常念

Changnian

A daily companion for Buddhist chanting.

Changnian is an app for chanting every day. Listen to sutras read aloud and follow along line by line. Keep a morning and evening practice, dedicate merit to your family, and keep track of Buddhist festival and fasting days on a lunar calendar. The recordings are built into the app, so it works without an internet connection.

Type: iPhone app
Year: 2026
Language: Simplified and Traditional Chinese
Status: Coming soon to the App Store. Android in testing.

Features

Screens from the Simplified Chinese version.

A sutra a day

Open the app and see what to chant today: the suggested sutra, the verse of the day and your morning and evening practice. On fasting days and Buddhist festival days, it suggests a practice for the day.
Read along, line by line

The text follows the recitation and highlights each line as it’s read. Tap any line to start from there. Turn on pinyin or make the text larger.
A verse to share

Each day brings a verse often quoted from the sutras, with its source. Turn it into an image and share it with family and friends.
Simple morning and evening practice

Arranged in the order used in temple liturgy, about fifteen minutes a day. Add or remove items to suit you.
Dedicate merit to family

Start a dedication for someone you love: choose the sutra and how many times, chant a little each day and watch your progress.
A dedication text when you finish

When the dedication is complete, the app writes a dedication text you can save or send to your family.
Festival and fasting days at a glance

A lunar calendar marks Buddhist festival days and fasting days, and reminds you before they arrive.
Twenty-one festival days

Each one comes with its story, its source in the sutras and a practice suited to the day.
A practice journal

Your streak and total recitations are kept in a practice journal. Sign in and nothing is lost when you change phones.