WhatThePDF support.
Tell us what happened, which device and operating-system version you use, and what you expected to see.
Contact
Email hello@whatthepdf.app.
Please do not attach copyrighted scores, purchase receipts, or other musicians' personal information unless we specifically ask for it.
What do I need to share music with a room?
You need WhatThePDF with Host access through an active 14-day trial or Host Unlock. Host from a Mac today. The iPhone and iPad Host is coming next. Open a song or setlist and start Band Mode. Browser players need a shared local network that permits devices to reach one another. Native Player can use that network or connect directly over peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. Everyone who joins does so free.
Do bandmates need to install an app?
No. Players can scan the Host's QR code and join in a modern browser on a phone, tablet, or laptop. There is no WhatThePDF account or purchase for players. WhatThePDF Player is optional and adds native discovery, MIDI, private notes, and automatic saved shows on Apple devices.
Can I require a PIN before someone receives the score?
Yes. Before Band Mode starts, turn on Require a PIN to join and use the generated PIN or enter 4–8 digits of your own. A scanned Browser or Player QR carries it automatically. Someone who types the browser address or chooses the Host manually enters the PIN when prompted. The PIN lasts only for that Band Mode session and is not included in diagnostics.
Requiring a PIN also makes encryption mandatory: every connection to the show must be end-to-end encrypted, the PIN itself never travels over the air, and a device too old to encrypt is asked to update instead of joining. Scanned QR joins are end-to-end encrypted even without a PIN. A room with no PIN is open by design, and older devices may join it unencrypted.
What is WhatThePDF Player?
Player is the free native receiver for live shows hosted by WhatThePDF. It adds nearby-Host discovery, instrument selection, private notes, native page-turn controls, received-page caching, and automatic saved shows. A Ready show reopens without the Host or network. Player cannot import PDFs, prepare music, or host a show.
Can Player be used without WhatThePDF?
Not for a new live show. One device must run WhatThePDF with Host access. Without a Host, Player can run its built-in demo or reopen a saved show.
What does “offline” mean?
During a live show, the browser and Player cache pages as they arrive. Pages already received remain available through a brief interruption if the tab or app stays open; a page that never arrived cannot be guaranteed. Player saves shows automatically unless auto-save is off or the Host starts an ephemeral show. After a saved show says Ready, it can be reopened without the Host or network.
How do I join another show from the full Mac app?
WhatThePDF normally reopens the score, setlist, or library you were using. To join someone else's show, choose Mode → Join Another Show…. This switches the same app into Player mode; it does not launch a second application. Player mode remains free.
How do I know every player is ready?
Use Band Mode's Soundcheck. READY means the player's reported pages have arrived. A player following the Host is also on the Host page. CHECK means pages are still caching, the connection is slow, or the player is behind. PROBLEM means status is stale or requests have stalled. Band Mode also reports a disconnect. Wait for every player to show READY before the count-in.
If the room's network is unreliable or blocks local devices
Some guest, school, hotel, and venue networks provide internet access while preventing devices from reaching one another. Internet access does not prove that WhatThePDF can reach every player.
What the symptoms mean
- The Browser QR page never opens: the network may be isolating devices, the Host address may be wrong for that path, or a firewall or VPN may be blocking incoming local traffic.
- Player shows no nearby Host: Band Mode may be closed, Local Network access may be denied, or the network may be filtering discovery. The Player-app QR can bypass a discovery problem, but not a connection the network blocks entirely.
- Soundcheck says CHECK: pages are still arriving, contact is slow, or a player following the Host is behind. Do not start yet.
- Soundcheck says PROBLEM or a player disconnects: that player does not currently have a dependable live connection.
Browser or mixed-device room
- Keep Band Mode open and confirm that the Host shows a Browser QR code and local address.
- Join one phone before the room arrives. If the page does not load, try an alternate address shown in Band Mode.
- On a Mac Host, allow Local Network access and incoming connections for WhatThePDF in macOS Firewall and third-party security software. On iPhone or iPad, allow Local Network access in Settings.
- Pause a VPN, or enable its option to allow local network or LAN traffic.
- If venue Wi-Fi still fails, move every device to a private travel router or tested phone hotspot. Internet service is not required. Some hotspots isolate clients, so test the exact setup.
- Wait for every player to show READY before the count-in.
All Apple devices using native Player
- Start Band Mode on the Host and choose Player App.
- Leave Wi-Fi turned on for the Host and every iPhone, iPad, and Mac running Player.
- Disconnect or forget the blocked venue network on every device without turning Wi-Fi off. Do not join another network.
- Allow WhatThePDF and Player under Privacy & Security → Local Network on their respective devices.
- Choose the Host in Player when it appears, or scan the Player-app QR.
- Wait for every player to show READY. Initial delivery over the direct link may be slower than on a private router.
This uses Apple peer-to-peer Wi-Fi without a router, shared Wi-Fi network, or internet connection. It works only in native WhatThePDF Player on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Safari and other browsers cannot use it. Wi-Fi must remain on; Bluetooth is needed only for Bluetooth MIDI pedals, not score sharing.
If the connection drops during a show
- Leave Player or the browser tab open. Do not reload, close it, clear site data, or switch into Private Browsing.
- Turn locally through pages that have already arrived while the client retries automatically.
- When the connection returns, a player following the Host can rejoin the live page. A player turning independently can stay on their page.
- If an uncached page is needed before reconnection, use the event's backup.
For a critical performance, join every client type on the exact setup, wait for READY, turn three pages, interrupt the connection for ten seconds, turn a received page locally, restore the connection, and confirm the player reconnects.
Trial, Host Unlock, and restore
The 14-day trial unlocks every Host feature and never charges automatically. Host Unlock is one universal purchase for Mac, iPad, and iPhone, not a subscription. It supports Family Sharing. If you already redeemed or bought one, open Host Access and choose Restore Purchases while signed into the same Apple Account.
Is the directly downloaded Mac Player secure?
Yes. The direct Mac Player is signed with Developer ID and notarized by Apple. It contains only the Player experience and cannot host or import music. Always download it from whatthepdf.app.
System requirements
WhatThePDF requires macOS 12 Monterey or later and supports Apple silicon and Intel Macs. WhatThePDF Host for iPhone and iPad requires iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. Player requires iOS or iPadOS 16 or later, or macOS 13 or later. Personal iCloud Library is optional and requires macOS 14 or later.
Your music and privacy
Scores stay local by default, and Band Mode sends pages directly across the room's local or peer-to-peer connection. They do not pass through a WhatThePDF server. Read the full privacy policy.