The Catholic Hymnal: NCHv2.6.0

Released September 19, 2026Major

iOS Android

The latest major update successfully expanded the app from a specialized hymnal to a broader liturgical companion. While the average rating increased by 0.2 stars, the small sample size limits statistical confidence in the overall impact. The net verdict remains neutral due to the limited volume of post-update feedback.

What changed

ContentAdded full text of daily Mass readings with text-to-speech and offline support
ContentAdded Liturgy of the Hours (Morning, Evening, and Night Prayer) with TTS
New featureAdded Angelus prayer with text-to-speech functionality
RetentionAdded daily reminders for Liturgy of the Hours
SocialAdded sharing and bookmarking capabilities for Mass readings
UXImplemented liturgical season color coding on the readings screen
UXImproved the Hymn of the Day widget
PerformanceGeneral bug fixes and performance improvements

Reception

50/ 100 impact scoreNeutral

What worked

Content
Users report satisfaction with the consolidation of daily Mass readings and Liturgy of the Hours into a single interface.
UX
The addition of text-to-speech functionality resolved prior user feedback regarding missing audio features.

What didn't

New feature
no evidence
The Angelus prayer addition lacks specific user feedback in the current sample.
Retention
no evidence
Daily reminders for the Liturgy of the Hours have not yet generated measurable sentiment or retention data.

Marlvel takeaways

The transition from a specialized hymnal to a liturgical companion is supported by positive user sentiment regarding content consolidation.
Audio feature parity is a primary driver of user satisfaction, as evidenced by the resolution of previous complaints following the latest update.
Future updates should monitor the impact of daily reminders on long-term retention, as current data is insufficient to confirm engagement.

Original release notes

Version 2.6 — Daily Readings & Prayer

-Daily Mass Readings
Full text of daily Mass readings — First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, Second Reading, Gospel Acclamation and Gospel. Listen with text-to-speech, share, bookmark and download for offline use.

-Liturgy of the Hours
Morning Prayer (Lauds), Evening Prayer (Vespers) and Night Prayer (Compline) with full texts, TTS and daily reminders.

-Angelus
Listen to the Angelus prayer with text-to-speech.

-Liturgical season colours on readings screen
-Hymn of the Day widget improved
-Bug fixes and performance improvements.