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Troubleshooting

Work through the section that matches your problem. Almost every missed trigger comes down to one of five causes, all fixable in under a minute.

Why didn't my Music Moment trigger?

Check these in order:

1. Was the workout running? Moments only trigger during an active workout — you must tap the play button on the route's card on the Home tab and see the "Location tracking active!" alert. Opening the app and walking around is not enough. A paused workout also suspends triggering (GPS keeps running; tap play to resume).
2. Did you get close enough? The trigger radius defaults to 20 meters around the pin. GPS drifts a few meters — under trees, between buildings, or at speed you can pass a pin without the phone registering you inside the radius. Fix: widen the proximity threshold toward 30 meters (Home tab → gear icon), or move the Moment's pin onto the exact line you actually run.
3. Was it the cooldown? A Moment cannot re-fire within the cooldown period (default 30 seconds). Doing a short lap past the same pin? If you return inside the cooldown window, nothing plays. Lower the cooldown if your loops are short.
4. Are you past the free limit? On the free tier, only your first 5 Music Moments are active. Moments beyond the fifth are saved but never trigger until you upgrade — and if a Premium subscription lapses, over-limit Moments stop triggering. See Free vs Premium.
5. Is location permission still granted? If location access was turned off (or changed to "Ask Next Time"), triggering stops without an error. Check Profile → App Permissions → Location Access in the app, or iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → On Cue. Re-granting it restores triggering.

Also worth knowing: if the pinned song is an explicit track and your Apple Music account restricts explicit content, the song will not play — pin the clean version.

Why does the same song keep restarting?

The cooldown works as a repeat interval. If you stay inside a Moment's radius — stretching at the top of the hill, waiting at a crossing — its song starts again once each cooldown period passes. Two fixes: raise the cooldown (up to 120 seconds) in Location Music Settings, or pause the workout while you rest and resume when you move on.

Does it work with the screen locked or in the background?

Yes — this is the normal way to use the app. Start the workout, lock the phone, pocket it. GPS tracking and Moment triggering continue in the background, even on the While Using the App permission, because the workout keeps the app active. The blue location indicator at the top of your screen during a workout is expected.

• Don't force-quit. Swiping the app away in the app switcher ends background tracking. If that happens mid-workout, relaunch the app — it offers to resume the workout.
• Standing still? After about 2 minutes without movement the app sends a check-in notification, and after about 30 minutes stationary it ends the workout automatically.
• Remember to end it. Tap the red stop button and confirm End Workout when you finish — that stops location tracking. Pause alone keeps GPS running.

Do I need an Apple Music subscription?

Yes. The app plays everything through Apple Music, so an active Apple Music subscription on your Apple ID is required. Without one, songs will not play and your playlists will not load. Spotify is not supported. On Cue Music Player's own Premium subscription is separate — it unlocks unlimited routes and Moments, not the music itself.

My playlists aren't showing up

• No connection at launch: if the app started while offline, playlists load empty and stay empty. Reconnect, force-quit the app, and relaunch it.
• Apple Music permission denied: the playlist lists stay empty without access. Grant it in iPhone Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music → On Cue, then relaunch.
• New playlist missing: pull down to refresh the playlist picker if you created a playlist while the app was open.
• A route's playlist stopped working after a relaunch: this can happen when the starting playlist was a suggested catalog playlist rather than one saved in your library. Add the playlist to your Apple Music library, then re-select it on the route's detail screen.

Will my routes sync to a new iPhone?

No. Routes, Music Moments, and settings are stored only on the device — there is no cloud backup and no sync between devices. Deleting the app permanently deletes every route and Moment. On a new device (or after a reinstall), use Restore Purchases to bring back a Premium subscription; the routes themselves cannot be restored and need to be recreated.

Still stuck?

Check the FAQ for quick answers, or review the other help guides — the getting started guide covers permissions from scratch.