We're updating PrayerMate: all you need to know
Around the start of October, we're launching a new and improved version of PrayerMate, v9. It is motivated by a desire to dramatically improve the reliability and performance of the way that your data is synced between devices, as well as building a stronger foundation for future updates. The user interface remains largely unchanged from what we released in 2023, albeit with a few minor improvements.
However, under the hood it has been completely rewritten from scratch, and uses a totally different database engine for storing your data. As a result, there are a few things you should be aware of:
- The first time you run the new update there will be a small migration process that runs - so that all of your data that was previously on the device will be loaded in to the new system. We have now tested this with hundreds of beta testers, and are increasingly confident in this process. But inevitably there could be some edge cases - please see below if you find any problems with your data after installing the new update. We have done everything possible to make sure that we can retrieve your data later if anything goes wrong during this process - so don't panic, and don't uninstall anything without talking to us first (because then you definitely WILL lose your data).
- Data is not able to sync between devices running the legacy app and devices running this new update. That applies both to your personal data, and anything in a group/shared list. This means you need to make sure the new update is installed on ALL of your personal devices. Group admins will need to manually "upgrade" the group using the new button on the "Lists" page, and all group members will need to install the new update.
- Feeds that you are subscribed to ought to continue to work as before.
- The most significant difference is that in the new update, we are no longer able to offer access to our pre-2023 user interface. We've tried to give users plenty of time to migrate to the new design, and to let us know about any issues. So far the main one that we're aware of and are working on accomodating is the quality of the VoiceOver support in the new design. If you have any other important problems with the new interface, beyond personal preference, then please do get in touch to let us know. We understand that change is difficult and have tried to continue supporting the old interface for as long as possible, but we have reached the point where we can no longer meet the needs of the majority of PrayerMate's user base whilst also continuing to offer this as a choice.
We would really value your prayers through this process. It has been a long road getting to this point, and we are doing all we can to balance the needs of a diverse user base. We are also so grateful to those of you who have partnered with us financially to make this work possible
Keep praying,
Andy Geers
Discipleship Tech CEO
PrayerMate is a free app to help you be consistent in prayer. It is a ministry of Discipleship Tech, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No: 1178838). Click here if you would like to make a donation, either regular or one-off.