Support & FAQs
Keystrike is available on iPad, iPhone and Mac. If your question is not answered here, email us.
USB MIDI: Plug your keyboard into the iPhone or iPad with a USB-C cable, or use Apple's Lightning to USB Camera Adapter on older Lightning devices. On Mac, plug the keyboard in directly. Keystrike shows a green "Keyboard connected" indicator when MIDI input is detected.
Bluetooth MIDI: On iPhone or iPad, open Keystrike's Connection guide from Settings, tap the Bluetooth pairing button, and put your keyboard into pairing mode. On Mac, pair through Audio MIDI Setup > Open MIDI Studio > Bluetooth.
If the keyboard is not detected: Unplug and reconnect once, ensure your USB cable is a data cable, and check that the keyboard is powered on. Some MIDI keyboards need an external power supply when connected through an adapter.
If you do not have a MIDI keyboard, Keystrike can listen through the device microphone for the notes you play on a real upright or grand piano. To enable it, open Settings > Acoustic mode and grant microphone permission when prompted.
Tips for accurate detection: place the device within a metre of the piano, in a quiet room. Heavy reverb, background music, or a TV nearby will reduce accuracy. Acoustic mode detects single-note pitch. Use MIDI for reliable chord and two-hand input.
Audio output and input have small delays that vary by device and headphone setup. Use the calibration tool in Settings to measure your setup and align timing with what you hear. Recalibrate after changing headphones or audio output.
Open Pieces, find the "Your imports" section and tap Import. Pick a .mid or .midi file from anywhere in the Files app — iCloud Drive, On My iPad, Dropbox, anywhere visible to Files. Keystrike will parse the file into a practice chart and add it to your library.
If a file imports but reports zero playable notes, the file may use SMPTE timing or SMF format 2, which are not supported. Most MIDI files in the wild are format 0 or 1 with tick-based timing and will work without changes.
Tempo: the slider slows playback to as low as 25% of original tempo without changing pitch. A slower tempo gives you time to work through a difficult passage accurately.
Hand filter: isolate the right hand, the left hand, or play both. The grading honours the filter, so you can drill the left hand alone for as long as you need.
Metronome: tap to enable; tap-and-hold to set BPM. The metronome runs alongside any piece.
Section practice lets you pick a phrase from a built-in or imported song, save it, and loop it. Use this for hard bars rather than restarting the whole piece every time.
Starting with version 1.3, new users receive three days of full access. Existing seven-day trials retain their original expiry. After the trial, Ode to Joy remains playable; a single in-app purchase unlocks the full app. There is no subscription and no automatic charge when the trial ends. Purchases and restores are handled by Apple. Open Settings and tap Restore purchases if you have already bought the unlock.
Free-play sessions can be recorded and saved. To export a recording, tap the share icon on the recording's row — Keystrike writes a standard .mid file and offers it to whatever destination iOS or macOS supports (AirDrop, Files, email, Messages).
Reset all progress in Settings clears your learning progress, including completed lessons, streaks and skill statistics. Export a local backup before resetting if you may want to restore your progress. Resetting progress does not create a new trial or remove an App Store purchase.
"Notes are landing late." Re-run calibration from Settings. Headphones, AirPods, and Bluetooth speakers all have slightly different latencies, so if you change audio output you should recalibrate.
"My MIDI keyboard plays sound through itself but not Keystrike." Most MIDI keyboards have a "Local control" setting that should be ON for audio out and routes MIDI to the iPad simultaneously. Check the keyboard manual.
"Acoustic mode keeps mis-hearing me." Move the device closer to the piano and reduce background noise. Acoustic detection is genuinely useful for note-reading drills but is less reliable for fast passages or thick chords. For serious practice, a MIDI keyboard remains the right tool.
"The on-screen keyboard feels cramped." Use iPhone or iPad in landscape, or use a wider Mac window. The keyboard scales with screen width.
If there is something you wish Keystrike did differently, send an email. We read everything and ship what fits the design. We will not add ads or data monetisation.