Tap Tempo: Find BPM by Tapping

To set BPM by tapping in Metronome Plus, open Session, find Tap Tempo, and tap the Tap button once per beat; the estimate is applied automatically. Return to Home to check the metronome's BPM and press play. You do not need to enter a number or use the microphone.

Where to find Tap Tempo

Choose Session from the bottom navigation, then scroll to the Tap Tempo card. Look for the Tap button beside a BPM readout, with a short hint underneath. This is the manual tempo control. Tempo Finder is a separate tool for microphone input, while the large TAP button inside Rhythm Game belongs to a timing exercise. Use the Session card when your goal is simply to turn a rhythm you can tap into a metronome setting. Tap Tempo does not require Pro.

Tap a tempo and use it

If the metronome is already playing, stop it on Home so its existing click does not pull you toward the old tempo. Open Session and tap evenly, once for each beat you want the metronome to mark. A first estimate appears after the second tap, but continue for about eight taps before deciding on a setting. Stop tapping, return to Home, and read the large BPM number. Press play to hear it. There is no separate Apply button in the Tap Tempo card: each new estimate changes the metronome setting as you tap.

How many taps should you use?

Two taps provide one time interval, which is enough for an initial estimate but gives you little chance to settle into the rhythm. Treat eight steady taps as a useful starting routine, rather than a guarantee of accuracy. The app uses up to the eight most recent taps, so continuing replaces older timing information instead of averaging everything since you began. Eight taps contain seven intervals. The tap count in the hint therefore stops at eight even if you keep tapping; it is the number currently being used, not a running total.

What the BPM number means

BPM means beats per minute. Tap tempo estimates it from the average time between your taps: BPM equals 60 divided by the average interval in seconds. For example, evenly spaced taps half a second apart give 120 BPM; one second apart gives 60 BPM. These are calculation examples, not accuracy claims. You do not need to tap for a full minute. The important choice is what each tap represents: the number describes the pulse you entered, so changing from one tap per beat to two changes the result.

Why the estimate changes, and how to start over

Shorter gaps push the estimate up; longer gaps pull it down. An accidental extra tap or a missed beat can therefore move the result even when the rhythm you meant to enter has stayed the same. Keep your attention on an even pulse rather than trying to steer each new number. For a clean retry, stop for more than 2.5 seconds, then begin again. The next tap starts a new sequence. After that first tap, the hint says to keep going; an older BPM label can remain visible until the second tap produces a fresh estimate.

If the result is half or double what you expected

Check your tapping pattern before correcting the number. Tapping twice as often doubles the calculated BPM; tapping every other beat halves it. For example, a pulse that gives 100 BPM produces 200 BPM if you add an evenly spaced tap between every pair, or 50 BPM if you tap only every other beat. Choose the pulse you actually want to practice against and repeat the measurement consistently. Avoid switching between a slower pulse and faster notes during the same attempt, because the average will mix the two.

Check Home when a result is outside 40–220 BPM

Metronome Plus plays at whole-number settings from 40 to 220 BPM. The Tap Tempo label can show a measured value outside that range even while its hint says the tempo was applied. For example, taps at 240 BPM can leave 240 on the Tap Tempo card while Home shows 220, the metronome's upper limit. Below the lower limit, the metronome stays at 40. Check Home for the setting that will actually play. If you choose to tap at half or double speed to fit the range, remember that you have changed which pulse the click represents.

Listen before settling on the setting

Use playback as a final check: does the click match the pace you intended to capture? If it feels slightly too fast or slow, use the minus or plus button on Home to adjust by one BPM at a time. For a clearer comparison, choose the quarter-note option under Presets, Subdivision if extra clicks are distracting. A matching BPM does not by itself put a metronome click on the same instant as a recording's beat. Judge the spacing between clicks, rather than expecting the play button to synchronize playback with another source.

Keep a tempo you want to use again

Once the Home value is useful, open Presets and tap the plus button beside Tempo Presets. The BPM field starts with the current metronome setting. Give the preset a short name that identifies its purpose, check the number, and choose Save. Later, select that preset to restore the tempo without tapping again. The Tap Tempo card itself has no Save button and does not automatically add each estimate to the saved BPM list. A named preset is the direct way to keep a tapped setting for another session.