Support & FAQ

The timer listens through the microphone and runs the Fusion AI engine: an on-device AI audio classifier identifies gunshot sounds and a transient detector confirms each one with a loud sound spike before it is recorded. That combination catches more shots while rejecting noises that only one of the two would trip on. Two fusion modes are available in Settings → Detection engine, plus a Legacy mode that uses peak detection only. Every session stores a detection log for diagnostics.

Start with the Guided Calibration wizard in Settings. It measures the background noise for three seconds, asks you to fire five shots to find the right sensitivity, and then two shots as fast as you can to set the minimum gap between shots.

You can also adjust three sliders by hand:

• Sensitivity: lower values detect quieter shots but may add false positives.
• Shot Distinction: higher values require shots to stand out more from background noise.
• Shot Cooldown: the minimum time between two shots; increase it if you get duplicates.

Detection settings are saved per gun type (firearm, airsoft, paintball), so switching profile switches the tuning too. The Audio Test screen lets you fire and inspect each trigger live.

Yes. In Settings, turn on Start Delay and pick 1, 2, 3, 5 or 7 seconds. Turn on Random Start Countdown to have the beep fire at a random moment within that window, so you cannot anticipate it.

Besides the standard Shooting Timer, Blast Buddy Pro includes Stop After Shots (ends the run automatically after 1 to 30 shots), Reaction Drill, Double Tap Timer, Steel Challenge and Pressure Shooting. Programs that need hit targets appear once Bluetooth targets are connected.

Yes. Choose the airsoft or paintball gun type and the detection profile is tuned for the much quieter report. For airsoft you can also pair supported Bluetooth units (see Devices & integrations) so every shot is counted electronically instead of by sound.

Yes. The beep and voice prompts follow your current audio route, so they play through AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, while detection keeps using the iPhone microphone. If the audio route changes mid-session, the detection engine restarts automatically. Ear protection with a Bluetooth link works the same way.

• Microphone: required, to detect shots.
• Camera and Photos: to record videos with the live overlay and save your exports.
• Bluetooth: only if you connect external timers, airsoft units or hit targets.
• Location: optional, to tag sessions with the range’s GPS position.
• Health: optional, on iPhone and Apple Watch, to log sessions as workouts and read heart rate.

You can change any of these later in iOS Settings → Blast Buddy.

Open Video Analysis and follow the five steps:

1. Import a video or audio file from Photos or Files (MP4, MOV, WAV, MP3, AIFF and M4A are supported), or share one to Blast Buddy from any app.
2. Start signal: mark the beep or the moment your drill begins.
3. Detect: Fusion AI analyses the audio and finds each shot.
4. Review & edit the results on the waveform, or correct them manually.
5. Export & save with the overlay style of your choice.

Watch the walkthrough on the homepage.

Yes. On the waveform, drag a marker to move it, tap to seek, and use the Manual Shot Editor to add or delete shots down to the hundredth of a second. You can also classify each shot (Alpha, Charlie, Delta, hit or miss) so the scoring on the overlay is right.

There are 18 broadcast-style looks, matched pixel-for-pixel between preview and export: Sport, Minimal, Neon, Retro, Tactical, Broadcast, Match Day, FPS, Mil-Spec, Terminal, VHS, Arcade, Flip-Dot, Split-Flap, Seven-Segment, Synthwave, Film Slate, Typewriter, Rangefinder and VU Studio. Four presets (Clean, Minimal, Standard, Broadcast) decide how much data is shown, and every element can be toggled and positioned individually: timer, shot counter, first shot, best split, last shot, shot list, ready label, background gradient, your username and a custom logo.

Yes. In the overlay settings, enable Username and Custom Logo and pin each one to any corner independently. A transparent PNG works best for the logo.

Exports use the highest-quality encoder preset at up to 4K on the long edge (never upscaled) and can be saved to your Photo Library or to Files. On the free plan a small Blast Buddy watermark is added; Blast Buddy Pro removes it.

Yes. The live camera records with the timer overlay burnt in and lets you switch between the 0.5×, 1× and 2× lenses to frame the stage.

Blast Buddy Pro is an auto-renewable subscription available monthly or annually. The exact price is set by the App Store or Google Play for your country and currency, so it can differ slightly between regions and stores, and local taxes may apply; you always see the final price in the store before you confirm. The annual plan is the better value if you train regularly. You can check the current price any time on the pricing section or in Settings → Subscription in the app.

Open Settings → Subscription → Restore Purchases while signed in to the same Apple ID or Google account you bought with. On iPhone you can also open Manage Subscriptions from the same screen, or use Redeem Code if you were given a promo code. Pro stays active for up to 7 days without a network connection, so a short trip offline will not lock you out.

Subscriptions are managed by Apple or Google, not by Blast Buddy.

• iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Blast Buddy, or Settings → Subscription → Manage Subscriptions inside the app.
• Android: Google Play app → profile picture → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions.

Cancelling stops the next renewal; Pro stays active until the end of the period you already paid for. Deleting the app or your Blast Buddy account does not cancel the subscription.

Refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases are handled by Apple and Google under their own policies. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com or from your Google Play order history. If you are stuck, contact us and we will help.

Your data does: sign in with the same account and your sessions, stages, loadouts and target scores appear on the new device. Subscriptions are tied to the store you bought from, so a subscription purchased on the App Store cannot be restored on Google Play and vice versa. Contact support if you need help with a cross-platform subscription.

• Run the Guided Calibration in Settings at the range you are on; background noise and echo vary a lot between bays.
• Missed shots: lower Sensitivity a step at a time. Extra shots: raise Shot Distinction; duplicates from one shot: raise Shot Cooldown.
• Make sure the correct gun type is selected: airsoft and paintball profiles are tuned for much quieter reports.
• Keep the phone unobstructed, out of pockets and bags, and within a few metres of the shooter.
• Check that Blast Buddy has microphone permission and that no other app is using the microphone.

If it still misbehaves, use the Audio Test screen to see what triggers, then send us diagnostic logs with a short description of the range, the gun and your phone model.

This was fixed in an earlier release, so first make sure you are on the latest version from the App Store or Google Play. If it still happens, lower the phone volume slightly or move the phone a little further from any speaker, and raise Shot Distinction by a step.

In rare cases the very first sync can create a duplicate of a stage if the upload had to be retried. Delete the extra copy from the stage list; your sessions are unaffected. If you keep seeing duplicates, send us diagnostic logs so we can look at your account.

In the app go to Settings and scroll to the bottom of the Support section. Tap your diagnostic ID to copy it, and use Send diagnostic logs to upload recent app logs. Only the diagnostic ID is attached, no other personal data. Paste the ID into your message to us so we can match the logs to your report.

Use the form on our contacts page (the same one behind Contact Us and Feature Request in the app’s Settings → Support section). Include your phone model, OS version, the Blast Buddy version, what happened and, if possible, your diagnostic ID or a short screen recording. The in-app What’s New and Open Tutorial entries in the same section are a good first stop for new features.