App Settings: Configure Your Church Mobile App for Your Congregation
Your church mobile app is often the first digital touchpoint your congregation has with your ministry. Whether they’re checking the sermon schedule, giving on the go, or signing up for a small group, the app needs to feel like yours—your logo, your colors, your campus names, and your content. Getting that right from the start makes a lasting impression and helps your people engage more naturally with your church.
Why App Settings Matter
App Settings is the central control panel for configuring your church’s mobile application. Unlike the App Designer, which lets you arrange pages and navigation, App Settings controls the underlying configuration: branding assets, feature toggles, integrations, and technical details that power how the app behaves. Think of App Designer as the layout and App Settings as the engine.
Churches use App Settings to upload their header logo and menu icon, set the app’s menu title, configure social media feeds (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), connect their Google Calendar, and fine-tune how sermons, events, and giving appear. Multi-campus churches can define their campus list and map campuses to specific pages. Push notification providers (OneSignal, Firebase, Parse) are configured here, as are deep link identifiers for Apple and Google so links from your website open directly in the app.
Branding, Icons, and Splash Screens
First impressions matter. When someone opens your app, they should see your church’s logo, not a generic placeholder. App Settings lets you upload a header logo that appears in the app navigation, a menu icon for the side drawer, and customize the menu title. Status bar colors (the thin bar at the top of the screen on mobile devices) can be adjusted for light or dark themes, background color, and whether the status bar overlays the web view. These small details add up to a polished, professional experience.
Store Listings, Deep Links, and PWA
For churches that publish their app to the Apple App Store or Google Play, App Settings stores the identifiers needed for deep linking: the Apple App Site Association App ID and the Google package name with SHA-256 certificate fingerprints. These allow links from your church website (e.g., a donate link or event page) to open directly in the native app when installed, instead of in a browser. The same identifiers support Progressive Web App (PWA) behavior, so users can add your giving site to their home screen and enjoy an app-like experience.
In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org App Settings feature.
App Settings User Guide
App Settings is the configuration hub for your church mobile app. All settings are stored by group (e.g., Branding, Social Feeds, Push Notifications) and can be searched and edited individually. Changes are applied after you save; some updates require refreshing the mobile application cache to take effect in the app.
Key Takeaways
- Grouped by Category: Settings are organized into groups (Branding, Social, Calendar, Push, etc.). Use the search box to find a specific setting by keyword.
- Edit One at a Time: Each setting has its own edit page. Supported types include text, HTML, image uploads, color pickers, timezone/country dropdowns, and CSS.
- Refresh Cache After Changes: After editing settings, use the “Refresh Mobile Application Cache” button. Allow up to 2 minutes for the cache to refresh before changes appear in the app.
- Works With App Designer: App Settings configures data and integrations; App Designer arranges pages and navigation. Both are required for a fully customized app.
- Deep Links & PWA: Apple and Google identifiers for deep linking and PWA are configured in App Settings. The Deep Links page displays the generated JSON for your website.
Table of Contents
- Accessing App Settings
- App Branding
- Icons and Splash Screens
- Store Listings and Deep Links
- Feature Toggles and Integrations
- Campus Settings
- Deep Links and PWA Settings
- Editing Settings
- Frequently Asked Questions
Accessing App Settings
First-Time Setup and Info Page
App Settings requires the Native App Admin role. If your church has not yet configured a header logo, visiting /admin/appsettings will redirect you to an info page with an embedded overview of the church mobile app offering and a call to get started (615-206-4000). Once the header logo is set (typically during initial setup), the main App Settings page will load.
Viewing and Searching Settings
To open App Settings:
- Log in to the control panel.
- Expand the Mobile App section in the left navigation.
- Click “App Settings”.
The page displays all mobile app settings grouped by category. Each group appears in a collapsible panel with a table of settings. Use the Search by Keyword box at the top to filter settings by label or content. Matching settings and their groups will remain visible; non-matching groups are hidden. Clear the search to show all groups again.
App Branding
Header Logo
The header logo appears in the app’s main navigation bar. It should be a clear, recognizable image of your church logo or wordmark. Upload an image via the setting’s edit page. Supported formats depend on your storage configuration; typically PNG or JPG work well. The logo is displayed at a size appropriate for the app header; use a high-resolution image for crisp display on retina devices.
Menu Icon and Menu Title
The menu icon is the icon shown in the app’s side drawer or hamburger menu. The menu title is the text label for the main menu (e.g., “Main Menu” or your church name). These appear when users open the navigation drawer to access giving, sermons, events, and other sections.
Status Bar Colors
Status bar settings control the appearance of the thin bar at the top of the screen (battery, time, signal). Options include light/dark mode, background color, whether the status bar overlays the web view, and whether text is black or white. Adjust these to match your app’s color scheme and ensure readability.
Icons and Splash Screens
App icons and splash screens are typically configured during the initial app build or through your app store listing. App Settings may include options for map icons (used when displaying locations on a map) and other asset URLs. If your church uses a custom map icon for campus or event locations, configure it in the appropriate setting. Splash screen assets are often managed by OnlineGiving.org during app provisioning; contact support if you need to update them.
Store Listings and Deep Links
Apple and Google Identifiers
For apps published to the Apple App Store and Google Play, deep linking requires specific identifiers:
- Apple App Site Association App ID: The Team ID and Bundle ID in the format
TEAMID.bundleid. This is used in theapple-app-site-associationfile on your website so iOS can route links to your app. - Google Package Name: The Android package name (e.g.,
com.yourchurch.app). - Google SHA-256 Certificate Fingerprints: One or more SHA-256 fingerprints from your app signing key. Used in the
assetlinks.jsonfile for Android App Links.
These values are stored in App Settings and used by the Deep Links page and PWA controller to generate the correct JSON files for your website.
Deep Links Page
The Deep Links page (/admin/deeplinks) displays the generated Apple and Google JSON configurations. Copy these and add them to your church website at the required paths (e.g., /.well-known/apple-app-site-association and /.well-known/assetlinks.json). When configured correctly, links from your website (e.g., https://yourchurch.com/ul/app/donate) will open in the native app when installed.
Feature Toggles and Integrations
Social Feeds
Configure Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram IDs so the app can display your church’s social feeds. Enter the page or account identifiers provided by each platform. The app fetches recent posts and displays them in the social section. Leave blank to hide a feed.
Calendar and Sermons
Calendar settings include the Google Calendar ID and Google API Browser Key for displaying events. Sermon settings include the sermon feed URL (or use the default feed), custom headers for sermons, sermon notes, and podcast sections. You can also configure multi-campus sermon behavior so sermons are filtered by campus when applicable.
Push Notification Providers
Push notifications require a provider such as OneSignal, Firebase (GCM), or Parse. Configure the provider’s App ID, API keys, and related credentials in the appropriate settings. The Push Notifications page (/admin/pushnotifications) uses these credentials to send messages to app users.
Campus Settings
Campus List
Multi-campus churches can define a custom campus list for the app. By default, the app uses campuses from your Funds configuration. If you need a different set of campuses or custom names/slugs for the app, configure the campus list setting with a JSON structure containing name, slug, and id for each campus.
Multi-Campus Sermons
When enabled, the app can filter sermons by campus. This is useful when each campus has its own sermon feed or when sermons are tagged by campus in your ChMS or media provider.
Deep Links and PWA Settings
Deep link and PWA behavior rely on the same Apple and Google identifiers stored in App Settings. The PWA (Progressive Web App) controller serves the apple-app-site-association and assetlinks.json files from your giving domain so that:
- Universal links on iOS open your app when installed.
- Android App Links open your app when installed.
- PWA “Add to Home Screen” behavior works correctly with your app.
Ensure these identifiers are set correctly before publishing your app or enabling PWA features. The Deep Links page will indicate if configuration is needed.
Editing Settings
Setting Types (Text, Image, HTML, CSS)
Each setting has a type that determines the edit interface:
- Text/HTML: A textarea for plain text or rich HTML. Some settings use a WYSIWYG editor for formatted content.
- Image: A file upload field. After selecting an image, it is uploaded and the URL is saved. The current image is displayed for reference.
- Color: A color input for hex values.
- Country/Timezone: Dropdown selectors with predefined options.
- CSS: A code editor for custom CSS that styles the app.
Help text may appear below the setting label to guide you. Click “Save” to apply changes. The system will redirect you back to the App Settings index and trigger a cache refresh.
Refresh Mobile Application Cache
After editing one or more settings, click the “Refresh Mobile Application Cache” button in the page header. A confirmation dialog reminds you to allow up to 2 minutes for the cache to refresh. The app fetches configuration from cached files; without a refresh, changes may not appear until the cache expires. Use this button after making multiple edits to ensure all updates are available to the app.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between App Settings and App Designer?
App Settings configures the underlying data and integrations: logos, social feeds, push providers, deep link IDs, campus list, and similar values. App Designer arranges the app’s pages, navigation, and layout. Both are needed for a fully customized app. Think of App Settings as the engine and App Designer as the layout.
Why don’t I see App Settings in my navigation?
App Settings requires the Native App Admin role. If you don’t see the Mobile App section or App Settings, your user account may not have this role. Contact your church administrator or OnlineGiving.org support to request access.
I updated a setting but the app still shows the old value. What do I do?
Click the “Refresh Mobile Application Cache” button and allow up to 2 minutes for the cache to refresh. The app loads configuration from cached files; a manual refresh ensures your changes are available immediately. If the issue persists, try closing and reopening the app, or clearing the app cache on the device.
Where do I configure deep links for my website?
The identifiers (Apple App ID, Google package name, SHA-256 fingerprints) are stored in App Settings. The Deep Links page (/admin/deeplinks) displays the generated JSON. Copy the Apple and Google configurations and add them to your church website at /.well-known/apple-app-site-association and /.well-known/assetlinks.json. Your web developer or hosting provider can help with this.
Can I use custom CSS in the app?
Yes. If your church has the mobile app CSS setting available, you can add custom CSS to override default styles. Use the CSS editor (with syntax highlighting) to write your rules. Save and refresh the cache for changes to take effect. Use caution with broad selectors to avoid unintended side effects.
How do I add or change campuses in the app?
By default, the app uses campuses from your Funds configuration. To override this, configure the campus list setting with a JSON structure. Each campus needs a name, slug, and id. Contact support if you need help building this structure. Multi-campus sermons can be enabled separately to filter sermons by campus.
Need help setting up? Contact us at support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000. OnlineGiving.org provides courtesy setup assistance for our customers.