How to Find the BPM of Any Song on Your iPhone

BPM (beats per minute) is the song's heart rate. You need it to play along, mix into a DJ set, sync to video, sample, drum to, or write at the same tempo.

Finding BPM used to be a tap-along guess. Today it's a 5-second job from your phone. Three methods, ordered from simplest to most accurate.

Method 1: tap tempo (works anywhere, no app needed)

Open any metronome app with a "tap tempo" feature. Listen to the song. Tap a button on the beat for 6-8 beats. The app calculates the average interval and reports the BPM.

Accuracy: ±2 BPM if you tap consistently, ±5 BPM if you don't. Good enough for setting a metronome to play along. Not good enough for tight DJ mixing.

In Larka, tap tempo is built into the metronome on the Tools tab.

Method 2: live BPM detection apps

Apps like LiveBPM, BPM Tap, and Larka's Listen Mode detect tempo automatically by listening to the song.

Workflow: open the app, point your phone toward the speaker, watch the BPM display. Most apps need 8-15 seconds of audio to lock in.

Accuracy: ±0.5 BPM in clean conditions. The fastest accurate method for a recorded song playing on a speaker.

Limitation: only works while audio is playing. If you have a file but no speaker, you need method 3.

Method 3: file analysis

Upload (or record into the app) the actual audio file. The app analyzes the entire file at once and reports a single, confident BPM.

This is what Larka does when you record a take or upload a Cover a Song source — full-file BPM detection at the time of analysis. The result is more accurate than live detection because the algorithm sees the whole song rather than a 15-second window.

Use this when you have the file (your own recording, an MP3 you own, a downloaded reference track) and want maximum accuracy.

Why the same song sometimes reports two different BPMs

If two apps disagree about a song's BPM, one of them is probably reporting the *half-time* or *double-time* of the other.

A song at 84 BPM with a strong half-time feel might detect as 168 (counting every eighth note) or 42 (counting every two beats). All three numbers are mathematically related; only one matches the song's "feel."

Resolve disagreements by tapping along yourself for 8 beats. Whichever app reports closest to your tap is right.

BPM ranges by genre (cheat sheet)

Useful when you're writing or trying to identify what genre a tempo suggests:

• ·60-80 BPM — ballads, reggae, slow R&B, hip-hop (downtempo)
• ·80-100 BPM — most modern pop, mid-tempo R&B, hip-hop (standard)
• ·100-120 BPM — disco, classic rock, modern country, pop
• ·120-128 BPM — house, modern dance pop, EDM (mainstream)
• ·128-140 BPM — techno, big-room EDM, trance
• ·140-160 BPM — hard dance, drum & bass (half-time feel), modern hyperpop
• ·160-180 BPM — drum & bass, jungle, fast metal

Most songs you'll write will sit between 80 and 130 BPM.

Setting your tempo *before* you write

One useful workflow trick: before you start writing or recording, set the tempo intentionally. Don't let the song find its own tempo — pick one that matches the energy you want.

A "sad" song at 90 BPM feels meditative; the same song at 120 feels uplifted. The tempo decision changes the song's identity as much as the chord progression does.

In Larka, set the metronome before you start a recording, and the analysis uses your set BPM rather than guessing one. This is more reliable than letting detection figure it out from a noisy take.

Quick reference

Need to set a metronome to play along to a recorded song: tap tempo. Good enough.

Need precise BPM for DJing or production: live detection from a clear speaker, OR file analysis if you have the file.

Recording your own playing and want the BPM in metadata: record into Larka, BPM is in the analysis automatically.

Want to be sure two apps that disagree are reporting the same song: check if one is double or half the other; tap along to break the tie.