# Politonus I (Ear Training) — user reviews > 42 indexed App Store user reviews of Politonus I (Ear Training) by MDECKS MUSIC, LLC, rated 3.90/5 from 14 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/politonus-i-ear-training/id1273898936/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/politonus-i-ear-training/id1273898936.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 8 · 4★ 2 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 3 ## Newest reviews (17 of 42) ### 3/5 — Good app BUT Random Key mode is wrong *2026-03-20* Seems like a great way to learn as long as you don’t have it set to random key. I thought I was losing my mind. For single notes I have intervals down cold so I was like “oh let’s try to make this more difficult and do two notes and uhh what the heck let’s make it change the key every time to really test myself.” Tried it out and was like “man this is way harder than I thought!” Turns out I just had “random key” on in settings and so even if I was right I’d get it marked wrong by the app. Noticed this when I went back to single notes and did the replay function was like “uhh that is not correct” and checked it against my instrument. That said I have a friend who’s unreal and said he used this app. Hopefully this issue is fixed. Until then I’ll keep manually specifying the key because it feels like a great tool. ### 3/5 — Replay bug *2026-02-05* When Random Key is selected, replay plays a different cadence… ### 4/5 — The only Politonus version that works *2024-06-09* 2 and 3 are hot garbage. MDecks will take your money and you’ll never hear from them again. ### 4/5 — Fun and easy to use. Suggestions.. *2024-01-18* This app is a pretty useful way to drill your intervals and get some great ear training. suggestions: 1)let me view a log of my success rate per interval. That will help me learn what I have to work on. 2) let me choose which intervals will be tested. Right now you give only 2 options: all 8 or all 12. It would be nice if I could pick. Ex I only want to work on b3, #4, and b7 today because they are a trouble spot. Otherwise this is pretty cool. ### 4/5 — Good app appart from headphone issue *2021-12-27* The app works well and is useful for contextual ear training. However, the audio for the app does not work when connected to my bluetooth headphoes ### 2/5 — Not for everyone *2021-12-19, version 5.1.2* This app gave me flashbacks to when I took music theory as an elective because I wanted to learn music theory but instead just got a bitter oboeist screaming “WRONG” at me every time I misidentified the note/chord she played. ### 2/5 — Still buggy developer not responsive *2021-03-26, version 4.1.0* App is interesting but has issues. Developers do not respond to email or support requests ### 2/5 — newer updates added bugs *2020-12-12* This app has gotten worse over time. The replay button now plays a cadence in a different key each time you press it, changing the answer. This means you can’t really listen to the scale degrees more than once, which makes it really hard to do exercises with 3 or more notes ### 3/5 — I do not get the point *2019-11-27* Besides a bunch of bugs that crash the app or ignore some settings the effect of this training is minimal if at all. It is easier to remember the timber and character of each played note and get it right than guess the pitch after resetting cadence. After 10 hours of this nonsense I am down to 20% precision and have zero confidence in identifying and naming the notes. Finger remembers position of the buttons on the screen, that does not make the eye correlate note name with what ear can hear. Something is very wrong either with me or this learning concept. ### 4/5 — This is awsome please update minor keys *2019-11-03* I improved my relative pitch with this app. I almost bought every app and this app is one of the best. But there are few glitches I found and it should need to be fixed. And please update minor keys recognition ❤️❤️It’ll help more ### 3/5 — Casi perfecta *2019-05-19* Muy bien diseñada y útil, pero le falta algo imprescindible para mi gusto: poder seleccionar qué notas van a sonar, independientemente de la tonalidad. Por ejemplo, si solo quiero entrenar el oido con C, E, F# y B, no te deja hacerlo; solo puedes trabajar o todas las notas diatonicas en una tonalidad o todas las notas cromáticas. Una pena. Espero que lo tengan en cuenta para futuras actualizaciones. ### 3/5 — Some bugs still *2019-05-16* This is mostly a good app. It has great potential but feels like it’s a bit early-stage, especially for the price. One bug that is pretty annoying, is when I hit the repeat button to hear the notes again when random key is on, the I-IV-V-I plays in a different random key! Then the test notes play the same as before, but the relationship to the 1-4-5-1 is now changed. Another thing that would be nice is not to get the immediate feedback on what the correct guesses should have been. I’d like the option to have it only say which notes were correct that I guessed, and let me continue trying to figure out the others. Also I’d like to have the option to have the coach drill a specific note combination more often when it’s clear that I’ve missed that one before, and drill the ones I nail perfectly less and less. Thanks for your work on this app! I hope it continues to improve. I’ll gladly change my rating when the bugs disappear. ### 4/5 — Could use one more feature *2019-04-16* Overall great app! One thing that would make it better would be to be able to choose specific chromatic intervals to work on or leave out. Would make progressing from one level to another much more complete. ### 3/5 — Helpful app but... *2018-07-17, version 2.5.1* ...it could be made more superior with some adjustments to the UI. Primarily a visual system that relates more directly to the behaviour of a scale: lower scale degrees are position low on the interface. As it stands the lower degrees are positioned ABOVE the upper degrees. It’s backward. Makes no sense. Looking forward to an updated UI. Perhaps with a piano keyboard as the layout? That would be ideal. Otherwise a very helpful little app. ### 3/5 — won’t change screen orientation *2018-03-15* The app does not change orientation at all when you rotate the display. It is upside down for the way I always hold and use the iPad (landscape w home button on left side, so I can use right hand to point and left to hit home). Annoying. **Developer response:** Thanks for your feedback. We have addressed this issue and updated the orientation capabilities so your device can be positioned in any way. We feel this app provides an invaluable tool for all musicians of all levels. It addresses the most significant music skill (pitch training) in the most comprehensive and creative way available out there, bringing about tangible music progress. Giving this app a two-star review just for the home button location seems at least excessive to us, but we are willing to work as hard as we need to satisfy our customers. Thanks again. ### 3/5 — Useful but buggy *2018-03-08* Every time I open the app it seems to have reverted to the default settings and resets my high score. Not this high score feature is particularly important, but if you’re paying for an app you should expect it at least to save your settings from use to use. ### 4/5 — Great App for learning to "hear" multiple pitches simultaneously! *2018-02-28* However, the "wizard" needs some work, as it never remembers my progress. I essentially have to start over from the beginning each time. Well, not exactly the beginning, as the wizard does seem to keep re-starting me at the two pitches (diatonic) within one octave stage, even though I've progressed to the two pitches (chromatic) within one octave stage. Can we look forward to an update to fix this issue? I'm running iOS 10.3.3 on an iPhone 6+. Otherwise, great app! **Developer response:** Thanks so much for your feedback. We just tested the Coach at the levels you mentioned and it worked well on our end. Did you do at least one exercise on 2 chromatic pitches? That will create the new database and the app will remember where you left off. Maybe you turned the app off without doing any new exercises with 2 chromatic pitches? If you continue having this issue, remember that you can always set manually your starting point with the coach off, then turn it on. The coach will pick up from any setting you select manually. In your case you would need to turn the coach off, go to settings, adjust your settings to key of C, 2 chromatic pitches within one octave, and you can just keep going with your practice. There will be a new update for Politonus in a few days. Please make sure to update it. Also, we just updated our contact email for customer service. You will find it at the bottom-right area of our website mdecks.com Please do not hesitate contacting us via email if you wish. Your satisfaction is very important to us. Thanks again. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Good app but buggy *2024-01-23* The bug where the new cadence is played when a replay button is pressed prevents from using this app. ### 1/5 — Unhelpful and frustrating *2023-12-16* Bought this app with high hopes that it would help me develop my ear training skills. Sadly I find it does a very bad job of helping you learn. It claims to have AI that adapts to your learning style, but I see no evidence of that. It feels like a simplistic drill-based approach that offers no support to improve. If you already are good at ear training it might offer useful practice to brush up. Otherwise I suggest you look elsewhere. ### 1/5 — One of the most frustrating experiences of my life *2020-03-02* I rarely write app reviews, but this app really motivated me to. I've never had such a frustrating pedagogical experience in my life. My accuracy actually dropped as I practiced with this app, from 50% to 20%. It's almost as though the algorithm with supposedly picks the next pitch to test is deliberately programmed to choose the most confusing possible option. Now, perhaps much of this is to blame on my tin ear, but I'd hoped for help with that from a tool like this, not be driven to distraction. If a music teacher had done this test on me in grade school, I would have broke down crying and switched to pottery. ### 1/5 — Crashes on launch *2018-12-10, version 2.5.1* Crashes on launch for me. iPhone SE, iOS 12.1 ### 1/5 — A pretty poor app *2018-08-30* This app is VERY limited. Regret purchasing it. Go and get yourself good ear pro instead! ### 1/5 — App resets score when opening *2018-03-29* There appears to be a bug in this app which causes it to lose the users score each time it is opened. The user then has to start practice all over again from the beginning. Quite annoying if you work really hard to climb to a level, only to have to start all over next time to go to use the app. ### 1/5 — not the best for the price *2018-01-17, version 1.3.3* I bought this app through the bundle, I don't think it's worth the money, wish I could get a refund. You can get a much better version of ear training for relative pitch and interval recognition with the Auralia interval recognition app for only $0.99. ### 1/5 — Politonus *2017-08-28, version 1.2* No sound. Tried restarting app, checked sound level. Bummer. iPhone 6. ### 2/5 — Problem with replay *2025-05-04* Replay plays a different cadence than the initial one, which is doesn’t help at all to find the note to be identified ### 2/5 — I so want this to be really cool, and it could. *2022-02-06, version 5.1.2* But the developers have put in a really half-hearted effort. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Damn Ugly *2024-09-24, version 6.2.0* Looks pretty awful but is actually extremely useful for ear training. A tip for beginners is to turn off the coach and set it to the key of C to get you started then when you feel comfortable start increasing the note count. Happy training! ### 5/5 — Sky’s the limit *2023-08-28* Really great app- from 1 note to up to 11 note ear training with chromatic or diatonic intervals. The lay out is simple and easy to understand. You can design it to perfectly suit your level. I love that Solfeggio is an option for naming the notes as well. ### 5/5 — The hidden secret of musicianship *2021-07-13* I love this program because it is similar to the ear training I did with the great jazz guru Charlie Bananas. Also, the developer Ariel is an ultra-cool nice person who actually responds to questions and requests. These apps are an essential part of any musician’s tool bag. John Schulman - Berklee College of Music - Class of 2009 / & long-time student of Charlie Banacos ### 5/5 — THE best and I mean THE best ear training app *2018-02-28, version 1.3.3* I was one of the winners of Berklee College Of Music’s “BIG EARS OLYMPICS” ear training competition. I cannot day enough about this app. Just get it and use it. DJ Green Arrow® ### 5/5 — This app is a powerful ear-training tool! *2017-08-29* Ear training is such an important skill for any developing musician in any genre (jazz, rock, classical, country, etc.), yet so many musicians just want to "learn chords!!". Politonus is a great ear-training app and has tools that will sharpen your ear so that you will progressively be able to hear and identify more of the sounds that you are playing and/or hearing. If you play music professionally or for fun, having good ears is a must. Musicians aren't born with good ears and must develop them to sound good. Think of the power you'll have if you could in real-time identify the chords your guitarist may be strumming during a solo. Better ears meaning being more aware of what's missing or "wrong", so you can add, enhance the music. It will also improve your ability to transcribe your favorite songs more quickly (w/o having to buy sheet music!), and will improve your improvisation skills. When you can detect wrong notes more quickly, you will more often play more of the right ones and become a better comper behind soloists as well. I love Politonus and if you use it, it will help you to "play what you hear" and "hear what you play" rather than only being able to strum some jazz chord off of a music chart. ### 5/5 — Worth every penny *2017-08-28* It's amazing how anyone who studied with the great Charlie Banacos recognizes this ear training exercises immediately. Charlie was such an inspiration for generations of musicians around the world, and this app replicates one of his staple ear training exercises faithfully. Furthermore, it takes it to very sophisticated levels that are not possible to achieve without this technology. Thanks for using technology in such an intelligent and artistic way. This app should be used in every music school, college, university, etc. ### 5/5 — Crazy value! Badazz app! *2017-08-27* I was a student of the great Charlie Banacos for many years. As soon as I started using this app it brought me back to his studio with him at the piano training my ear. These are the same exercises that we worked on all those years ago! Charlie was one of the greatest music educators of the 20th century. Charlie we miss and love you! Thanks so much for making this app and sharing a bit of Banacos with the world! ### 5/5 — Wonderful App! *2017-08-24* I've been hoping someone would create this app. I was a student of the great Charlie Banacos back in the 1970s. This is exactly the exercise he would have us do for ear training. I had a background in sight singing which I found to be a helpful prerequisite for this type of exercise. Thank you for creating this app! ### 5/5 — Excellent! Easy to use and to the point. *2017-08-23* Really cool. I heard about this approach and how one can learn how to recognize any amount of simultaneous notes. Thanks for making this method available in an easy-to-use app. ### 4/5 — Great app until they removed tempo slider *2025-01-22* The app is a great tool once you learn how to use it. Only issue is updating to latest version removes the tempo slider - the default tempo is so slow on playback it takes forever to get 20 in a row even when you answer instantly. PLEASE BRING BACK TEMPO SLIDER. By “learn to use” I mean how you progress through the app when you’re a beginner like I was to make quick progress. I’m 3 years into using it. Starting with no trainer mode, single key, single octave, diatonic, and then move through keys one by one until you master them. Then set it to auto move through keys randomly on each play. Then do chromatic in a single key and repeat process. While doing chromatic, occasionally go back to diatonic but increase number of notes to 2 then 3 to increase difficulty. --- *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 2026-09-03.*