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Getting started with On Cue Music Player

On Cue Music Player pins songs to GPS spots along your workout route, so the right track starts exactly where you want it. This guide takes you from install to the Home screen. It should take about two minutes.

What you need

• An iPhone running iOS 18 or later.
• An active Apple Music subscription. The app plays music through Apple Music — without a subscription, playback will not work. There is no Spotify support.
• The app itself: On Cue Music Player on the App Store.

First launch, step by step

The first launch walks you through two system permissions and a short intro. Here is exactly what appears and what to choose.

1. Apple Music permission

While the loading screen runs, iOS shows an alert asking for access to Apple Music, your music and video activity, and your media library. Tap OK. The app needs this to load your playlists and play the songs you pin to locations. If you tap Don't Allow, the app cannot play anything — see fixing a denied permission below.

2. Location permission

Next, iOS asks to use your location, with three options: Allow Once, Allow While Using App, and Don't Allow. Choose Allow While Using App. Location is the core of the app — it is how a pinned song knows you have arrived.

3. The intro screens

Three intro pages explain the idea — location-based music, Workout Routes, and your playlists. Swipe through and tap Get Started on the last page, or tap Skip at any point. Both take you forward; the intro is not shown again.

4. The Premium offer

A sheet titled Upgrade to Premium appears once. You do not need Premium to start — tap Maybe Later in the top-right to continue on the free tier (1 Workout Route, 5 Music Moments). See Free vs Premium for what each tier includes.

5. You're in

You land on the Home tab, titled Workout Routes. On a fresh install it says No Workout Routes Yet — that is expected. To create your first route, use the + (plus) icon in the tab bar; the empty-state text itself is not tappable. The next guide walks through it: create your first Workout Route.

"Always" vs "While Using" location — which do you need?

The app only asks for While Using the App at setup. That level is enough: while a workout is running, the app keeps tracking in the background, so Music Moments trigger even with the phone locked in your pocket. The blue location indicator on your screen during a workout is normal and expected.

After you start your first workout, iOS itself may show an alert noting the app used your location in the background, offering Keep Only While Using or Change to Always Allow. Choosing Always stops iOS from re-asking and gives the app full background access for mid-run triggering. Either setting works during an active workout; Always is the smoother experience for regular use.

You can upgrade at any time from Profile → Location Access → Upgrade to Always, or in iOS Settings (below). The app tracks location only during an active workout — ending the workout stops tracking, and your coordinates stay on the device.

Fixing a denied permission

The one-time iOS prompts never reappear, but you can change either permission any time:

• Apple Music: iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music → On Cue → allow access.
• Location: iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → On Cue → choose While Using the App or Always.

The app's Profile tab shows the live status of both permissions under App Permissions, with buttons that jump straight to the right Settings screen.

Next steps

• Create your first Workout Route
• Pin your first Music Moment
• Troubleshooting