Offline Metronome: What Works Without Internet?

Yes—the installed Metronome Plus: BPM Counter app can run its free metronome and practice tools without internet, while PRO purchases and access checks depend on Google Play. The click is generated on your device. That makes offline practice different from buying, restoring, or confirming a subscription, especially before a trip or rehearsal without reception.

What works without a connection

The free tools run locally: the metronome, pendulum, Tap Tempo, Tempo Finder, Rhythm Game, Practice Mode, and saved tempo presets. Time signatures, subdivisions, accents, and the five original click sounds also work without a connection. You do not need to download a sound pack before using Classic, Wood, Digital, Bell, or Subtle; the app generates those sounds itself. For a regular practice session, set your tempo on Home and press the central play button. Opening a PRO screen is optional, and a billing connection problem does not make the free click a paid feature.

Microphone permission is separate from internet access

Tempo Finder analyzes microphone input on your device, so its BPM estimate does not need an online analysis service. It does need microphone permission and an audible source. In Session, open Tempo Finder and tap Listen. If access is denied, reconnecting to Wi-Fi will not grant that permission; check the app's microphone permission in your phone settings. Also watch for an old result: after an unsuccessful new listening attempt, the previous BPM can remain visible with its save and send buttons enabled. Do not treat that number as a fresh measurement. Wait for a successful new analysis before using it.

Why PRO has a different offline limit

Setlists, polyrhythms, Practice Stats, and five extra click sounds are PRO features. Their practice functions run locally, but access depends on subscription status. The app asks Google Play about ownership at launch and when returning to the foreground. When Play cannot answer, the app can retain PRO access for up to seven days from its last successful ownership confirmation. That period starts with the confirmation, not when you lose reception, so an older confirmation may leave less time. Treat it as a temporary fallback rather than a promise of unlimited offline PRO access. Reconnect and confirm access before an extended period away.

Check your setup before going offline

Install the app and open it while connected. If you use PRO, open the specific tool you need and confirm that it is available; use Restore purchase if necessary. Then turn off both Wi-Fi and mobile data, or use airplane mode and check that Wi-Fi is also off. Close and reopen the app, start the metronome, change the tempo, and try your saved preset. Test microphone access separately if you need Tempo Finder. This checks a fresh offline start on your own phone, rather than only proving that a click already playing can continue after the connection drops.

If Restore purchase says there is no subscription

A failed restore can display “No active subscription found” even when the underlying problem is that Google Play could not be reached. That message alone does not prove that your subscription ended. Reconnect, check your subscription in Google Play using the account that purchased it, then return to the app and try Restore purchase again. Google Play's purchase troubleshooting also recommends checking connectivity and reopening the app. Check the existing purchase before attempting another one. If access still does not match your subscription, contact support@hugosoftware.net and describe the screen and error you see.

Why the purchase screen may show unavailable plans

The purchase screen gets its prices and any trial details from Google Play. When a selected plan has no price available, the app disables its purchase button and shows a loading or unavailable state, with a dash in place of a price once loading has settled. An offline connection can prevent those details from arriving. Close that screen to return to the free tools, and reconnect if you want to purchase. Use the current terms shown in the app and Google Play when deciding whether to subscribe.

Offline saves are not a cloud backup

Saved BPMs, custom presets, game results, setlists, and practice records use storage on your device. Saving them does not require an upload, but it also does not create an account-based copy that follows you to another phone. Restoring a PRO purchase checks access to paid features; it does not restore those practice records. The app has no built-in preset or setlist file export. Before clearing app data or reinstalling to troubleshoot a connection, write down important tempos and setlist steps so you can recreate them if needed.

If the click stops or becomes inaudible

Start with Home's central play control and the volume controls on your phone and in the app. Test through the phone speaker to check whether the click is audible without your usual headphones. Keep the app visible during an important session. Offline operation does not establish that playback will continue through screen locking, phone calls, or switching apps, and those situations need a separate check on your device. The app requests that the screen stay awake while playing, but that request can be unavailable or denied. Do not assume internet access is the cause of every interruption.

If a setlist stops changing but the click continues

The Stop button inside Setlists currently stops the tempo sequence without stopping the metronome sound. To stop both, return to Home and press the central playback button while the click is running. This behavior can occur during offline practice, but reconnecting is not the remedy. Include stopping playback in your pre-rehearsal check, particularly if you plan to move between a setlist and a single fixed tempo.