MusicKeep Help & FAQ

MusicKeep runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 and later. On iPad it adds a sidebar, keyboard shortcuts for playback and search, and drag-and-drop of audio files onto the window. It is an iOS and iPadOS app; there is no Android or web version.

MusicKeep is available on the App Store as a free download with an optional Plus upgrade, for iPhone and iPad running iOS 17 or later.

Open MusicKeep, tap Add Music, then Files, and pick one or more audio files or a whole folder. Files can come from iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, or any provider installed in the Files app, such as Dropbox when its app is installed. MusicKeep copies the audio into its own library, so the original file can stay where it is unless you turn on Delete Originals After Import. Your library is also visible in Files under On My iPhone › MusicKeep › Music, and anything you drop into the Import folder there, including from Finder with the device plugged in, is added automatically.

1. Get the MP3 legally, for example a purchase with a download option, a CD rip, or your own recording.
2. Save it somewhere the Files app can reach: iCloud Drive, On My iPhone, or a Files provider.
3. Open MusicKeep, tap Add Music, choose Files, and pick the file or folder.
4. Organize it with playlists, folders, favorites, and metadata edits.
5. Play it offline; no internet connection is needed once the file is in your library.

The same steps work for M4A, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and CAF files.

MP3, M4A, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, WAV, AIF, AIFF, and CAF. The same list applies to every way of adding music: the Files app, Wi-Fi Drop, Nearby Send, Dropbox, and Direct Download. Ogg Vorbis, Opus, WMA, and other formats iOS cannot decode are not supported. Files must be unprotected: songs downloaded from streaming services such as Apple Music or Spotify are encrypted and cannot be imported into any third-party player.

No. Offline downloads from Spotify, Apple Music, and similar services are DRM-protected and can only be played inside those apps. MusicKeep does not bypass DRM or extract protected streams. It plays unprotected audio you own or are authorized to use, such as music purchased from stores that offer downloads, CD rips, independent releases, and your own recordings.

Wi-Fi Drop sends music from a Mac or PC to your iPhone or iPad over your local Wi-Fi network, without a cable and without any MusicKeep server. Connect both devices to the same trusted network, open Add Music › Wi-Fi Drop, then scan the QR code or type the short address into the computer's browser and enter the six-digit code shown on your device. Choose files, drop in whole folders, or send a zip archive; they land in your library under MusicKeep › Wi-Fi Drop with their folder structure kept. The code works once, the session is protected by a one-time secret, and it ends when you leave the screen. Wi-Fi Drop is part of MusicKeep Plus.

A direct device-to-device transfer between two iPhones or iPads running MusicKeep, using Apple's peer-to-peer networking over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Nothing passes through the internet. Open Add Music › Nearby Send on both devices and turn it on, tap Connect next to the other device and accept on that device, then choose the songs to send. The receiving device sees the song names and total size and accepts before anything is added. Either device can send. Keep the screen open until the transfer finishes. Nearby Send is part of MusicKeep Plus and is needed on both devices.

Yes, for files you own or are authorized to download, and it is free. Add Music › Direct Download accepts a direct HTTPS link to an audio file, or lets you browse to a public web page that offers one. MusicKeep does not search for or provide music, and it asks you to confirm before saving. The website you download from sees your IP address, as it would from any browser.

Yes, in two ways. For free, pick audio stored in Dropbox through the Files app whenever the Dropbox app is installed. With MusicKeep Plus, Add Music › Dropbox connects your Dropbox account inside MusicKeep so you can browse folders and import songs or whole folders directly. Sign-in happens between your device and Dropbox, and the credential stays in your device's Keychain; disconnecting removes it. If direct Dropbox access is unavailable in your build, the app offers the Files option instead.

The most common reasons are a protected (DRM) file, an unsupported format, or a file that is still downloading from iCloud. Make sure the file is fully downloaded in the Files app first, then try again. If a file that should work keeps failing, email the format, the app version, and the exact error message.

Yes. MusicKeep is a local music player: every file in your library is stored on your device, and playback, search, playlists, lyrics, and metadata editing work in Airplane Mode. Only optional features you start yourself use the network: Wi-Fi Drop, Nearby Send, Dropbox, Direct Download, the Find Artwork Online action, and App Store purchases.

Yes. Playback continues when you lock the device or switch apps, and you can control it from the Lock Screen, Control Center, headphones, Bluetooth and car media controls, and AirPlay devices. Siri and Shortcuts phrases, Home Screen widgets, and iOS 18 Control Center controls can start playback too.

Yes. Equalizer presets are free for everyone. MusicKeep Plus unlocks the custom 10-band curve, named saved presets, a preamp, optional sound leveling, and remembering your last preset per output, such as headphones, speaker, or a car connection.

Songs play back to back without gaps for everyone. An adjustable crossfade, which overlaps the end of one song with the start of the next, is part of MusicKeep Plus and is set from the Transitions tool in Now Playing.

Yes. MusicKeep Plus adds a fine playback-speed slider with a pitch-lock toggle, useful for practice, lectures, and audiobooks. Normal speed is always available for free.

Yes. The sleep timer is free and can stop playback after a preset or custom duration, or at the end of the queue.

If a song contains embedded lyrics, MusicKeep shows them automatically. To add or replace lyrics, open Now Playing › Lyrics and attach an LRC or plain-text file stored on your device, or paste lyrics from the clipboard. Synchronized LRC lyrics scroll with the song, timing can be nudged, and you can save bookmarks to jump back to a line later. Lyrics stay on your device; MusicKeep does not download lyrics from the internet.

Yes, for files you own. Long recordings remember where you stopped, show skip-back and skip-forward controls in the app and on the Lock Screen, can be kept out of shuffle, and chapter markers embedded in M4A files appear in Now Playing.

Yes, for free. Create as many playlists and folders as you like, mark favorites, rate songs from one to five stars, and browse by songs, albums, artists, genres, folders, and recently added. Search covers titles, artists, albums, genres, and filenames, and songs also appear in iOS Spotlight search.

A playlist built from rules, for example genre is Jazz and added in the last 30 days, or rating is at least four stars, that updates itself as your library changes. Smart playlists are part of MusicKeep Plus; regular playlists and folders are free.

Yes. MusicKeep imports and exports standard M3U playlist files from the Library screen, and opens .m3u files shared from other apps. An imported playlist matches entries to tracks already in your MusicKeep library; the M3U file itself does not contain audio, so import the songs first. Compatibility with another app depends on how that app writes its M3U files.

Yes, for free. Open a track's details to change its title, artist, album, genre, and other tags, and set artwork from Files, Photos, or the clipboard, or apply one cover to a whole album. An optional Find Artwork Online action, used only when you tap it, looks up covers with Apple's public iTunes Search service. Batch Edit Metadata, which changes many tracks at once, is part of MusicKeep Plus.

Open Settings › Backup Center and export a MusicKeep library backup. It preserves your playlists, folders, metadata edits, ratings, lyrics, and settings. Keep the original audio files as well; the backup does not duplicate the audio itself.

Yes. Import the same audio files on the new device, then restore the library backup from Backup Center to bring back playlists, folders, metadata edits, and settings. An encrypted iOS device backup or an iPhone-to-iPhone transfer also carries the whole library, including audio, to the new device. MusicKeep has no cloud sync of its own.

Delete tracks from the Library screen. Storage Insights in Settings › Storage, part of MusicKeep Plus, shows how much space imported music, artwork, downloads, and temporary files use, folder by folder, and can clean up files no longer referenced by your library. Listening history can be cleared from the History screen.

Smart playlists, the custom 10-band equalizer with saved presets, preamp, and sound leveling, crossfade, playback speed with pitch lock, wireless and cloud import (Wi-Fi Drop, Nearby Send, and Dropbox), batch metadata editing, Storage Insights, and every accent color. Everything needed to import from Files or a direct link, organize, and listen stays free.

Yes. Every Plus feature can be tried free for 14 days. The trial starts on your device from the paywall, from onboarding, or from any locked feature, needs no payment method and no account, and never converts into a charge. When it ends, Plus features lock again until you subscribe or buy the lifetime unlock.

You can choose a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime unlock. Prices vary by App Store region and are shown in the App Store at purchase. All three support Family Sharing where Apple offers it.

Subscriptions are handled by Apple: open iOS Settings › your name › Subscriptions, or use the manage button in Settings › MusicKeep Plus. Cancelling keeps Plus until the end of the paid period. Refunds are requested from Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com; we cannot issue them directly.

Open Settings › MusicKeep Plus and tap Restore Purchases while signed in with the Apple Account used for the original purchase. You will not be charged again.

On your device, and only there. Imported audio lives in the MusicKeep folder you can see in the Files app, and playlists, ratings, lyrics, history, and settings are stored in the app's own data. MusicKeep has no account and no servers of its own, so nothing is uploaded to us.

No. Listening history exists only on your device, for your own Recently Played and Most Played lists, and you can clear it at any time. MusicKeep contains no analytics, crash-reporting, or advertising SDKs, and never sends your library, history, or settings anywhere.

No. There is nothing to sign up for and no advertising. The only external connections are the ones you start yourself, such as a transfer, a Dropbox import, a direct download, the artwork lookup, or an App Store purchase, which Apple processes.

Everything MusicKeep stored is removed with it, including imported audio. Before deleting or switching devices, export a library backup and keep your original audio files. An encrypted device backup or iPhone-to-iPhone transfer also carries the library over.