Update is terrible
Also, the app randomly cancels my practice session when I go to a different app then come back to it.
So the practice time tracker is unreliable and completely useless. Don’t depend on the app to track how long you’ve practiced.
Shameful not to have access to old recordings
In shock.
Not to mention this new app design is totally unnecessary, ugly, and a waste of their [our] money. The beautiful object was to encourage practice, no? Which you’d already mastered? Wasn’t it pleasing enough to you that you’d made the perfect app? Not earning enough eh? Watch out folks - Modacity is no more, just another click-bait tabloid. So unless you have fat pockets (and not much between the ears), I’d avoid sponsoring this company, as you certainly won’t improve much on your instrument without subscription, and because clearly this company has caught the “financially-unsatisfied” bug, and resorted to soulless and careless expansion at the expense of widespread musical encouragement. If you want to improve on your instrument with Modacity, without subscription - DO NOT UPDATE.
Such a shame that this once-brilliant and immensely helpful app has now become another transparent business-first-client-second moneymaker. Horrendous.
Good app for practice.
Response from developer
Michael from the support team here. Thanks for the kind words, and for taking the time to leave honest feedback too. We've been actively monitoring feedback around information density and ease of navigation as we continue refining the design, so this is genuinely helpful to hear. If anything feels hard to find or the layout is getting in the way of your practice, feel free to email me directly at michael@modacity.co — I'm happy to help you get the most out of the app.
New version woes
Additionally, the app seems to quit out of timed practice if you navigate away from the app.
I am super disappointed with this update and hope they fix some of the issues in updates.
Bummer.
Unreliable app and customer service
Disappointing Change
Unbrauchbar seit Update
Response from developer
Hallo, hier ist Michael vom Support-Team. Danke, dass du dir die Zeit genommen hast, dein Feedback zu teilen. Dieses Update war ein schwieriger, aber notwendiger Schritt für die langfristige Nachhaltigkeit von Modacity. Die vorherige Version konnte nicht mehr sicher gewartet werden, und einige Funktionen sind jetzt Teil der kostenpflichtigen Version — damit wir die App werbefrei, gepflegt und kontinuierlich verbessernd halten können. Wir möchten, dass Modacity für alle zugänglich bleibt. Wir bieten Stipendien an — keine Fragen gestellt — du kannst dich hier bewerben: https://www.modacity.co/support/scholarships/ Ich schätze dein Feedback wirklich, es hilft uns, die App weiterzuentwickeln.
One of my most-used apps
For transparency I should add that I assisted in beta testing (unpaid) - I think I was asked to help because I complained so much about the previous version, which had potential but also had a lot of problems. This version solves those problems.
Response from developer
Thank you so much for the thoughtful review! And we are grateful for all the candid feedback you shared during beta testing. Hearing that Modacity can now replace your paper practice logs and serve as the digital practice notebook you were waiting for means a great deal to us. Your feedback helped us identify problems in the previous version and build a more stable, reliable, and useful experience for musicians. We’re grateful that you gave Modacity another chance and helped us make it better. :)
Really difficult changes
Not Good
Strong idea, mediocre execution
It’s missing some critical features:
- Ability to create an item in multiple keys. If I want to create a practice item for each bebop scale (12 of them), I have to do a terrible copy-paste workflow.
- Ability to practice in some keys for the day. I want to work on major pentatonic scale soloing in 3 keys on any given day, and the key combinations will change. I can’t do that with this app without manually creating a bunch of lists. The problem is that I have to then do the same thing for each different thing I want to practice in multiple keys: I need many lists for pentatonic scales, many for bebop scales, many for minor scales. I want to be able to pick keys to work on today.
- Ability to smartly combine items. Sometimes I want to work on an A section, then a B section, then both together. I can make separate Practice Items for each but it seems a little strange and messes up the tracking.
The app is also extremely ugly. And what’s with the pictures next to practice items and lists? Screen space is precious and it’s wasted with random images that have nothing to do with what I’m practicing. I would much rather have a utilitarian design that maximizes useful information on the screen.
I don’t think the creators of this app are musicians. If they are, I don’t think they use this app seriously.
Response from developer
Thank you for taking the time to explain these workflows in detail, and we’re sorry we didn’t respond sooner. We understand why practicing the same material across changing combinations of keys, or combining sections in different ways, can become cumbersome with Modacity’s current item and list structure. These are thoughtful feature requests, and we’ve shared them with the team. We also hear your feedback about the visual design and the amount of space used by images. Since this review was posted, we’ve added an option to remove item images in App & Data Settings for musicians who prefer a denser, more utilitarian layout. Modacity is built by musicians with formal music backgrounds who remain active in music communities and use the app themselves. At the same time, musicians organize and approach their practice in many different ways, and we recognize that Modacity’s current workflows will not suit everyone. We appreciate the candid and detailed feedback. It gives us a clearer picture of what would make Modacity more useful for your kind of practice.
Opinion about the update (Not a fan)
Response from developer
Jared from the support team here. Thanks for sharing your honest feedback. I’m really glad to hear you like the direction of the new interface, and I completely understand why the limits on practice items and lists feel frustrating. This rebuild was a difficult but necessary step for the long-term sustainability of Modacity. The previous version had reached a point where we could no longer safely maintain or extend it, and some features are now part of the paid version so we can keep the app ad-free, maintained, and improving over time. We do want Modacity to remain accessible. We offer scholarships to anyone who requests one, no questions asked, and if cost is the main blocker you can apply here: https://www.modacity.co/support/scholarships/ I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Feedback like this helps guide how we refine the app moving forward.
Totals behind paywall
Update took all features
Basic functions now hidden behind expensive paywall
Unfortunately, the 3.0.0 update locks basic features behind a $12.99/mo paywall, and the free version of the app is now essentially unusable. Losing access to lists and the majority of my practice items is a major bummer and eliminates the core functionality of the app: giving musicians the ability to make a practice plan and stick to it.
I’ll be uninstalling, but will check back from time to time. If these features are reinstated for free users, I’ll gladly come back and will update my review accordingly—but in the meantime, I’m going back to pen and paper for my practice plans.
