FAQs

Move to a new phone

Normally the producer of your new device provides a tool to move the data from the old device to the new device (e.g. ‘Smart switch’ from Samsung). Also Google can do the job with the backup and restore feature.

And last but not least, smartChord has also different possibilities to synchronize data. If you want to do it with smartChord.

The best way is to copy a backup file
1. Go to smartChord on your old device
2. Send the backup file from the backup screen with the share
button to your new device. (You’ll get to the backup screen by the navigation menu in the left upper corner)
3. Copy a backup file to the backup folder on your new phone. The backup folder is something like /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/de.smartchord.droid/files/backup where ‘0’ can differ on your device.
4. Go to the the backup screen and restore the backup

Or you can use the synchronization:

1. Use the ‘Synchronize smartChord’ feature to store your content in the cloud
2. Add the Google Play account to the new phone. It’s the account with which you have bought smartChord or a s.mart app
3. Install smartChord on all s.mart apps you have bought on the new phone.
4. Use the ‘Synchronize smartChord’ feature on your new phone to restore your content from the cloud

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Why does the app need permissions?

smartChord does NOT need access to photos or to any personal information on your phone!
– The ‘audio record’ permission is essential for the tuner
– The ‘vibrate’ permission is needed to signal, that time is up (timer) or pitch is met (tuner)
– The ‘wake lock’ permission is needed to prevent sleep mode while the metronome is playing
– The ‘external storage’ permission is essential to import or export stored items like songs
– The ‘network access’ permission is needed for the internet search for songs (and maybe ads in the future)

There is a possibility to withdraw permissions with Android 6 or higher. Please check: ‘Info’ -> ‘Permissions’ -> ‘Permissions’

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Why do I have to install smartChord as a second app?

We want to make smartChord the best and most popular music app worldwide. To achieve this great goal, we have to go new ways. We follow the concept of a huge toolbox where the tools are very well integrated into each other. We made smartChord the central app with all the functionality and all the data.

As not every user needs every functionality, we made smaller packages for various purposes. The packages are represented by our plugins – the s.mart apps like the s.mart Mandolin. The s.mart apps just unlock functionality – but they need smartChord.

Your benefits:
⭐ smartChord as the central app, contains every functionality and data
⭐ The UNLIMITED provides includes also future features and apps automatically. You’ll never get asked to buy a new app or feature.
⭐ smartChord and thus every s.mart app is improved at least two times a month
⭐ The tools complement each other or build on each other
⭐ Uniform concept and user interface
⭐ Share the data between the tools
⭐ No need to update multiple apps
⭐ Very small memory footprint on your device
⭐ Early access to new features
⭐ Quick bug-fixes

Continue ReadingWhy do I have to install smartChord as a second app?

Where can I get help?

You’ll get help and tips for each screen by the ‘…’ menu in the upper right corner. There is also a FAQ section in the ‘Info’ which clarifies frequently asked questions. And there is our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smartChord. If there are still problems, please write an email to info@smartChord.de

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Update smartChord

Updating it the same for every app. Normally the update goes automatically if you haven’t deactivated that feature in the Google Play Store.

You can activate the automatic update in the Play Store on your device. Go to the Play Store and there to smartChord (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.smartchord.droid). In the ‘⁝’ menu is the checkbox to activate/deactivate the automatic updates.

If you have deactivated the automatic updates, the Google Play Store shows an ‘update’ button if an update is available:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.smartchord.droid

Please see also Google’s help page for updating Android apps: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/113412

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Tutorial for smartChord or music theory

We thought a lot about the help in smartChord. The handling of the app is described in the help, tips and the FAQ. And there is our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/smartChord.

The big open issue is the musical theory. But this is such a wide field with so much themes and topics. We skipped it as there are already so much good web sites where the musical theory is excellently explained.

The best advice would be to search the web for the topic you are interested in and use smartChord as a tool to support you.

There are a few tutorials about smartChord. It’s the best to search for smartChord on YouTube.

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Can I backup and restore smartChords data?

smartChord does make backups automatically on the backup folder /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/de.smartchord.droid/files/backup. The folder ‘0’ can differ on each device. You can also create backups manually anytime in the ‘Backup’ feature. There you can also restore any backup. You can reach the ‘Backup’ feature by the menu on the ‘Home’ screen. You can use the ‘Share’ functionality in the ‘Backup’ feature to send a backup to a save place or to another device where you can restore it.

You can restore the state of one device to another with the following steps:

1. Go to the smartChord home screen of your old device.

2. Go the ‘Backup’ feature (by navigation menu in the left upper corner).

3. Create a new backup.

4. Send the backup file from the ‘Backup’ screen with the share
button to your new device.
Alternatively you can use an explorer and send the backup from the backup directory to the new device:
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/de.smartchord.droid/files/backup

5. Copy the backup file on the new device to the following directory:
/storage/emulated/0/Android/data/de.smartchord.droid/files/backup

6. Go to the ‘Backup’ feature on the new device

7. Select the backup from the old device

8. Tap on the ‘Restore’ button to restore the backup

Continue ReadingCan I backup and restore smartChords data?

Chords correct?

There is an option in the ‘Circle of fifths’ screen to simplify the chord names. If this ‘simplified mode’ is activated, the circle of fifths shows the musical symbols according to your settings in ‘General settings’-> ‘Symbols’ instead of the chords according to the music theory.
As the circle of fifths obeys the theory, it produces chords like ‘G##’. The ‘simplified mode’ shows them as ‘A’ instead.

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Chord is missing

Please go to the ‘Choose chord’ screen and change the filter to ‘All’ (funnel button beneath the table header ‘Type’). This will reveal all chord types defined in smartChord.

If you still miss a chord, create your own ‘custom chord’ in the ‘Choose chord’ screen or send a link where the missing chord is described to info@smartChord.de. We’ll add it within one week.

smartChord knows a lot of chord types. Sometimes the overview gets lost. To attain an overview you may use the ‘filter’ functionality to reduce the chord types to the most common or your favorite ones.

By assessing your individual skill-level (basic, intermediate, expert) a corresponding set of settings will be made. E.g. showing all chords and fingerings (expert) or just simple and most common ones (basic).

Please be aware, switching the skill level has an impact on the chord settings, because with a change of the skill level you also change the depending settings, e.g. number and difficulty of displayed chords and fingerings.

Continue ReadingChord is missing