# Flashnote Derby — user reviews

> 131 indexed App Store user reviews of Flashnote Derby by Luke Bartolomeo, rated 3.70/5 from 95 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flashnote-derby/id453126527/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flashnote-derby/id453126527.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 48 · 4★ 11 · 3★ 12 · 2★ 9 · 1★ 15

## What do users think of Flashnote Derby?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🎮 Engaging gamified learning experience with racing themes
- 🎵 Effective tool for learning note reading and music literacy
- 🎨 Customizable themes and visual designs
- ⚙️ Highly customizable settings for notes, speed, and difficulty
- 👨‍🏫 Teacher-friendly features with student tracking and presets
- 🎯 Multiple answer modes (letter names, keyboard, real instrument)
- 📱 Works across multiple clefs and instruments
- 💰 Affordable pricing
- 🏆 Motivating progress tracking and scoring system
- 👶 Age-appropriate and fun for children

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and app freezing issues
- 🔊 Harsh negative feedback sounds (booing) discourages learners
- 🎵 Inaccurate note detection, especially for E note and lower instruments
- 📱 Poor mobile responsiveness and slider controls on phones
- ⚠️ Data loss after updates without warning
- 🔐 Password reset and account access issues
- 📧 Email preset feature not functioning
- ⏱️ Removed speed options (Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop) in recent update
- 🎮 Limited note variety in recent update (only one of each note)
- 📺 Lack of audio/visual connection in instructional videos
- 🖥️ Display scaling issues on some devices
- ⏰ Unresponsive touch controls for settings and options
- 🎯 Confusing font choices for letter selection
- 🔄 Poor developer responsiveness to support requests

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes on launch or during use
- White screen on startup that auto-closes
- Note recognition fails, particularly for E note
- Low instrument octave recognition issues
- Data and student names lost after updates
- Settings menu disappears or becomes inaccessible
- Speed selection buttons unresponsive
- Email preset sending feature non-functional
- Password reset system broken
- Master device cloning feature not working
- Audio detection marks answers before notes are played
- Incorrect display scaling on iPad and tablets
- Slider controls difficult to use on mobile devices
- App incompatible with Safari and some browsers
- Family sharing not recognized despite being enabled

**Most requested features**

- Restore previous speed options (Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop)
- Option to customize number of test notes (return 10/20 options)
- Remove or tone down negative feedback sounds
- Add more theme options (animals, seasonal themes)
- Untimed mode without racing element
- Two-octave keyboard display for better note differentiation
- Support for sharps and flats
- Alto and tenor clef options
- Female jockey character option
- Combined treble and bass clef exercises
- Better search visibility in app stores
- Family sharing support improvements
- External audio interface compatibility
- Improved mobile responsiveness for sliders and controls
- Better instructional videos with audio/visual note examples
- Personalized high scores for multiple users

## Newest reviews (15 of 131)

### 4/5 — Good other than one creepy dude

*2026-07-24*

Okay this is a good app other than one thing… The dude  in the review mistakes and stuff is just creepy like remove that dude please like right now. Oh and also if you use the play it thing then I detects just any little noise so I might say you’re worong even if you didn’t do anything.

### 2/5 — Kristine

*2026-06-23*

This game WAS fantastic until the recent update. My students loved doing this and j had so many of them purchase and download it. The fact that the horses or Pegasus are not racing and there is only one alien ship now makes it one dimensional and not nearly as good as it used to be. Hoping it goes back to how it used to be. We will be looking for a new game in the meantime

### 3/5 — Update Missing the Unicorn?

*2026-03-02*

We have been using this for several years and enjoy it very much. With the update my daughter is sad it no longer has a unicorn button to start the unicorn race.

### 3/5 — Great, HOWEVER…….

*2026-02-26*

I have been using this app for years with students. It’s not only great fun it’s a brilliant tool to learn note reading. I love the fact that I can choose the notes I want my students to recognise. HOWEVER, since the update, it’s got worse. Unless there’s a setting I can’t find, having only one of each note is not good. If I want a student to practise telling the difference between a G and an E, it’s not going to work. They know that if it’s not one, it’s the other. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give us the choice to choose how many test notes they get OR give us back the 10/20 options for number of test notes.

### 2/5 — A little upset…

*2026-02-13*

Oh no! Updated this app and it completely wiped all my student data and names and I wasn’t able to access the settings, as that had disappeared as well.  Had to reinstall and I’ve lost my student names/data.  THEN worst thing is I have already made worksheets to use along with this app with the old speeds of Walk, Trot, Canter and Gallop - which my students are working their way up the speeds - now it’s all changed (after I’ve got several new students to purchase it)- the timer has one less category and the unlimited is not useful as a replacement of one of the speeds you had.  Can you reinstall the speed options you had? The sliding scale is very difficult to toggle when using a phone as well - including the selection of how many questions you want as well.  I’m sorry to say - this is a little bit of a downgrade for people like me who have been using this successfully prior to this update.  I’m a little distressed by the changes…can you reinstate some of the old features please.  It was great the way it was!
Hope you can appreciate the feedback from a consistent user over many years.

### 2/5 — Not recognizing E

*2025-12-08*

This is a very fun app and useful, except that it keeps not recognizing the E note. It marks a big X when it is clearly the E note being played on the piano, it also sometimes recognizes it but most of the time it doesn’t. Is this happening to anyone else? It’s just a problem with that one note. It’s worth saying we have only used middle C to G as of now. So don’t k own if other flaws are lurking. Hadn’t had this issue with a competing app.

### 4/5 — 希望加入音符声音

*2024-12-18*

Hope团队升级：在数字MIDI模式和虚拟钢琴上练习认音符时，希望能让琴键发出原始音高的声音．．方便使用者用耳听音．目前只能后台打开库乐队，连midi用。

### 4/5 — Translation

*2023-12-01*

Please translate to Brazilian Portuguese

### 4/5 — 老师注册问题

*2023-11-01*

怎样才能注册成功，注册很多次了……

### 4/5 — Setting the speed

*2023-08-23*

I can no longer choose a speed or choose the number of flash cards. What happened? It used to work.....when I touch walk or gallop nothing happens.

### 3/5 — 无法打开app

*2023-05-25*

iPadOS 13.6.1  突然无法打开app，一直白屏闪退。iPhone可以正常使用。求回复

### 3/5 — Emailing Presets Stopped Working

*2023-05-08*

So disappointed that I can no longer email preset practices to students which was the main reason I bought the app and asked parents to buy the app. I’ve tried logging out, uninstalling the app, etc but nothing fixes it. The buttons to select “send the preset” or “cancel” do not respond when selected. I did email the developer but haven’t gotten a response.

### 3/5 — More themes?

*2023-04-27*

So, I am asking if you could add more themes. Maybe some stuff like other animal races? Such as owls, dolphins, huskies, bunnies, and some other stuff. Please respond because I feel it has been a long time since an update, but it is still a great app for children to learn how to note read.

### 1/5 — doesnt let me start it

*2022-11-26*

i can not open it so i don’t know what it’s like but i see that a lot of people like it

### 1/5 — Horrible

*2022-06-01*

Bad

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — Crashing

*2025-11-02*

After I use the app, the next time I go on it won’t let me use it until I delete it and download again

### 1/5 — Inaccurate note detection and variable speed

*2025-07-26*

Waste of money

### 1/5 — 注册不了

*2024-12-14*

注册不了

### 1/5 — Disappointing

*2024-04-03*

Pretty counter intuitive that the actual gameplay doesn’t teach the note names of the staff, but they have to be learnt from some very dry 7-minute videos hidden in the settings menu. Even then, the notes aren’t sung or played so there’s no connection between the visual and the aural, a real basic music ed principle. Was hoping for the price that it would have levels for progressive advancement and rewards to encourage children to learn, but it’s very bare bones and as my 5 year old said, “Boring”. Wouldn’t be so upset by it if I hadn’t paid $8 for it when it’s worse than most $2 apps. Going to ask for a refund.

### 1/5 — 打不开

*2023-10-29*

闪屏退出，打不开。怎么样才能退款，38块。。。。。。。。。。。。

### 1/5 — 下载后闪屏打不开

*2023-07-09*

下载后老闪屏打不开

### 1/5 — iPad闪退 Iphone可以

*2023-06-20*

版本13·6·1

### 1/5 — Doesn’t fit right on apple screen

*2023-04-15*

Doesn’t fit right on the screen

### 1/5 — App not working

*2023-03-08*

I have paid and downloaded the app but whenever I open it it just brings up a white screen then automatically closes itself.

### 1/5 — Pretty boring app with nothing much

*2023-01-05*

Anyone else forced to play this by their piano teacher?

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Flashnote

*2026-07-22, version 4.0.6*

Hiiiii this is an amazing app I have loved using it.it is very fun and spectacular for practicing .it is also very fun and interesting for the younger people because of the different themes and you can choose your notes as well.!!!if you want to learn notes this is spectacular!!

### 5/5 — Amazing!

*2026-02-20*

I have been using this app for almost ten years  now and I just love it. The themes, the colours, the way it is desplayed, everything! It has helped me a lot with my piano skills guiding me from simple pieces to much more complacted songs. 

The new update has highly improved the quality of this well designed app, taking it from amazing to breathtaking! You can now  change the theme the sounds and you can even create a teacher account.

To conclude if you are considering getting this app I would highly recommend it.

### 5/5 — 购买后闪退打不开怎么回事

*2025-02-23*

闪退

### 5/5 — Have a great day

*2024-11-04*

My mom bought this app for three dollars and I hate whenever she spends money on me, because I don’t feel like I deserve it. I’m trying to play this app more because I really want to make her proud. I’ve seen reviews saying that there is booing whenever you get a question wrong. I’m not a genius, but I’m pretty sure turning off the volume solves that problem. Anyways, I have no clue if this app is actually worth three bucks, but I do think that it is great for learning notes in a fun way. I don’t know why, but it feels so wholesome whenever I play on my own, because I don’t usually feel like practicing unless my mom tells me to. God bless you if you made it this far.

### 5/5 — Perfect for learning the musical staff

*2023-05-09*

Great app! I use this in private & group sessions with my students and they love it. It’s been a big help in my group lessons, and there are a lot of different levels available. Perfect for any instrument also, as it offers all 4 clefs.

### 5/5 — Great BUT

*2022-01-21*

This a great app that has made piano lessons more fun for my students. I especially love the option to play the instrument. SUGGESTION: Have an option with no timer or race, just answering the notes, as some kids don’t do well being timed.

### 5/5 — Great

*2021-11-09*

Sweet app it’s awsome! But the licensing feature is pretty terrible.

### 5/5 — Space race

*2021-10-16*

My students LOVE the space race. It’s very exciting for them and keeps them trying to learn notes so they can win!

### 5/5 — Flashnote

*2021-10-05*

Amazing App…. 😘

### 5/5 — Worth buying

*2021-04-23*

This app is great. Simple, straightforward. Highly recommended. BUT developers - I can never remember what it’s called and it doesn’t come up on App Store for searches such as learn to read music etc. Same for google search. You might want to look at this!

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*