium subscription, find all of your notes, bookmarks and highlights, and use the "Settings" feature to adjust the font size of the text as well as the playback speed for the podcasts.
  • Daily Readings, Reflections, and Saint of the Day: These can be found at the top of the homescreen, in the calendar section.
  • Rosaries: All recordings of the Rosary can be accessed through the "Rosaries" shortcut on the homescreen.
  • Podcasts: Entire podcasts and individual episodes can be accessed through the shortcuts section on the homepage or by tapping the "Podcasts" tab in the bottom navigation.
  • The Bible and Catechism: The text of both are free for all users. You can pick up where you last read directly from the homescreen, or use the Bible or Catechism prompts at the bottom to explore more, look up the Bible Timeline or Foundations of Faith charts, or even search for a passage or paragraph.
  • Bible Answers: Bible questions and answers are also found at the bottom of your homescreen, as well as scattered throughout the Bible reader itself. This is a premium feature available to paid subscribers or those using a trial subscription.
  • Lectio Divina: Another premium feature is found by tapping and holding a passage from the Bible. A pop up will appear with tools such as bookmarks, highlighting and notes (found for both the Bible and Catechism) as well as an option to pray along with that passage.
  • Study Plans: The "Plans" tab at the bottom right of your homescreen will bring you to a list of 60+ study plans created by 20+ Catholic presenters. These are a great way to learn more about the Bible, the Catechism, and how to grow in living the Catholic life.
  • Advanced Search: By clicking the search icon at the top of the homescreen, you can search from the text of the Bible, the text of the Catechism, the transcript of any podcast episode in the app, or any study plan.

How Do I Migrate My "In a Year" Listening Progress to the Ascension App?

If you have previously been listenin gin a different podcast app, "migrate listening progress" is available for the Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year only.

From the homescreen of the app, tap your profile icon in the top right of the screen. Scroll down and tap on the "Settings" button, then scroll down again and tap on "Migrate listening progress."

On the resulting screen, follow the prompts to select the episode of Bible in a Year and/or Catechism in a Year you've listened up to, then tap "Update." All previous episodes should now be checked off as completed.

Will the Ascension App Work on My Device?

At this time, the Ascension App can be downloaded to iPhones, iPads, Android devices and tablets. We do not have the app available on Kindles, nor is the app compatible with desktop computers at this time.

What kind of operating system do I need?

As for devices being incompatible, it isn't so much the device as it is about the operating system your device uses. For Android users, the minimum requirement would be version 9, and for Apple users, the minimum requirement for supporting the app with iOS is 13.

The best practice is to keep your operating system updated as some things can work differently on different versions.

What if I'm having problems with my app?

If you run into any problems, you can report a bug directly from the profile section of your app, or reach out to Ascension's Customer Support Team. To help in getting to the bottom of things, there are a few questions we may ask:

  • What email address are you signing in with?
  • What device and operating system are you using? (For example, iPhone and iOS 17.x.x)
  • What version of the app are you using? (This can be found by opening your profile at the top right of the app's home screen, then scrolling down to the bottom of the page.)
  • Have you tried checking if the app needs to be updated? (tap "Version" to be brought to the App Store or Google Play. Here, you will be prompted to update the app if an update is available.)
  • Is your issue happening when trying to use a specific feature? If so, which one? (For example, when listening to a podcast or signing in to the app.)
  • Have you tried deleting the app and reinstalling it?
  • If the issue can be seen on your screen, could you please include a screenshot for us to use?

While deleting and reinstalling the app (or updating the app) help resolve most problems, some issues may need to be brought to the attention of our dev team. With your answers to the questions above, it will help us and our developers track down the issue and try to help resolve it.

Can I Access the Ascension App on More than One Device?

If you're signing in with the same email address and password, you should be able to share the same subscription across more than one device. However, if you're signing in with different email addresses, it will not recognize your existing subscription purchase or listening history and require a new (separate) subscription.

If you sign in and see that your subscription and progress are missing, sign out of your app and double-check the spelling on your email address. Attempting to sign in with a different (or misspelled) email address will create a new account by mistake.

Is the Ascension App Available in Other Languages?

At this time, the Ascension app is only available in English.

Troubleshooting the Ascension App

If you're having problems with the app, there are a few things we recommend trying first:

  • Check that your app is updated, and run an update if one is available. Here is a helpful article on how to update an app on iPhone and Android separately.
  • Check that your device's software is up to date (and update if needed).
  • Try deleting and re-installing the app.
  • Try restarting your device (turning it off and back on again).

If these don't resolve the issue, you may need to call or email support for additional assistance.

Phone #: 1-800-376-0520

Email: support@ascensionpress.com

Ascension App Subscription Costs

Access to the Bible and Catechism text, daily readings and reflections, podcasts, and Rosary recordings will all remain free and available without a paid subscription.

Other features including Study Plans, Lectio Divina, Bible Answers, Bible Studies, and podcast companions will be included in the optional monthly ($8.95 per month) or yearly ($59.95 annually) subscription service. These subscriptions help us to offset the costs to build and maintain the app (including the free features).

You can still continue to download and use the app without subscribing to the paid features.

If you do wish to subscribe, you can do this by opening your profile (top right of the app's home page) and choosing Manage Subscriptions.

Does the Ascension App Offer a Free Trial?

Yes, the Ascension App offers a 90-day trial! As long as you cancel 24 hours before the end of the trial you will not be charged.

Please note that if you'd like to cancel, Apple and Google require you to cancel the trials yourself—Ascension cannot cancel the trial for you.

The 90-day free trial in the Ascension app is for new customers only. Active or previous subscribers and trial members are not elligible to receive a new free trial.

If you are a new customer and still do not see the 90-day trial option, please check to see if the Ascension app is up to date on your phone. Here is an article explaining how to do that for Apple devices, as well as for Android devices.

Even if you updated the app on your phone recently, the 90-day trial is part of a new release that requires an update.

Can I Pay for a Subscription by Phone or Online?

At this time, we cannot accept payment by phone. App subscriptions are through the app itself, via the App Store or Google Play, and whatever billing information you may have stored with them, be it credit or gift cards.

Does My Support Gift Grant Me an App Subscription?

Being a supporter of Ascension Media does help in producing the podcasts, videos, and other free articles offered from Ascension Press. However these gifts do not currently grant subscription access to the Ascension App itself.

Access to the Bible and Catechism text, as well as audio of both Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year will all remain free and available without signing up for a subscription, as gifts from supporters like you have ensured that these podcasts have (and will remain) free to listen to.

Other features, such as the audio studies, will be included in the optional subscription. These subscriptions help us to offset the costs to build and maintain the app (including the free features). You can still continue to download and use the app without subscribing to the paid features.

Do You Have Family Sharing for the App?

At this time, we don't have family sharing set up (but are looking into it for the future).

Can I Gift a Subscription To the App?

At this time, we are not set up to enable gift subscriptions.

How Do I Cancel My Ascension App Subscription?

Free trials and premium subscriptions need to be canceled a minimum 24 hours before your trial or current subscription expires, in order to prevent your account from being charged for a subscription. We understand though that sometimes, things get in the way and this doesn't always happen. Unfortunately, the app stores do not allow us to add or cancel subscriptions on behalf of customers.

If you're trying to cancel your subscription, you can do so by signing in to Apple's App Store or Google Play, looking up the subscriptions associated with your Apple or Google account, and canceling from there.

We are not able to start or cancel a subscription from our end due to Apple and Google's policies about apps downloaded through their stores.

Please note that even if you cancel your premium subscription, you will still have access to all of the app's free features.

How to Request a Refund for an App Subscription

Free trials and premium subscriptions need to be canceled a minimum 24 hours before your trial or current subscription expires in order to prevent your account from being charged for a subscription. We understand though that sometimes, things get in the way and this doesn't always happen.

Unfortunately, the app stores do not allow us to add or cancel subscriptions on behalf of customers.

If you're trying to cancel your subscription, you can do so by signing in to Apple's App Store or Google Play, looking up the subscriptions associated with your Apple or Google account, and canceling from here.

We are not able to start or cancel a subscription from our end due to Apple and Google's policies about apps downloaded through their stores.

Please note that even if you cancel your premium subscription, you will still have access to all of our app's free features.

For refunds: Much like when you purchase a physical book from a bookstore, app stores also have their own policies on refunds. Google and Apple's policies prohibit Ascension from initiating or processing a refund on behalf of our customers.

Instead, app subscribers can request a refund directly from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store by clicking here for Apple: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118223 - and here for Google Play: https://support.google.com/googleplay/workflow/9813244?hl=en