Mobile temple recommends soon available

[JAHS]

Mobile temple recommends soon available for Latter-day Saints

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will soon have an option to move one more card from their wallet to their phones as the church rolls out mobile temple recommends.

“With this additional recommend option, the church hopes it will improve and simplify the experience for all who attend the temple,” a statement from church representatives said Thursday.

The church said an electronic recommend will be available on the Member Tools app on phones and tablets for members who have been issued one. The mobile recommend can be scanned at any of the church’s temples worldwide.

The option will become available in different geographical areas on different dates — for Utah, Europe and the eastern United States that is May 29.

Much of South America and other western areas of the U.S. will have access to mobile temple recommends beginning Thursday, and areas in Africa and Asia will be added two weeks later.

On Thursday, the church updated some web pages associated with the mobile recommends, which link to guides for members, bishops and branch presidents, and stake and mission presidents.

The member guide specifies that members issued recommends can have either an electronic recommend or a paper recommend, but not both.

Those who have a temple recommend issued by their current priesthood leaders can request to change the format of their current recommend, but members whose leaders have changed will need to begin a renewal process to receive a mobile recommend, the guides say.

Accessing the temple recommend in the app will not require internet access, but the set up process will. Screenshots of the recommend will not be accepted at temples, according to the guide for members.

The guide says members will need a profile picture approved by their bishop or branch president on the Member Tools App to be eligible for the mobile recommend, along with a device running at least iOS 16 or Android 8 and an updated version of the app.

 

[JAHS]

So it can only be paper or app and not both? What happens if your phone dies while on your way to the temple?

[JustAnAustralian]

45 minutes ago, JAHS said:

So it can only be paper or app and not both? What happens if your phone dies while on your way to the temple?

The temple can look up your recommend status via your membership record. Just make sure you have some ID with you.

[InCognitus]

The article says:

1 hour ago, JAHS said:

Screenshots of the recommend will not be accepted at temples, according to the guide for members.

Also, you can't take a photo of a temple recommend with your phone and try to use that as a mobile recommend.  

[bluebell]

10 hours ago, JAHS said:

So it can only be paper or app and not both? What happens if your phone dies while on your way to the temple?

Or the church’s website isn’t working right. That’s fairly likely given its track record. 

[JAHS]

50 minutes ago, bluebell said:

Or the church’s website isn’t working right. That’s fairly likely given its track record. 

I think they say the internet is not needed to show the recommend. The App stores it on your phone. 

[bluebell]

15 minutes ago, JAHS said:

I think they say the internet is not needed to show the recommend. The App stores it on your phone. 

That’s good, but hopefully it’ll work better than LDS Tools

[longview]

2 hours ago, JAHS said:

I think they say the internet is not needed to show the recommend. The App stores it on your phone. 

With secure encryption?

In any case, I prefer NOT to bring my cell into the temple because it infringes too much on my focus on temple service.

[Amulek]

This went live in our area earlier this week. One of the quirks we've encountered off the bat is that, at least currently, only the priesthood leader who performed the initial interview is capable of changing it from paper to digital. So, for example, if the 1st Counselor did the interview for a current recommend, he's the only one who can process the change to digital. Nobody else can do it - not even the Bishop, which seems weird to me. 

 

[Robert F. Smith]

18 hours ago, JAHS said:

...................... members issued recommends can have either an electronic recommend or a paper recommend, but not both.

........................

The guide says members will need a profile picture approved by their bishop or branch president on the Member Tools App to be eligible for the mobile recommend, .....................

Even a passport comes in two forms, and you can have both.

Does the photo go on the electronic recommend?

[Robert F. Smith]

How about mobile temples?  Like the mobile tabernacle of Moses in the desert.

[JAHS]

2 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Even a passport comes in two forms, and you can have both.

Does the photo go on the electronic recommend?

Must be otherwise why would we need to provide it?

Edited May 23, 2025 by JAHS

[rpn]

You have to surrender your paper one to get an digital one.  

[Stargazer]

On 5/23/2025 at 10:06 PM, Robert F. Smith said:

Even a passport comes in two forms, and you can have both.

The two forms of passport are the booklet and the card. The booklet version can be used anywhere, but the card version can can only be used for foreign border entry by land and sea — and only in specific places. There are no limitations for destinations where you can use your passport book. Passport cards, however, can only be used going through a land border or seaport in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. For example, if you’re planning a Mediterranean cruise, you’ll need to use a passport book. The card isn’t valid for seaport entry in Europe.

On 5/23/2025 at 10:06 PM, Robert F. Smith said:

Does the photo go on the electronic recommend?

Yes. And the photo has to be approved by a member of the bishopric.

[Stargazer]

On 5/23/2025 at 6:27 PM, Amulek said:

This went live in our area earlier this week. One of the quirks we've encountered off the bat is that, at least currently, only the priesthood leader who performed the initial interview is capable of changing it from paper to digital. So, for example, if the 1st Counselor did the interview for a current recommend, he's the only one who can process the change to digital. Nobody else can do it - not even the Bishop, which seems weird to me. 

 

The instructions given to local leaders indicate that if it is the case that the previous approvers are no longer in those positions, you can just renew your recommend to get the mobile version. It says:

"If any of the priesthood leaders who issued the member’s current temple recommend are no longer serving in that call, begin the renewal process and select Mobile for the format of the temple recommend being issued."

[rpn]

It is very specific that it is one or the other (and given how apostates have previously gotten destructive access into temples, I absolutely understand why).

[Robert F. Smith]

7 hours ago, Stargazer said:

The two forms of passport are the booklet and the card. The booklet version can be used anywhere, but the card version can can only be used for foreign border entry by land and sea — and only in specific places. There are no limitations for destinations where you can use your passport book. Passport cards, however, can only be used going through a land border or seaport in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. For example, if you’re planning a Mediterranean cruise, you’ll need to use a passport book. The card isn’t valid for seaport entry in Europe.

................................

In addition, the card can be used as an ID at consulate or embassy anywhere in the world if a passport booklet is stolen (I have had my passport stolen).

Also, a passport booklet is not so universally useful.  I can recall using a laissez passer instead when a certain country would not allow a passport booklet to be used (that country was not on good terms with the country I was coming from).  This was only for a 5-day visit.

[Amulek]

On 5/25/2025 at 8:39 AM, Stargazer said:

The instructions given to local leaders indicate that if it is the case that the previous approvers are no longer in those positions, you can just renew your recommend to get the mobile version. It says:

"If any of the priesthood leaders who issued the member’s current temple recommend are no longer serving in that call, begin the renewal process and select Mobile for the format of the temple recommend being issued."

That is correct. If you want the mobile version and the person who interviewed you originally is no longer in the position (e.g., moved, calling change, etc.) then you have to start over. 

It seems weird to me that it has to be the exact same person with no exception, even for the Bishop. 

I guess I just view changing from paper to mobile as being the equivalent of re-printing an existing recommend (which anybody can do) - not issuing a completely new, separate recommend (which seems to be how the Church is viewing it, at least for now).

 

Edited May 27, 2025 by Amulek

[jpv]

On 5/27/2025 at 6:41 AM, Amulek said:

That is correct. If you want the mobile version and the person who interviewed you originally is no longer in the position (e.g., moved, calling change, etc.) then you have to start over. 

It seems weird to me that it has to be the exact same person with no exception, even for the Bishop. 

I guess I just view changing from paper to mobile as being the equivalent of re-printing an existing recommend (which anybody can do) - not issuing a completely new, separate recommend (which seems to be how the Church is viewing it, at least for now).

 

No because bishop can reprint. 

[JAHS]

2 hours ago, jpv said:

On 5/27/2025 at 5:41 AM, Amulek said:

That is correct. If you want the mobile version and the person who interviewed you originally is no longer in the position (e.g., moved, calling change, etc.) then you have to start over. 

It seems weird to me that it has to be the exact same person with no exception, even for the Bishop. 

I guess I just view changing from paper to mobile as being the equivalent of re-printing an existing recommend (which anybody can do) - not issuing a completely new, separate recommend (which seems to be how the Church is viewing it, at least for now).

 

No because bishop can reprint. 

The one who did the original interview is the one who received the answers to the questions from the member so I can understand why it should be the same person. He might know something that the member told him in the interview that other Bishopric members do not know about. God's house is a house of order.

Edited May 29, 2025 by JAHS

[Amulek]

14 hours ago, jpv said:

No because bishop can reprint. 

I don't understand what you are saying here. 

 

[Amulek]

12 hours ago, JAHS said:

The one who did the original interview is the one who received the answers to the questions from the member so I can understand why it should be the same person. He might know something that the member told him in the interview that other Bishopric members do not know about. God's house is a house of order.

You don't have to be the one who received the answers in order to reprint a paper recommend though. Anybody in the bishopric can reprint it - even a clerk - so I don't see why it has to be the exact same person if you want to change.

I suspect it's really just a technical limitation having to do with how they have set up user permissions within the Church's online system. 

 

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, Amulek said:

 

I suspect it's really just a technical limitation having to do with how they have set up user permissions within the Church's online system. 

 

This is my assumption as well.   The church's tech stuff can be sketchy on a good day.  I'm guessing that this is a weird glitch that they will eventually resolve and it won't be like that anymore.

[Stargazer]

On 5/27/2025 at 1:41 PM, Amulek said:

That is correct. If you want the mobile version and the person who interviewed you originally is no longer in the position (e.g., moved, calling change, etc.) then you have to start over. 

It seems weird to me that it has to be the exact same person with no exception, even for the Bishop. 

There's bound to be a rational reason for it, but I sure don't know it.

On 5/27/2025 at 1:41 PM, Amulek said:

I guess I just view changing from paper to mobile as being the equivalent of re-printing an existing recommend (which anybody can do) - not issuing a completely new, separate recommend (which seems to be how the Church is viewing it, at least for now).

What I like about the mobile recommend is that it depends on an app that you can't lose. Say you head for the temple, but managed to forget your phone. If you're with someone else, borrow their phone, sign them out of Tools, sign yourself in, and bingo, there you are! 

[Calm]

3 hours ago, Stargazer said:

There's bound to be a rational reason for it

Rational as in reasonable (it saved time and money in the programming) or understandable (as in weren’t paying attention when they wrote the program to all the details because they didn’t care)?

Edited June 1, 2025 by Calm