Frequently Asked Questions
New to devo? The third question below covers the part that catches everyone off guard: you can’t read your friends’ reflections until you’ve written your own.
What is devo?
devo is a daily Bible-reflection journal you share with your friends. Write what today’s verse is stirring in you, then pick who sees it: just you, your friends, or a specific group you choose. There are no strangers and no algorithm. It’s the verse, your reflection, and the people you trust to read it.
Is devo free?
Yes. Download it, write your reflections, share with your friends, all free. No ads, no follower count, nothing to upgrade. If that changes later, you’ll hear it from me first, not from a paywall.
Why can’t I see my friends’ reflections until I post my own?
This is the rule devo is built on: write first, read second. Post today’s reflection and your friends’ reflections unlock on your Home screen. They can’t read yours until they’ve written one either. The gate works the same for everyone. The discipline is the design.
Why is there no public feed?
Because the moment a Bible app gets a public feed, it stops being about the Bible. devo keeps it private: you share only with your friends, or a group you choose, not with strangers or an algorithm. What you write is for the people you trust, not for a crowd. No follower count. No leaderboard. No discovery tab.
How is this different from sharing a Bible verse on Instagram?
On Instagram, anyone can read what you post and never give anything back. On devo, your friends only see your reflection if they’ve shared theirs too. It’s a closed group by design. The people in it are reading the Bible alongside you, not lurking.
Who can see each post I share?
You pick the audience every time you compose. Three options:
- Only you: stays in your private archive and never reaches anyone else.
- Friends: visible to the friends you’ve accepted.
- A specific group: visible only to members of that group.
You can change a post’s audience after the fact from its detail screen.
Are my posts private by default?
The audience for each new post is whatever you pick in the compose screen. Separately, the toggle Show new posts on profile in Settings → Privacy controls whether new posts also appear on your public profile. It’s off by default, so your reflections stay off your profile until you turn it on or mark individual posts viewable.
What is the fig tree?
Your tree is a quiet picture of your reflection streak. It grows a little each day you show up and fills out as the streak runs longer. It’s a gentle marker of your rhythm, not a guilt-trip dashboard. No red badge, no shame banner if you slip.
What happens if I miss a day?
One missed day is fine. The streak holds and the tree keeps growing. Miss two days in a row and the tree withers. You can plant a new seed from the tree screen and start again. The withered tree stays in your past trees as part of your history. It’s a forgiving streak: one off day won’t break you, and starting over is easy. No shame spiral.
How does contact sync work?
When you tap Allow on the contacts prompt, devo hashes every phone number on your device before sending anything to our servers. We only ever see one-way hashes, not your contact list. The hashes find matches with other devo users and get discarded after. You can change your mind anytime in Settings → Contact, or by revoking the permission in your phone’s system settings.
What’s the difference between friends and groups?
A friend is a one-to-one connection. Both sides accept the request before either can see the other’s reflections.
A group is a named bucket of multiple friends (e.g. “Acts small group”). When you compose, you can target your full friends list or a single group. Friends and groups don’t mix in the audience picker. Pick one or the other per post.
How do I invite someone who isn’t on devo yet?
From your Home empty state or the Add a friend screen, tap Invite to devo to share your personal invite link via text, message, or email. When the person you invited signs up through that link, your handle is recorded as their inviter so you both see each other on the add-friend screen during their onboarding.
What notifications will I get?
Push notifications only fire for things you’d actually care about: a friend request, a comment on your reflection, a reaction, a mention, or a daily reminder if you’ve set one. No marketing pushes. You can fine-tune each type in Settings → Notifications.
How do I delete my account?
Open Settings → Account → Delete account and confirm in the dialog. Your account, reflections, comments, reactions, friendships, and group memberships are removed permanently. The action cannot be undone. See the Delete Account page for full detail and the data-removal request alternative.
How do I report a bug or ask for help?
Email support@devo.fyi with a short description of what happened. Screenshots help a lot. I read every report.