JW Companion – Organizing your theocratic documents on iPhone and iPad
Having all your literature in one place is a good way to get more efficient at the meetings and in field service. Ideally, the official JW Library app will help all of us annotate and highlight the near future. Until that time comes, we’re able to rely on some pretty nice third-party apps. Previously on AppChasers.com we’ve recommended using the app Documents by Readdle to get this done. And if you’re looking for even more annotation features for notes and such, PDF Expert is an excellent choice. But there is a new app in town looking to get you theocratically organized – JW Companion.
Like the (now defunct) app Equipd, JW Companion is design specifically with Jehovah’s Witnesses in mind. The goal is to let you download, store, organize, and annotate your literature all in one app. It does a pretty good job of it too. The main view is called Briefcase and here you’ll see all your PDF and ePub files. There are also folders that can be arranged, renamed, and organized. Inside each pre-named folder you’ll find a direct link to the section of jw.org housing that publication. So, in the Kingdom Ministry folder, the jw.org link will take you right to the KM section of the site for downloading. This all happens within the built-in browser.
Open a PDF and you’ll be able to annotate it with text, images, drawings, notes, and stamps. You can also capture audio recordings inside your PDFs. It is worth noting that JW Companion handles the new Interactive Program very well as it allows you to take notes while preserving all the links. A Duo Screen mode lets you open multiple PDFs at once. This feature is aimed at users in the foreign language field. In this mode you can open up one PDF and then you’ll see a “+” icon allowing you to open up another. While this sounds good in theory, in practice its buggy and not worth the effort. The views switch from side-to-side to over-under with a slight tilt of the iPad. Its quite a frustrating experience and one you’ll want to avoid. If you’re looking for side-by-side studying, I would recommend Easy Annotate.
The ePub viewing is almost identical to iBooks and you might even think you’re using that app, which is a good thing. You can highlight and add notes. Scripture links will pop-up in boxes too. Where iBooks falls down for me is the lack of true syncing of files. And JW Companion does no better here. So any annotations you make to PDFs or ePubs will not show up outside of the device you’re currently using. That’s a disappointment and one reason a like PDF Expert and Documents so much.
Duo Screen mode
The following video will show you an extensive overview of JW Companion.
Overall, JW Companion is a functional utility for getting organized for the meetings and field service. However, if you’re looking for a true foreign language studying app like Equipd, right now JW Companion falls way short. Personally, I’m eagerly awaiting annotation and highlighting features coming to the official JW Library app. And I hope they add in foreign language study features like Equipd had. But in the meantime, JW Companion is a quick and versatile study and organizing app for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The File Converter – Convert Watchtower ePubs into PDFs with Scripture Links
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May 16, 2015 @ 12:40 am
Can you explain how you got the interactive program to work With JW Companion? I’ve tried and it does not work. I press and hold on the grid and all I get is the option to copy the page once it turns blue. It won’t let me type notes.
May 16, 2015 @ 8:37 am
Hi. I know exactly what you’re talking about with the blue screen. So instead of pressing and holding on the screen, you have to use the toolbar by tapping on the pen/paper at the top of the screen (see the video). This is only available when not in Duo Screen mode.
May 17, 2015 @ 5:41 pm
Do you know a way to export a book that is already annotated from Equipd to either dropbox, Icloud, or email and then open into JW Companions or IBooks? I went up to the right corner and emailed: Email Equipd Format to my email. It looks like it worked but only for the one chapter that was opened. Then I need to find a way to open that in another app. If this is possible could you do a video on it? Your videos are so helpful. It would save from having to do books we already highlighted and made notes in. Thank You, Mary
May 17, 2015 @ 6:20 pm
The problem is, it’s not giving me that option. I look for it and it’s not there.
May 17, 2015 @ 6:41 pm
Okay, I figured it out. It’s working good now. I’m going to play around with it some more. Thanks! This may save me from purchasing the PDF expert app I thought I needed to take notes with the interactive program.
May 18, 2015 @ 9:02 am
I think a lot of people are in your shoes! Unfortunately I don’t know any way to do that. I would visit the developer’s website here to see if there is any way to do that: http://support.equipd.me
May 18, 2015 @ 9:02 am
Awesome! Glad it’s working for you!
May 18, 2015 @ 8:07 pm
Hello Brother, I wanted to know if you know about programming or do you know someone who does? Thank You
May 19, 2015 @ 1:21 pm
Hi! You may want to get in touch with the brothers who developed Equipd and Easy Annotate. They did a great job with both of those apps.
April 15, 2016 @ 4:43 pm
Version 2.0 claims annotation is available on e-pub. Doesn’t that mean being able to use same tools as in PDFs?. App has been updated since your tutorial. Would you be able to record a new tutorial? Cannot locate download file format switch in settings.
April 20, 2017 @ 11:54 am
Do you know if there is a way to add bookmarks in the pdf? I tried emailing the developer, but they have not responded yet.