Idou

Idou guides you in the slow, steady work of spiritual growth by opening up some of the most formative works and practices of the Christian tradition.
Named after the Greek word for “Behold”, Idou helps you train your scared attention, creating space for soul work.

In a noisy world, we need companions who can direct us towards the life of the spirit. Idou introduces you to such companions, inviting you to reflect on the works of Christian guides and contemplatives like Thomas á Kempis, Theresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Brother Lawrence, and Julian of Norwich. A growing feast of inspiration comes to you in bite-sized morsels, feeding your heart as you walk along the way.

READ
- One passage per screen, set in a careful serif with generous margins
- Six themes, three light and three dark, each with its own typefaces
- Text size that follows Dynamic Type, and adjustable line spacing
- Every book and track remembers your place
- Today keeps one reading pinned, so it's there when you open the app

MARK
- Highlight a phrase with a single gesture
- Add a note to a highlight or to the whole passage
- Share a line with someone, cited properly
- The Notebook gathers every highlight, in reading order

REFLECT
- Start a reflection right after you read, linked to its passage
- Open it with one of your highlights as an epigraph
- Write a prayer alongside it
- Tag ideas and themes, then search and filter your journal

PRAY THE PSALMS
The Prayer tab gives you the day's psalms from the Berean Standard Bible. Pray the whole Psalter every two months, every month, or every month split between morning and evening.

THE LIBRARY
A growing library of works includes:
• The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis
• The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence
• The Cloud of Unknowing
• The Ascent of Mount Carmel, John of the Cross
• The Dark Night of the Soul, John of the Cross (download)
• The Psalms, Berean Standard Bible
• First Steps into Silence, a six-reading track to begin


Each author has a short introduction to their life and tradition. New works and curated tracks arrive in the Library without an app update, and you choose what to download. The Imitation of Christ also has a light-touch Modern English rendering, aligned paragraph for paragraph with the original, so you can switch between them.

FREE, WITH ONE OPTIONAL PURCHASE
The Imitation of Christ and the Psalms are free to read, with every feature. Idou Pro is a single one-time purchase that unlocks every other work and track. There's no subscription, and your highlights and reflections always stay yours to read.

PRIVATE BY DESIGN
Your highlights, notes, and reflections stay on your devices and in your own iCloud account. There are no ads, no analytics, no accounts to create, and no third-party services. Idou works fully offline.

NO STREAKS, NO BADGES
Idou doesn't count your days, send reminders, or reward you for reading more. It's built to slow you down.

Idou runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and your reading, highlights, and journal sync between them through iCloud.