Live BPM detection on iPhone, locked on a playing song, with song identification and the tempogram
Live detection
The iPhone metronome set to 120 BPM in 4/4 with vibrate on beat, ready to play
Metronome
The Detected Songs history on iPhone with the BPM of every identified song
Detected Songs

On iOS specifically

Built for the phone it runs on.

The detection engine is shared with the Android build. Everything below is what the iPhone version does with it.

🎯

Live BPM with a confidence indicator

Follow the BPM as the music plays. The confidence indicator shows when the reading has settled, and the tempo display updates as the music changes.

🔊

Apple Music keeps playing

Keep Apple Music, Spotify, or YouTube playing through the speaker while you measure the tempo. MagicBPM listens alongside your music.

🎵

Names the track

Tap Identify and you get the title and artist next to the tempo, using Apple's music recognition. Free to use, and it opens straight back into Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music or whichever app you set under Open in.

🌙

Lock Screen and Dynamic Island

The metronome keeps clicking when you leave the app or lock the phone. A Live Activity starts it, stops it, and nudges the tempo by 1 or 5 BPM without unlocking, and the click survives the silent switch.

↕️

Half or double, one tap

Some music can be counted at half or double the tempo. The Half, Detected and Double controls move it where you meant, and it stays there for the rest of the session.

🔒

On-device by design

Tempo detection never leaves the iPhone: audio is analyzed live and discarded, never recorded, never uploaded, never used to build a profile. Song identification sends a fingerprint of the sound, not the sound.

First run

How to check the BPM on an iPhone.

If the number keeps moving, get closer to the source, cut the background noise, switch the capture mode to Best accuracy in Settings, or narrow the tempo range when you already know roughly what to expect.

Also on board

More than a counter.

On a Mac? The same app, with a sidebar and keyboard shortcuts, is on the Mac App Store. On Android? The same engine, and most of the same app, is on Google Play. Prefer to try something first? The browser metronome and tap tempo need no download at all.

Free, with a one-time Pro upgrade

Get MagicBPM for iPhone.

Detection, the metronome, tap tempo and song identification with a tap are free. Pro is a single purchase, never a subscription.

  • Auto-identify songs as they play, hands-free
  • Detected Songs history: every song with its BPM, artwork and a link into your music app
  • 12 additional metronome sounds, with previews before you buy
  • Every ad removed

Good to know

iPhone questions

Which iOS version does it need?

iOS 18 or later, on iPhone and on iPad. The App Store listing carries the exact current minimum, since it moves with each release.

Can an iPhone show the BPM of music that is already playing on it?

Yes, as long as the sound comes out of the speaker. MagicBPM takes a mixable audio session, so Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube keep playing on the same iPhone while it listens through the microphone and locks the tempo. MagicBPM listens through the microphone, so it cannot measure music playing only through headphones. Use tap tempo while you listen instead. More on that here.

Does the metronome keep playing when I lock the iPhone?

Yes. The click carries on when you leave the app or lock the screen, and a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island starts it, stops it, and nudges the tempo by 1 or 5 BPM without unlocking. It also keeps playing with the silent switch on.

Does it work on iPad?

Yes, the same app runs on iPad, and the metronome has its own iPad layout rather than a stretched-out phone one. Haptics are the one thing an iPad cannot do, since the hardware has no Taptic Engine, so the metronome there is sound and the on-screen beat indicator.

Is the BPM counter free?

Yes. Live tempo detection, the metronome with all its time signatures and subdivisions, tap tempo and song identification with a tap are free, with ads. MagicBPM Pro is a single one-time purchase, not a subscription: it adds automatic song identification, the Detected Songs history, twelve extra metronome sounds, and removes every ad.

Does it record what my microphone hears?

No. Tempo detection runs entirely on the iPhone: audio is analyzed in real time and discarded, never recorded and never uploaded. Song identification, when you use it, sends a compact acoustic fingerprint of the sound, never the audio itself, to Apple's Shazam service. See the Privacy Policy.

Something not covered? Support, or email [email protected].