First 5 Reviews

I thought First5 used to be a quick devotion for my quiet morning, just like the name implies, but it doesn’t fill that function at all. I have tried to use it a couple times, but clearly it’s intent is not the first five minutes of my day.

I do NOT want to LISTEN to the devotion. My house is quiet and the last thing I want to do is hear someone talking. I’m not going to run around and find a pair of headphones. These days making a video or a recording is the easy way to go... no writing required, and the devotion writer can blather on all they want without editing, and I’m forced to listen to all of it. If I click on the option to read the transcript, it is more than 5 minutes to read.

I just wasted 15 minutes of my morning trying to find a setting to READ a devotion. There is no setting for this and there is no way to contact support either on app or website. This is a disappointment.

It still has problems. I think it could be better

1. My mother is low vision and can’t read anything on First5 because it is so bright. I wrote a more gracious review before. Suggesting a dark mode. I am a student who has to ride a bus from 6:20am to about 7:20 am. So a dark mode would be stellar.

2. I appreciate the fact you is big words. On the other hand I don’t know the meaning of all of them. Could you add a feature that gives me the definition of the word? It’s kinda a waste of time to search up the word. Most apps have this feature so I don’t think it will be much trouble.

3. The layout of First5 is just bad. Just got a say. It’s difficult to maneuver. Reading is hard sometimes I do things I didn’t mean to. I think that you need to consider a different layout and it would be more effective.

Please read all of this and consider everything. I like First5 and use it almost everyday. I just want to see it improve.

Aesthetically pleasing and calm vibes come from First5, but I have encountered a few issues and have some suggestions. I reached out to customer service and Angie clarified a few things - the 'current plan' is the one that will show upon opening First5 and when clicking the 'First 5' button on the bottom toolbar, however wish that wasn't the case. I feel it would be more beneficial for the plan that shows upon app opening should be the one the user is currently following. The current plan isn't relative to me at this moment and feel that in order to keep First5 as close to the heart as possible it should allow for more customization. First5 also defaults to the ESV, but it would be a lot more user friendly if all throughout First5 the version displayed would be the one selected in the options menu rather than the pre-selected one. Again, takes away from the customization feel of it all. Lastly, First5 is glitchy! Sometimes I come to a white, blank screen and other times First5 is far outstretched to where the wording is cut off. I have to force close and reopen that app to try and load it correctly; I shouldn't have to restart my entire device as suggested. So, it's safe to say that First5 needs stabilization and am considering deleting and possibly redownloading at a later time. I genuinely enjoy the feel of First5 and am hopeful for fixes, but it's too wonky at the moment.

I use First5 every morning. I love how it would track where I was and would offer to open the correct day’s reading for me. Now, First5 doesn’t readily take my indication of having completed the day—it doesn’t register as completed, and causes First5 to freeze. Every day it seems as though I’m deleting First5 and relaunching it. I do it so much that it is one of the few apps that I know my password by heart. This glitch seems to have popped up after the problems started with the weekend video playback as noted by others.

First5 doesn’t state that you have to be 18+ to have an account unless you look far into their terms of use. It needs to be much clearer because I’m extremely sad that I can’t talk to and pray for and encourage any of the people that I connected with on First5 because I’m a minor. And multiple other people I met who were also minors were very very confused. Please make this easier to see from the sign up page because frankly most people aren’t going to read enough of the terms of use to find this unless they are looking for it.

I like the premise of First5 , but not necessarily the day to day function of it.

I LOVE that historical plans can be gone back through. However only the current plan shows up when opening First5 . I’d rather have a “start plan” option and have whatever I select show up as the current plan instead of just opening to whatever plan P31 has selected for the time. Not every plan is the best fit for each person which is what makes having the historical plans so nice, just need to set up First5 differently to allow for the best use of that.

I just wish I could customize My Plans page. I’d like to be able to pin a plan of my choice as my current plan. Doesn’t have to be the main page, bc I do like seeing other options and reading something else every now and then. But on the “My Plans” page, I’d like to customize it a bit. I’m trying to read through the Bible chronologically and this makes it difficult. Also, some of the plans are not listed correctly following the order of the Bible or just appear in a weird order, even if they’re not a topical study. I.e. Matthew appears listed in the middle of the Old Testament books…

I started using First5 a few weeks ago. I really like that the teachings are heavily based in the Word: there are so many scriptures for you to study and opportunities for further study if you want. I also really like that there’s always a reflection at the end of every devotion, so you actually have to think about what you’ve read before moving on. It seems like these devotions are written by people who are prayerful about their study, which I love! The only reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that sometimes I wish the readings were just a teeeeeny bit longer. Other than that, I have no complaints!

I love studying God’s Word with the writers and participants of the this app app! I love the ways the writers of each study take the passages and really dive in deep with clarity, meaning, and application.

However, I’m not fond at all of the new format with this last update. My join date has been changed last week and again today. It now shows I joined May 28, 2019. I’m not sure of my actual join date but I know I’ve been doing these studies for well over a year. I’m also not crazy about the new format for comments. I have a very hard time following them and when I get a notification that someone has replied to my comment, I can never find it. It’s very frustrating trying to read the comments made by others in this new format.

The new changes are the only reason I did not give 5 stars in my review.

I have used to Bible study app since it first came out but I am super excited about all the new features. I've always loved the community comment area so you can pray for others and ask for prayer or jus read what others are going through. Now there is also a way to connect with others so you can do you group studies through First5 which is cool.
I love the images associated with each study & the lock screens!
Also I'm glad they now have old plans so if you want to choose a different one, you can.
Great app with great features!!

I love First5! I have been using it consistently for 2 years....every day! It’s easy to open up First5 find your devotion for the day. It’s goes chapter by chapter each day for a book of the Bible. I use the Bible Gateway app and have the chapter for the day read to me in dramatized version so I know who is talking. I then love to dig deep on how God is speaking to me trough this chapter and the devotion written on First5 . You can go really deep and read the more section and look up all the verses. I love the comments section as well. People mostly women comment by answering the question of the day as to what God taught them through this. This is one of my favorite parts because you learn you are not alone in your relationship with God and other people have struggles and victories as well! On the weekends is a video teaching that is always perfect! Thank you first 5 you have helped me in my relationship with God!

I have used First5 for 6-7+ years now. Recently, in the last year first five has made some major app updates that has made First5 1000x more user friendly and added some great additions for users. I love that you can visibly watch your progress of the studies as you go through them each day- showing you how much you’ve completed and how much you have left to read. You can go through the studies at whatever pace your season of life allows you to and there is a study for every single book of the Bible. Thankful for this resource and all the growth it has offered me in the last couple of years!

I absolutely adore First5, I read my daily Bible at night when my daughter is in bed so I can concentrate and I was looking for something simple to start my days with God. I live on property with over 30 animals and home school my daughter, so time in the mornings is short but I craved that time with God aside from morning prayer. This isn’t exactly 5 minutes, but I read it in bed before getting up and it truly shapes my day. I’ve read some people complain that it isn’t long enough and also that it is too long, I guess you can’t please everyone, but it’s perfect for me! I just wish out of the 6 versions of bible format to choose from, the King James Version would be available. Please add the KJV 🙏 thank you for making such a wonderful app!

I use First5 every day but Sunday, but that is how it is set up. I attend church on Sunday. It is how I start my day, up early to spend alone time in God's word. I like the variety, with different writers and the accuracy with a team of researchers going over what we read to be sure it is reflecting God's word.

I love First5 so much I just started a small group study in First5 with some local women. We are studying Proverbs and I just had to share with others. Thank you for the creativity and insight. Thank you for sharing it with us.

I could not love First5 more! First 5 is so easy to use, very beginner friendly, and beautifully formatted! Every weekend there is a 15 min discussion over the past weeks “lessons” and every week day there is a chapter to read and a detailed overview on it. There is also a spot for you to join bible groups to learn even more about His Word. And the best part - NO IN-APP PURCHASES!! Everything is free and there are no fees for anything. The best app I have ever downloaded!!!!!!!

I love First5. It’s easy to use and has sooo many helpful tools! It’s easy to create a community of women and to share your journey. The women here are amazing. I have a suggestion that I think would be great. You have the option to comment on the teaching with a reflection, which I love. However the comment gets lost in all the other ones after you comment. It is noted in your profile that you commented but it’s hard to find that comment if it was a long time ago. It would be AMAZING if first 5 made an update with a journal feature. In which the reflections you make in the comment section of each teaching are saved into a personal journal on your profile. It would be amazing and another cool tool to have a faith journal in First5 with all the reflections made throughout all the teachings. As a writer and journalist I would appreciate it’s sooooo much!

So thankful for the writers of First 5. First5 isn’t just another daily devotional where you read one verse then read a page of someone else’s cute story that makes you feel good. The format is one (or several relating) books of the Bible at a time, with about a chapter a day. The writing that complements it constantly references other scripture and biblical history. First5 goes deep and I love it! I wish I could make a men’s version for my husband! (This could definitely work for men to though)

The this app app Bible study app is literally life-changing. As its name says, it allows you to take a few minutes, perhaps your first minutes of the day, and spend time in God’s Word. I love it, the teachers are insightful and truly make you think.

My suggestions for improvements are minor; I will continue using First5 even if these features remain the same:
1) I wish users could be alerted to comments *for them* from other users. When I comment on a post currently, First5 notes it in the top right corner, with a circle that remains at 0 but changes number to reflect responses to your comment—- except they’re not all responses to your comment. They’re responses to *every* comment on that post. I would like to just be alerted when it is a direct response to a comment I made. When it’s a post that has received lots of comments, the number of alerts is high.
2) In the My Moments section, a question is usually asked and users can provide a comment. Sometimes, I like to see the original phrasing of the question but when I scroll up, First5 brings up a mini-menu “Discard Comment?” And then 3 choices: Yes/Save for Later/Cancel. I would like to be able to scroll up without the interruption of the menu.

Thank you again for all your work on First5. It’s tremendous and I’m thankful for it.

This is by far my favorite devotional study. Each morning I wake up ready to dig into God's word and connect with women in the online community as we share prayer concerns and encourage each other. What I love most about First5 is that it gives historical context of the scripture and sound application. And don't let First5 title fool you. It says First 5, but as you continue to immerse yourself in the Bible reading and devotional, all of a sudden the 5 minutes turns into 10, 20, 30 minutes!

This is such a beautiful app. My main parameter when looking for a devotions app was to find one that was 1. Free and 2. Let me study on my own time and at my own pace. First5 does both.

The First 5 app is user friendly and has chapter-by-chapter studies. There is a “plan” tab where you can study the chapter you want. There are new chapter studies added every week day & one added for the weekend.

There are also a few pretty lock screen pictures with verses.