Play the passage. Stop.
The next tempo is already set.

TempoStep is an iPhone metronome that listens. When you stop playing, it moves the BPM toward your target, so your hands never leave the instrument.

Download on theApp Store
For iPhone, iOS 17 or later. $4.99, paid once. No subscription or ads.
Audio stays on your iPhone. Nothing is recorded or sent.

What a session looks like.

TempoStep playing at 120 BPM, status: Playing detectedTempoStep paused at 120 BPM, status: TempoStep in 2sTempoStep advanced to 125 BPM, status: ListeningTempoStep at the 145 BPM target, number in amber, status: Target reached

Play

Set your starting BPM. The metronome clicks. The mic listens quietly in the background.

Pause

Stop to breathe, reflect on the last pass, stretch. TempoStep notices the silence and waits for you.

Step

When you are ready and begin to play again, the BPM has already advanced. You never touch a button or look at the screen.

Target

Hit the target BPM you set and the number glows amber.

= 120rest= 125130 · 135 · 140= 145

Rest between passes as long as you like.

Shake out your hand, look at the fingering again, work out what went wrong. Ramp apps keep climbing on a timer while you do. TempoStep waits, and the moment you start playing, the next tempo is already set.

Step or ramp apps

Trigger
A bar count or a timer. The clock decides when you advance.
Your rest
The tempo keeps climbing whether you are playing or not.
Ramp
Stepped at fixed intervals, or a smooth continuous climb.

TempoStep

Trigger
Your silence. The tempo advances only when you stop playing.
Your rest
As long as you need. Nothing moves until you play again.
Ramp
Stepped by a BPM increment you set, paced by your practice.

Four ways to reach the target.

  1. Step Up · default

    Each stop adds the increment you set until you reach the target.

  2. Shuffle

    A random tempo from a range around the target on every stop. How Shuffle helps.

  3. Spiral

    Steps up, drops back partway, climbs again. Fluency at every speed.

  4. Step Down

    Starts fast and works down toward the target, for precision.

Shuffle: a different tempo every pass.

Instead of stepping up, Shuffle picks a random BPM from a range around your target each time you stop. Use it on passages you can already play at tempo, so they don't settle at one speed. Full details in the manual.

It sticks
Harder in the session, measurably better retained the next day.
You stay listening
When you can’t predict the tempo, you can’t play on autopilot. You hear mistakes instead of drilling them in.
Any tempo works
On stage the tempo isn’t always the one you practiced. Practicing around a target gets you ready for that.

Grounded in research on interleaved practice in music (Carter & Grahn, 2016; Mathias & Goldman, 2025).

Everything else it does.

Microphone calibration

A quick baseline sets a threshold for your room. Works in practice rooms, at home, on the road.

Runs in the background

Auto advance keeps working while you use forScore, IMSLP, a tuner, or anything else on your phone.

Tap tempo

A few taps and the BPM matches. Match a recording, a teacher, or your own reference point.

Subdivisions

Off, 8th, triplet, 16th. Change in the settings menu.

Hold tempo

A lock pauses the advance. Groove on the current BPM for as long as you want.

Manual mode

Mic off, no calibration, instant start. One tap advances the tempo in whichever mode you are using.

Common questions.

Does it record me?
No. The mic only listens for whether you are playing or not. Audio is processed on your iPhone as it happens and is never recorded, saved or sent anywhere. In Manual mode, TempoStep doesn't use the mic at all.
Will it confuse my playing with other sounds?
On launch, TempoStep calibrates against the ambient level in your room and sets a threshold above that peak. Ambient noise like HVAC and traffic sit below the line. Your instrument sits above it.
What if I want to hold the tempo longer?
Tap the lock. Detection still runs, but the BPM does not advance. Unlock and it resumes from where you were.
When should I use Shuffle instead of Step?
Step Up is for climbing toward a target. Shuffle is for passages you already know at tempo. Random BPMs keep your ear honest, so the passage doesn't get memorized at one speed. The manual compares all four modes.
What if a microphone isn't practical?
Switch to Manual mode. Detection turns off, the calibration step is skipped, and you advance the tempo by tapping the arrow yourself. Everything else, including modes, subdivisions, and hold lock, works as normal.
Is there a subscription?
No. You pay once and it's yours. No ads, ever.
Android?
Not right now. If enough iPhone players use TempoStep, I'll look at Android.
"I've spent decades in the practice room working through passages by changing tempi. Stop. Reach for the metronome. Reset. Start again. It's a small interruption, but it breaks momentum. TempoStep removes that moment, letting the tempo advance on its own."
AM
Alan Molina
Orchestral violinist. Maker of TempoStep.
TempoStep app icon
tempostep
For iPhone on iOS 17 or later. $4.99, paid once. No subscription or ads.
Audio stays on your iPhone. Nothing is recorded or sent.
Download on theApp Store