Don’t leave home without it. That phrase has been overused to say the least. But it doesn’t apply more fully than when talking about the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Thankfully, Chinese learners now have a great way to have a pinyin Bible on hand without having to tote around the Reference-Bible-sized book.

Since Equipd was removed from the App Store and its unreliable operation ever since, I’ve been looking for a way to use the pinyin version of the scriptures. So far, the only way I’ve found has been to use the physical publication. I can’t complain too much as that is a beautifully crafted book. But over the last two years, I’ve grown accustomed to bringing only my iPad to the meetings. It looks like I can now return to that method thanks to the app NWT Pinyin!

Users are first presented with the Bible books in Chinese characters and pinyin

This gorgeously simple app will make users of the JW Library app feel right at home. It presents the books of the Bible and their chapters in a grid layout. Except here the book names are shown only in Chinese characters atop the pinyin transliteration. Tap on the book you’d like and then the chapter. You’ll quickly be taken to the beginning of the chapter and need to scroll to the desired verse. Zoom functions are enabled in order to view a verse better. However, there is no way to copy and paste in the app. But sharing a scripture is only a screenshot away. One ability that I would like to see added is custom bookmarks for quick revisiting of favorite scriptures.

Next you’ll see the Bible book chapter numbers

The way NWT Pinyin works is by allowing the user to download the pinyin Bible PDF from JW.org. That’s the Bible you’ll be viewing within the app. It seems the developer has set up bookmarks that are then associated with the PDF for navigating the scriptures. This works great and is much easier than downloading the PDF from JW.org and trying to navigate it in an app like Documents or iBooks.

Finally, you’ll see the chapter you’re looking for

NWT Pinyin is just the app I’ve been looking for as a Chinese learner looking for a convenient way to read God’s Word. The interface of the app with its soft blue-green color is inviting. Any JW Library user will feel right at home using NWT Pinyin.

NWT Pinyin is just one of our favorite Chinese learning apps for iPhone and iPad. We’ve collected all of our favorites here. And if you’d like to see more of our top app selections in different categories, just head on over to our Best Apps Series.

Here are a couple of our other picks of the best Chinese learning apps for iPhone and iPad:

Pinyin Converter – Convert Chinese Characters into Pinyin on iPhone and iPad

Pinyin Converter brings iPhone and iPad users the ability to transliterate Chinese characters into their pinyin equivalent. We've all seen this done in pinyin literature and now Pinyin Converter enables you to perform this cool trick yourself. Here's how it works. Simply cut and paste Chinese characters from any source like a ...

Equipd – The Best Bible Study and Language Learning Combo App for iPhone and iPad

If you're a new language learner, you know that discovering a tool to help you learn more efficiently and practically is a huge deal. Further, when you can combine learning that language with your personal Bible study and meeting preparation, you know you have a winner on your hands. The ...