About the Accordance Desktop Beta Program

The Accordance Beta Program allows dedicated Accordance users to test pre-release versions of Accordance and provide us feedback and bug reports before we release Accordance updates to the public.

Accordance Beta releases will contain bugs, and some beta releases that relate to changes in Accordance user files could potentially cause issues to Accordance user files. It is the Accordance user’s responsibility to backup their Accordance user data prior to and during beta testing releases under the Accordance Beta program. Time Machine is included with every Mac and is Apple’s official recommendation for backing up a Mac. File History is included with every Windows PC and is Microsoft’s official recommendation for backing up a Windows PC.

While Accordance beta releases can be installed on the same devices as Accordance public releases, a dedicated testing machine is recommended for Accordance users who wish to keep their Accordance beta testing environment isolated from their main Accordance environment.

Accordance beta releases may be updated regularly during the beta testing program. If you have an Internet connection with a data cap, please keep this in mind prior to joining the Accordance beta testing program.

The following qualifications present the ideal range of candidates for being members of the Accordance Beta Program:

• Accordance power users who are dedicated to the success of Accordance
• Accordance users who are using the current public macOS release, as well as prior versions of macOS that are currently supported by Accordance, as well as Accordance users who are running Windows 10 or Windows 11
• Accordance users who are running different versions of Windows 10 or 11 (such as Home or Pro)
• Accordance users who have access to a machine running developer or public beta versions of future releases of macOS (so we can be aware of changes Apple is making to macOS that could impact Accordance), as well as Accordance users who have access to a machine running Windows Insider builds of Windows 10 or 11 (so we can be aware of changes Microsoft is making to Windows that could impact Accordance)
• Accordance users across both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, as well as Windows Accordance users across various processors (such as Intel and AMD)
• Accordance users across various Mac specifications (desktop, notebook, high-spec, low-spec, multiple display, etc.), as well as Accordance users across various Windows PC specifications (desktop, notebook, high-spec, low-spec, different graphics cards manufacturers, multiple display, etc)
• Accordance who have used Accordance’s biblical language searching functionality are considered a valuable beta tester

Joining the Accordance Desktop Beta Program

To join the Accordance Desktop Beta Program you will complete this form so that we can enroll you in the Accordance Beta Program and provide you a link for Accordance Aleph. Accordance Aleph is for beta testing releases of Accordance 14.

After downloading Accordance Aleph, use the Check for App Updates on the Accordance menu (Mac) or the on the Utilities menu (Windows) to update to the latest Accordance beta release. The latest release notes for each Accordance beta release can be found in here.

Two things to note:

• Accordance Aleph uses slightly different preferences than the main Accordance, so don't be alarmed if your toolbar preferences or other minor settings don't transfer over.

• You should be able to switch back to the public version of Accordance if Accordance Aleph is ever too unstable for use.

Testing Accordance Beta Releases

Please read the latest release notes for each Accordance beta release prior to posting feedback on the Accordance Desktop Beta Program forums. During a beta testing cycle, we really appreciate feedback on the changes/fixes posted for each beta -- especially if you experienced/reproduced the issue that was reported. 

Also, it would be beneficial to hear if we introduced any “side effects” in a beta release. For example, if we fixed some Live Click > Word Study issues -- it would be helpful if you performed some of these actions and see if you noticed any new problems, etc.

Continue to use the Accordance Aleph for regular Bible study and biblical research as you would use the Accordance public version. As you encounter bugs, post bug reports in the Accordance Desktop Beta Program Forums. The following information should be included when submitting bug reports:

• Specific steps to reproduce the issue
• Specific Accordance Aleph version number
• Testing the issue in the current public release of Accordance to determine if the issue is also present in the current public release of Accordance is beneficial but not required
• Specific Operating System version
• Specific hardware (examples: Intel iMac Pro, M2 MacBook Air, HP Notebook with Intel Core i5 processor, etc.). Occasionally hardware specs such as RAM configuration or graphics card information is useful
• Screenshots, crash reports, workspaces, or Accordance user files related to your issue
• If we ask you to perform and attach Session Log Debug Information, please generate and attach a session log.

While we hope to fix all reported bugs, we do have to prioritize issues based on severity and scope. We hope you realize that some reported bugs will remain in each beta -- especially if a fix for a reported bug is not listed in the beta release notes.

We will automatically post status updates on bug reports if we have information to share. We will NOT respond to requests for status updates on bug reports.

Leaving the Accordance Desktop Beta Program

To leave the Accordance Desktop Beta Program, please remove the Accordance Aleph app from your device. The public version of Accordance on your device should remain unaffected. You can also request removal from the Accordance Beta Program by completing this form.