# Groovebox - Beat Synth Studio — user reviews > 653 indexed App Store user reviews of Groovebox by Focusrite Audio Engineering, rated 4.70/5 from 4,735 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/groovebox-beat-synth-studio/id1242847278.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 3,972 · 4★ 492 · 3★ 154 · 2★ 43 · 1★ 74 ## What do users think of Groovebox? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Refreshing simplicity - 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use - 🚀 Excellent sound quality - 🚀 Flexible and powerful - 🚀 Inspiring and creative - 🚀 Seamless integration with Novation hardware **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy and crashes occasionally - 🔒 No iCloud sync or cloud backup - 🔒 Limited export options - 🔒 Lack of MIDI support - 🔒 Clunky piano roll and note editing - 🔒 Missing key features like song mode and panning **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes when exporting projects - Playback issues with certain patterns - Disappearing UI elements when scrolling - Inconsistent behavior when changing sections **Most requested features** - Add song mode and ability to chain sections - Improve piano roll and note editing - Implement MIDI support and mapping - Add more export options like MIDI and multi-track - Implement iCloud sync and cloud backup - Add panning and more advanced mixing features ## Newest reviews (18 of 653) ### 4/5 — Simple to use but lacking a feature *2026-03-15* Add an option to switch to a vertical piano roll and I’ll probably buy the full version ### 3/5 — Falling into a state of disrepair but still good *2026-03-12, version 2.10.5* I have been a user of Groovebox for a long time now. The apps has inspired so many amazing projects that I have created. However, there are some serious bugs affecting the general enjoyment of the app. First off, The synthesizer windows bug out, showing black if you scroll to much in any direction. 2 things fix this and it is restarting the app or tilt your phone so your phone or IPad screen will project it right. Another issue is audio cut out. When multiple voices or melodies are played within a single channel, it will mute melodies based on start. This also happens to the drums. When you played the tracks, if the kick is at the very beginning of the grid or track, the first kick never sounds but it sounds normally after that. Another issue is bugs with volume automation. Within the editing grid, there tends to be a bug where when you try to change the volume automation, the notes don’t change color value, like going dark or lighter and the notes don’t lower and raise in volume. A fix is to restart the app or even delete and recreate a track. All of these issues are serious issues to me as a serious music developer and it ruins the quality of your music and makes it annoying to listen to or deal with. I will be filling a bug report status to Focusright in regard to this. If you don’t experience this, disregard my statement, however, if you do, report the bugs to the developers or look for another app. Thanks ### 5/5 — Successful beat synchronization *2026-01-25, version 2.10.5* Gave me a huge opportunity to put beats together to create my own music. Very easy to use gives you thousands of different options to piece your music together. ### 5/5 — CAN YOU PLEASE ADD MORE SAMPLES *2026-01-25, version 2.10.5* Love the app!!! ### 5/5 — Professional *2026-01-15, version 2.10.5* If you want professional sounds, I mean it’s really really good. Very good job guys. Thank you for doing this. ### 5/5 — Developer notes *2025-12-28, version 2.10.5* Having a way to record full tracks would be nice and having a or just creating launchpad interface integration would be sweet. Also library for samples instead of shuffling through random. Native to this app would be preferable and transfer sound packs from launchpad and just create this as a full DAW. Effects and live recording. ### 3/5 — Is this app still being worked on? *2025-12-27, version 2.10.5* This app hasn’t seen a meaningful update since 2020, when automation and the Horizon synth were introduced. Not even a new sound pack since around 2022. What happened to this app, Focusrite? You had a good thing going on, and you could’ve made it integrate nicely with your hardware. ### 2/5 — Sad. So much potential. Years later, no improvement. *2025-12-23, version 2.10.5* It’s like they almost finished each thing but just didn’t quite make it to the end. No way to get your midi tracks out of here. Bundle out is not to anything on the iPad. Row transitions are not synced so you can’t prestage any changes. No way to export a song. Not sure why such critical things are missing after all this time. ### 3/5 — Lov it!!! But… *2025-12-10, version 2.10.5* I’ve love this app one complaint is when I had to get a new iPhone or iPad my completed songs didn’t survive the date transfer 😞😞😞 ### 4/5 — It has 5 star potential. *2025-12-07, version 2.10.5* Please, I’m begging the developers of this app to give this app a custom time signature feature. I love that it has swing opportunities but come on, even GarageBand has time signature features with 3/4 and 6/8. But I think this app can be even better than GarageBand if it had a custom time signature feature so I can do something like 11/8 if I wanted to. Or even the opportunity to alternate beteeen 11/16 and 13/16 bar after bar. (Or 13/4, 7/4) I love the idea of complete custom odd time signatures and I think this app would be 5 star A+ if it had this option especially considering it already works with ableton. I’d definitely invest more money on this app that’s for sure! ### 3/5 — There is no chromatic scale *2025-11-29, version 2.10.5* I like this app but it’s a shame that there isn’t a chromatic scale so can you explain why there isn’t a chromatic scale and fix it NOW IMMEDIATELY! ### 4/5 — Needs AUV3 to be relevant in modern day. *2025-11-25, version 2.10.5* Let’s see some love to update this app to modern standards please ### 4/5 — Surprisingly good, simple yet powerful *2025-11-23, version 2.10.5* This app needs a bug fix update badly. Various sections of the synth controls disappear when scrolling between them with no way to get them back. Please fix this as it’s great hurting the functionality of the synths. ### 5/5 — Learned to love synths starting here *2025-11-19, version 2.10.5* This app helped me fall in love with playing synths and drum machines ### 3/5 — No está mal *2025-11-13, version 2.10.5* Seductor sonido e interface fácil para aprender y tener ideas rápidamente. No pongo más estrellas porque el audio glitchea cuando cambias de patrones, sobretodo se oye con las percusiones. Me encantaría que pudierais arreglar esto. ### 5/5 — Will I have to pay twice? *2025-10-31* Does this app require separate purchases on iPad and iPhone?I paid for pro bundle on ipad but I can't use it on my iPhone ### 4/5 — Great groovebox but some issues *2025-10-26, version 2.10.5* The sounds and workflow are great and this has helped write new songs, but there limitations if you want to use this live. There’s no way of chaining patterns (I want to use this to sing along to and play guitar) and the start/stop button is right next to the button to split the screen, so I keep hitting that instead. I can record the different sections and then chain them in another app, but then I lose the ability to mess with settings (like I do with my Novation Circuit). ### 5/5 — Awesome *2025-10-19* Fast and perfect tools to start up, creative songs. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — ADD MORE SAMPLES!!! *2026-04-05, version 2.10.5* VOLUME KEEPS GOING UP & DOWN! PLEASE FIX!!! ### 1/5 — Payant (non free) *2026-03-22* Vous ne ferez rien sans payer… Chaque instrument est payant et il vous faudra payer avant de les tester…. Payer payer payer… ### 1/5 — . *2025-08-25, version 2.10.5* Literally just make the app payable to download, you have to pay for everything in this app what’s the point of making it free. ### 1/5 — Was one of my favorite apps *2025-04-13, version 2.10.5* This was a good app , one of my favorites. Started last year maybe even longer than that. When playing .. one section of the synth or drum control would disappear and wouldn’t reappear. You just have a black empty slot. So you couldn’t make any adjustments if needed. Emailed the company and they said they were aware of it and were working on fixing it. Year goes by and it still isn’t fixed. So I emailed them a few days ago and they said they don’t know how to fix it and was sorry for the inconvenience…..Wasted money on all the sound packs I bought. I’ve bought a lot of equipment, midi keyboards,apps and sound packs from this company. They didn’t offer any kind of refund for an app that I can no longer use. I won’t use or by anything else from them or any affiliates tied to them. ### 1/5 — Second review: Synthesizers are limited. *2024-01-04, version 2.10.4* Ammendments to my original review: Inability to measure exact velocities of notes, except with the 3 preprogrammed low/medium/high settings included and a single sliding bar which occasionally functions. Retrobass LFO period dial restricted to the following presets: 32, 16, 8, 4, 3, 2, 1.5, 1, .75, .5, .333, .125, .063 beats. Presets are useful, if you’re looking to adjust LFO so that it lines up with rhythm and Tempo etc proportionally. if you’re trying to make chaos bass, your stuck with the proportions and out of luck. NO PANNING FOR MELODIC INSTRUMENTS, except for a ping pong function that requires you to add delay. Original review: —————————————————————— The iPad version of this ”DAW” will not sync your projects across iCloud to its iPhone counterpart. The projects you create will not sync across your devices, unless you are reinstalling a copy of the applications data from a previous icloud back up. If you are a beginner looking for this specific feature,Try Auxy, garageband, or ANY OTHER APPLICATION instead. Using this application is fun. But it is not conducive to developing unique or complex song writing skills as it lacks any form of structuring for your sections and ideas. You cant even name a section. (An idea implemented perfectly by auxy,garageband,etc.) I’ve used it for six years. Do you know how complicated it is have 5 to 7 different versions of the same project? Every time you reach the maximum number of sections(20) The only workarounds are 1. duplicating the project, and deleting some of your original idea, 2.using an app like garageband or FL studios or cubase. Believe me, Theyre worth the money you’ll end up putting into this app as you scramble to find new sounds. if you are the newbie looking for an application that has user-friendly design and an intuitive platform for learning the basics of sequencing and programing synthesizers, this application is useful. however for those whom need anything more than eight bars, SYNTHESIZERS, or a section-to-section play through for listening through your whole project, go to GarageBand instead. Ampify will recommend you use their other apps instead, but they will have limitations as well. I strictly use this application for doing sticky notes. You’ll have to make a lot of app purchases to figure out the different synthesizer sounds, and for any more drum kits other than the few free ones, you’ll be forced into purchasing their extras. If you save a preset for a synth sound you like or discover—keep in mind, it’s not gonna sync from your iPad to your iPhone or vice versa. ### 1/5 — buy ableton note.its much better *2023-10-08, version 2.10.3* lost patience with this and have now deleted as the devs just use it as a cash cow to sell packs and wouldn’t add any of the suggestions ppl made to make it a better app.ableton note give you far more without constantly trying to get you to buy another pack that gets slipped in by way of bug fixes. ### 1/5 — I love this app BUT *2023-09-28, version 2.10.3* I love this app, I made several songs using it but they are on my old phone and I can’t open them on my new iPhone cause this app doesn’t support iCloud, really???? I have the same iCloud account on two devices, but my beats are in one of the devices, and there’s no way to open them on my other device!!!! ### 1/5 — I am not in love with this update. *2023-09-21, version 2.10.3* I was checking this app for an update before my person dive in production. Not successful because the previous track I had made did not play all of the file. Please respond back. And the update did not fix this issue. Now no sound at all in playback mode. ### 1/5 — I can’t open this *2023-06-01* It don’t open and I can’t play it ### 1/5 — Compré Mantra percu y vaya 😞 *2022-06-08, version 2.9* No me gusto nada . No me timarán con otras … Es bastante lioso hacer algo . Faltan TUTORIALES … ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — I can dig it. *2026-07-13, version 2.10.5* I like how there are so many instruments that I can choose from. And you don’t have to pay for a lot of them. I do however think there should be some acoustic drums for free. I’m a drummer and I like the acoustic sound that a traditional kit produces. I also there should be a variety of pianos to choose from as a starter pack. I like piano as it was the first instrument I learned. But over all I like Groovebox as it is. Five stars. ### 5/5 — So underrated *2026-06-08, version 2.10.5* So been using this for quite a while and can confirm that it is pretty amazing to have this level of sound quality on my phone . The Novation synths are great. I use the random preset feature for inspiration and then erase and write my own parts but occasionally they be just right. I wish there was a song mode or longer patterns. And a way change the track sequence length on the same screen. Needs more synths and a sampler but I’ve come up with stuff on this little app that blows my mind ! ### 5/5 — Great werk *2026-05-29, version 2.10.5* Loved this app since I was six. Most fun and innovative DAW ive worked with yet. ### 5/5 — Effin’ Rockiing thank you! *2026-05-28, version 2.10.5* Hello! I have been using iPad for music lately - as I just try to use the tools that are accessible. Been making music for 30 years or more i am old lol… but - I love novation synths, I have had a number of hardware ones in the past and still have my trusty x-station - except I ruined the track pad - poo… but - I thought no novation on iPad, and then I found this, and thought! YES!!! The app sounds great. It is intuitive and fun. It’s quick and easy. I’ve been making a lot of iPad music for the last few years and never knew about this… but - am really glad I found it. In some ways it is a little outdated - only exports in 16bit 44k, but I route it through AUM and work in 24 bit 48k… there is no MPE - but - I like to retune synths - and you can do it in mono - but you can only do it to one synth at once in AUM… limitation as it is an old IAA app - not AUv3. You could do really well if you released these synths as AUv3’s Novation! And if you are cool and inject some MPE into it that would be awesome - I looooove MPE… midi 2 would be good too - but no one is doing that… I’ve made about 8 tracks since I got it with it - and I really like 3 of them. The autogenerators could do better - if you want some generative algorhythms - look me up and i’ll hook you up… they do things like lots of consecutive fifths and parallels - which sometimes is nice - but is a bit limiting all the time… Basically - download this app and see if you like it. It’s pretty affordable, and great value - I got all the synths - not the preset packs - but they are well priced enough I may consider them… Thanks Focusriste! Novation! You rock hard. 🤘😊 ### 5/5 — Developer please take note and add Quantizing features would be amazing *2026-05-02, version 2.10.5* Using the Quantize button on the Novation launch key to quantize sounds to grid will be cool in 2026 ### 5/5 — Another One *2026-03-18, version 2.10.5* This App Fire 🔥 🔥🔥 ### 5/5 — I love this app *2026-03-09, version 2.10.5* I’ve been using this app for a while, probably a year. I just wish there were more free music choices for us to enjoy. ### 5/5 — A great app but. *2026-03-04, version 2.10.5* I’ve been using this app over the last few years. I have explored some projects out to be over the time. However, I’ve gone back into the app now and quite a large majority of the projects that I’ve saved in there have disappeared. The titles of the project is still there, but the contents has all disappeared. I’m not sure how this is happening as I would like to export the projects out now to my DAW for further work. ### 5/5 — My favorite music app *2026-02-22, version 2.10.5* I think this app is underrated. Sure, it's not a full DAW, and if it could integrate with launchpad and blocswave that would be awesome. However for being free unless you choose to purchase packs and upgrades, I think it's an amazing app. I've been using it for years and I'm not a music professional by any means but this app has greatly helped me improve creatively. I love it so much and I hope it stays around forever. I think if they ever stopped supporting this app I would genuinely cry. 100/10. ### 5/5 — Long time user *2026-02-05, version 2.10.5* I’m a musician who chose the reggae tip probably forty years ago. Today I use Groovebox to create the best reggae music I’ve ever heard. Being that I’m not the smartest person . I have about three hundred songs that I can’t figure out how to sequence or dump. Every time someone or something happens to my phone it’s all gone. So I have lost about four hundred next level music tracks over the years. Now I have two iPhones and both are quickly getting filled up with Groovebox data. So Groovebox is my therapy but I’m too stupid to know what to do or how to develop the material I have . There’s a lesson here……. --- *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 2026-08-30.*