BandHelper2026-10-09 - App Store

Much more than a "songbook" app, BandHelper can organize your band and power your live show.

COMMUNICATE EFFORTLESSLY
. Distribute songs and set lists automatically to your bandmates
. Send standardized gig invitations and confirmations
. Maintain one organized source for gig details
. Give sub players all the charts and recordings they need for a gig

REHEARSE EFFICIENTLY
. Sync set list, lyric and chord updates as you work
. Play reference recordings instantly, with speed and loop controls
. Transpose chords for different singers, capo positions or horn keys
. Review notes and voice memos from previous rehearsals

PERFORM SEAMLESSLY
. Configure keyboards, effects and lighting as you change songs
. Play backing tracks, click tracks and video presentations
. Customize the interface or use foot switches for hands-free control
. Add custom fields for personal notes and reminders

MANAGE YOUR BAND PROFESSIONALLY
. Track income/expenses and let band members view their earnings
. Organize your booking and industry contacts
. Build stage plots to send to venues
. Generate invoices to send to clients

*** If you have a problem or a suggestion, please contact me before writing a review. I can't troubleshoot problems through the review system, but I respond promptly to all help tickets and posts in my support forum. ***

Version History • Added Settings > Appearance > Selected Song Style to indicate the selected song in the set list view with a blue or orange line or box.

• Adjusted some of the song colors for greater contrast in the dark color theme.

• Updated the color formatting to support one color applied on top another at the same start location.

• Fixed the incorrectly sized transpose buttons on the song edit page.

• Added Settings > Advanced > General > Reduce Auto-Scroll Resolution for old devices that can no longer keep up with the normal pace of auto-scroll calculations.

• Stopped an infinite loop when multiple devices follow each other's account sync actions through Live Sharing. 2026-10-09 2d ago • Updated most of the top toolbar icons and a few of the layout icons for a cleaner and more unified look. The Live Sharing icon was changed to two people with "broadcast" lines between them, and the Sync icon was changed to a cloud. The MIDI icon now shows solid dots all the time, and the dots enlarge when sending or receiving data. The other icons follow the same concept as before, but with slight style adjustments.

• Adjusted the module icon colors for a calmer and more unified look.

• Adjusted the colors used for song titles and lyrics formatting for more contrast and a more unified look.

• Adjusted the background colors for more contrast when reading lyrics and other text.

• Removed the gradients from the layout button icons, for a cleaner look with better contrast.

• Reduced the size of the layout button icons slightly, to place more emphasis on your song content. The touch areas for the buttons are the same size, so they won't be harder to click accurately.

• Reduced the size of the song list text in the set list view slightly, to place more emphasis on your song content and reduce scrolling. You can adjust the size if needed by editing the layout song list and clicking the song list's options button.

• Moved the detail text in set list set headings to the same line as the set title to reduce scrolling.

• Updated the font options for the Lyrics and Chords fields. The four font settings are the same, but the specific fonts used for each setting are different. These new fonts should be easier to read, and support real sharp and flat symbols. The spacing is slightly wider than before, so if you have trouble with line wrapping, you can turn on Settings > Advanced > Other > Use Old Fonts to return to the previous fonts. However, we recommend using that temporarily and updating your lyrics font sizes if needed to work with the new fonts.

• Updated the stage plots to use the same font across platforms for consistent printing. The spacing might be slightly different than before, so if you have trouble with overlapping text, you can turn on Settings > Advanced > Other > Use Old Fonts to return to the previous font. However, we recommend using that temporarily and updating your stage plots if needed to work with the new font.

• Added Settings > Appearance > Lyrics Line Spacing and Chord Line Spacing to adjust the line spacing in the Lyrics and Chords fields. You can increase the spacing to make the text easier to read, or decrease the spacing to reduce scrolling.

• Changed countdown timers to use a monospace font so the number positions don't shift as the numbers change.

• Increased the touch area around the lyrics/chords divider to make it easier to click.

• Updated the layout templates with additional background boxes and lines, to give more visual structure to the layouts. This doesn't affect existing layouts, but you can add new layouts using the templates to see the new designs.

• Added rounded corners and insets to background boxes immediately when adding them to a layout.

• Updated the Queue Recordings function to play an attached MIDI file in sync with a queued recording.

• Updated videos playing on an external display to respond to the Loop setting and the Seek Video app control action.

• Updated the Start/Stop/Toggle Auto-Scroll app control actions to be captured by automation track recording.

• Updated the Speak Text function to ignore LRC timestamps in lyrics.

• Fixed the Export Settings button on phones. 2026-09-25 Sep 27 • Removed Liquid Glass effects from some elements because they made it too difficult to set the interface colors across iOS versions.

• Fixed incorrect table header layering on iOS 27.

• Updated the Play Audio Simultaneously With Other Apps setting to work with the Multi-Route Audio setting. 2026-09-11 Sep 13 • Fixed a crash when cross-fading recordings.

• Stopped showing a 0 in the Tempo layout field when the tempo is not set. 2026-09-08 Sep 9 * Added Settings > Audio & MIDI > Queue Recordings. With that turned on, you can play a recording, then select another recording to queue it and it will play seamlessly at the end of the current recording. You can play any combination of looped or non-looped recordings, and you can queue a recording after itself to make an ad-hoc loop. See the Advanced Audio tutorial for more info.

* Added audio units (AUv3) for all the audio output channels (Recording 1-8, Tempo and Pitch) as an alternative to Inter-App Audio. You can load BandHelper's audio units into a mixer or effects app to stream the audio directly to those apps. When connected, the audio will be muted from BandHelper.

• Correctly updated the Multiple Recording Buttons and Recording Controls states when changing songs with the Continue Audio When Changing Songs setting on.

• Fixed a problem that made LRC timestamps visible in the document viewer after transposing.

• Fixed ChordPro positioning when bracketed chords are in the same lines as LRC timestamps.

• Restored support for ChordPro-positioned text consisting only of numbers.

• Fixed the list section headings that overlapped the shortcut buttons. This also changes the behavior of the heading at the top of the list when scrolling down; it now appears semitransparent over the list.

• Fixed incorrect positioning when saving a layout when a group of items is selected.

• Reduced power consumption when playing tempo clicks. 2026-09-04 Sep 6 * Added support for LRC formatting: timestamps embedded into lyrics with square brackets. If you start the auto-scroll function for lyrics containing timestamps, BandHelper will jump to lines of lyrics at the specified times instead of smoothly scrolling through the entire lyrics. If you start the auto-scroll function while playing a recording, the LRC timestamps will sync to the recording time, even if you skip or jump around within the recording.

• Added buttons to the automation track edit window to convert between Highlight Lyric Line automation events and LRC timestamps. You can use this if you previously set up lyric highlighting with an automation track but now want to use the new LRC functionality, or if you previously set up lyric highlighting with LRC timestamps but now want to use an automation track.

• Updated the document import function to support LRC files (.lrc extension). If you import an LRC file, BandHelper will copy its lyrics, timestamps and supported metadata into a new song and then discard the file.

• Updated the export buttons to offer more sharing options. Save to Files is still available, but you might have to scroll down or click More to see it.

• Updated the Control Center integration to show the BandHelper icon and allow stepping through songs in a set list if the remote screen offers previous/next buttons. To control BandHelper from the Control Center, you will need to turn off Settings > Audio & MIDI > Play Audio Simultaneously With Other Apps. To step through songs, you will need to have the Start Recording app control action set to Song Selection or Song Auto-Selection.

• Updated the audio functions so another app's audio will keep playing until you play audio from BandHelper when Settings > Audio & MIDI > Play Audio Simultaneously With Other Apps is off, and renamed that setting from Let Other Apps Play Audio In Background to better describe the new behavior.

• Optimized the account syncing by only checking for missing files once at the end of the sync, and added a progress bar while checking for missing files.

• Disabled the operating system's Smart Punctuation functionality in the Chords field to allow typing three dashes to create a column divider.

• Restored the blink behavior of the automation button while recording. 2026-08-21 Aug 23 * Updated the workflow for editing app control actions. When you select an action on the Settings > App Control page, you can now access all the available triggers from expandable lists within the same window. You can also click the Learn button, then send a message from a Bluetooth, MIDI or Flic device (including double-click and hold gestures) to select that trigger automatically. And you can remove individual triggers directly from the Settings > App Control page, without selecting the action and the trigger category first.

• Added default app control actions for new app installations: Previous/Next Song on Up/Down Arrow, Previous/Next Page on Left/Right Arrow, Send MIDI on Song Selection and Start/Stop Auto-Scroll and Start/Stop Recording on Two-Fingered Tap.

* Updated the Import button on the Repertoire > Songs page to include two options, Documents and Recordings. Both options allow multiple file selections and will create a new song for each file selected. The Documents option supports a mixture of files that will be attached to a song (PDF, JPEG) and files that will be parsed directly into the song fields (ChordPro, OnSong).

• Removed the playlist import function.

• Updated the main menu shortcuts so that navigating back from a shortcut takes you to the module menu instead of the main menu.

• Moved the Attachments section after the Lyrics section on the song edit page.

• Moved the Size through Loop settings after the Active setting on the document edit page.

• Updated the song search function in the set list view to include custom fields.

• Fixed a problem where background color formatting at the start of the Lyrics field would be copied to the spaces between ChordPro chords.

• Fixed some situations where the transpose buttons were enabled even though no chords were present.

• Added Settings > Advanced > Audio & MIDI > Hardware Sample Rate in case your device doesn't automatically select the sample rate for a connected audio interface.

• Removed the warning message from empty picker windows if the picker window has an add button.

• Removed the help tips from the Repertoire menu. 2026-08-07 Aug 9 • Restored the automatic display of the search field in the set list search popup on phones.

• Enabled the Change Another User's Response fields on the event edit page for users who aren't included in the event but do have editing permission.

• Updated the lyrics pagination to avoid scrolling all the text out of view.

• Stopped triggering song selections on following devices when loading a set list on the lead device with Live Sharing.

• Improved the spacing of the Transpose Toolbar layout item.

• Fixed the missing title in the app control action edit window.

• Reduced the size of the Guitar Rack stage plot item.

• Fixed the Cowbell tempo downbeat sound. 2026-07-24 Jul 26 • Updated the Full-Screen Lyrics layout template to show some song content and buttons beside the song list instead of only a song list. This provides access to more info and will make the song list load faster.

• Updated the Smart Copy functionality to allow moving smart copies into different projects than the original copy.

• Added a Separate From Original button on the song edit page for smart copies. This breaks the link to the original song and makes the smart copy a fully independent song.

• Fixed the sorting of a smart list by color when using project-specific colors.

• Stopped iOS 26 from hiding all the set list view edit buttons when they don't all fit.

• Fixed a problem where an app control action mapped to a Flic button trigger didn't show as selected in the trigger picker.

• Disabled the response options for Require Response events for users who aren't invited to the event. 2026-07-10 Jul 15 • Restored the automatic display of the search field in the set list search popup. 2026-06-29 Jun 30 • Updated the Bluetooth input code for more reliable foot switch connections on iOS 26.

• Fixed a crash when selecting formatted text in a field that contains Unicode characters.

• Fixed a problem with the Hide Other Lyrics Sections setting for the document viewer.

• Tightend the button spacing in top toolbars on iOS 26.

• Fixed an empty space above the list filters on phones. 2026-06-19 Jun 21 * Added a Text Styles page in the Repertoire module where you can define reusable styles with a set of formatting options. You can then apply these text styles to text in the Lyrics, Chords and Notes fields on the song edit page. If you go back and edit a style later, all the songs that use that style will update automatically.

* Updated the ChordPro import function to convert from ChordPro environment directives to BandHelper's predfined text styles, based on the Map To ChordPro Style setting on the Text Style edit pages.

* Added an Indent button to the text formatting toolbar, to indent text without manually adding spaces.

* Replaced the Headings Fade setting on the Settings > Appearance page with a Headings Color setting. You can use this to set headings marked with a # symbol to any color.

* Added Chords Size, Chords Bold and Chords Italic settings to the Settings > Appearance page. You can use these along with Chords Color to format chords detected in the Lyrics field. These settings do not affect chords in the Chords field.

• Updated the new Live Sharing code to improve Bluetooth-only connections between iOS devices. However, wi-fi networking is recommended for better performance and cross-platform compatibility.

• Fixed a problem that disabled the Done button in the status windows after navigating backwards in the main view. 2026-06-12 Jun 14 • Fixed a problem that dismissed the keyboard when typing into a search field. 2026-05-28 May 29 • Added the recording controls when playing a recording from the song edit page.

• Removed the duplicate All and None buttons from picker windows.

• Updated the Show Document Viewer action in an automation track to load the document for the current song if needed.

• Updated the app control Hold detection so that if you press and release a button quickly before the end of the hold time, a click action will be triggered immediately without waiting until the end of the hold time; but if you release a button too slowly to be a click and not slowly enough to be a hold, no click or hold action will be triggered.

• Updated the app control Double-Click and Hold detection to check for specific messages, to avoid delays if you click with one message and double-click or hold with a different message.

• Stopped saving the list filters automatically and added explicit Save and Reset buttons instead.

• Sped up the display of the App Control Status window. 2026-05-22 May 24 * Added support for attaching documents in Word (.docx or .doc) or RTF format. BandHelper will convert those files to PDF format when it uploads them to the server, so if you add a Word or RTF file while offline, you won't see the converted file until the app can sync.

• Added a Chords Size setting to the set list Share Songs page. You can use this to change the chords size separately from the rest of the text. This can be especially useful when printing chord charts without lyrics.

• Fixed a problem that scrolled the new song out of view when adding a song from the search button after the last song in a set.

• Updated the Next/Previous app control actions to continue stepping through song-level items even after selecting pinned items.

• Fixed the positioning of grouped fields on the MIDI preset edit page when opened in a popup window on a phone.

• Fixed overlapping toolbar buttons after a rotation on a phone in iOS 26.

• Updated the top toolbars in different kinds of popups to have consistent heights in iOS 26.

• Removed the non-functioning Open/Close Full-Screen Document app control action. You can use the Show/Hide Document Viewer action in full-screen layouts instead. 2026-04-24 Apr 26 • Updated the intro page to correctly appear automatically on slower devices.

• Hid the Invoices section on the Finance > Totals page if there are no unpaid invoices.

• Removed an extra top toolbar from the checklist view. 2026-04-08 Apr 8 • Updated the app to respond to universal links instead of custom "bandhelper://" links in notification emails and text messages.

• Restored the scroll position of the second column when transposing lyrics in a 2-column layout.

• Updated the formatting toolbars on the song edit page to include more buttons on phones in landscape orientation.

• Hid the lyrics search buttons on the song edit page when the device has parental control restrictions that block web access. 2026-04-03 Apr 5 • Updated the edit pages to stop any media players or hide the document viewer when selecting a different item to edit.

• Fixed a problem that temporarily reset ChordPro positioning when resizing text after transposing it in a 2-column layout.

• Fixed a problem that prevented changes to the MIDI input port and channel from taking effect until the MIDI engine was restarted.

• Updated the MIDI Learn function to update the existing control change row with the new value instead of adding new control change rows if you send the same control change with multiple values.

• Updated the Show Labels In Recording Buttons function to fall back to the recording name if the number of recordings attached is greater than the number of recording position labels entered.

• Fixed a problem that pushed the Save and Cancel buttons in popup windows off the screen when the toolbar contained a long title on iOS 26.

• Fixed a problem that made the bottom portion of the filters in the Add Songs popup unclickable on phones in portrait orientation on iOS 26. 2026-03-20 Mar 22 • Fixed a crash when an external display is connected. 2026-03-04 Mar 6 • Added Settings > Advanced > Audio & MIDI > Ignore Control Change Input.

• Tightened the decay on some of the tempo click sounds to reduce the sensation of a reverb effect.

• Updated the Start Video and Start Automation app control actions to follow the Delay Actions setting.

• Updated the file import functionality to handle a file that is already copied into BandHelper's data folder.

• Implemented code updates required by upcoming iOS versions. 2026-02-27 Mar 1 • Fixed a crash when playing or recording automation tracks on older devices. 2026-02-19 Feb 20 • Fixed the search button for list pages on iOS 18 and older.

• Fixed a crash when viewing a set list when no layouts are set up.

• Moved the Done button in the Live Sharing screen display window to the top right corner for consistency with other popup windows. 2026-02-13 Feb 15 • Restored the All and None buttons to the song picker.

• Updated list pages on phones immediately when navigation back from edit pages.

• Fixed a crash when sending many OSC messages at once when OSC was not already running. 2026-02-09 Feb 10 • Fixed a MIDI optimization issue that could cause crashes when sending or receiving MIDI. 2026-02-06 Feb 6 • Fixed a problem where some edit pages didn't fully reload after saving.

• Fixed a problem with the Next Page Or Song app control action that prevented it from changing songs.

• Updated the Previous Page Or Song app control action to correctly move to the last page of the previous song when the previous song displays 2-column lyrics.

• Fixed a problem that prevented automation track events from scrolling to some lyrics positions.

• Fixed a problem that limited the drawing area for lyrics annotations.

• Fixed a problem that showed the same text in both columns when showing lyrics in two columns and all the lyrics fit into the first column.

• Fixed a crash when pinch-zooming lyrics that contain many markers, with the last one close to the end of the lyrics.

• Stopped triggering a two-fingered tap action after pinch-zooming the Notes field.

• Fixed the edit shortcut buttons in the top toolbar when viewing the All Songs list.

• Fixed the Remove button for bottom toolbar fields when editing a layout.

• Fixed a problem that caused the app to show a duplicate connection to Bluetooth MIDI devices on iOS 26.

• Added Settings > Advanced > Audio & MIDI > Ignore Beat Clock Input.

• Updated the Tempo field to support fractional bpm values entered with a comma as the decimal delimiter on devices that use a comma as the decimal delimiter.

• Fixed a problem with incomplete color theme changes on iOS 26.

• Fixed the document toolbar background color in the light color theme on iOS 26. 2026-01-30 Feb 1