On this page:
1. Supported Browsers
1on1 Piano runs on PC, Mac, Linux, and Chromebook using a web app that runs in your browser. There are three browsers that fully support 1on1 Piano:
- Google Chrome – Chrome supports high quality acoustic sound, as well as MIDI (the communication protocol used for piano-to-piano). It is the most tested browser for compatibility with 1on1 Piano. Click Here to download Chrome.
- Microsoft Edge – Built on Chromium, Microsoft Edge is also highly compatible with 1on1 Piano. It is a good alternative in countries where access to Google products is limited.
- Firefox – Older versions will not work reliably, so be sure to update Firefox if you use it with 1on1 Piano. Firefox will also ask to download a MIDI plugin, so be sure to grant it permission to install the plugin to get piano-to-piano functionality
A Note About Safari for MacOS: Users may join a room and connect to a call using Safari for Mac OS, but they cannot connect to MIDI devices and use piano-to-piano. Click here to learn about why piano-to-piano is a game changer.
2. Android
1on1 Piano runs best on the Android app, but it can run in the Chrome browser for Android with the following limitations:
- Screen Sharing – Chrome for Android OS does not support screen sharing.
- Bluetooth MIDI – Chrome for Android does not fully support bluetooth MIDI, while MIDI bluetooth works very well in the Android app
- Background Operation – the Android app can send audio and video in the background while other apps are used, and web cannot.
3. Chromebooks
- Chromebooks with lower performance should turn off voice isolation to save resources. Delayed MIDI and distorted audio are good indicators that the hardware is overwhelmed.
- Some Chromebooks can handle streaming multiple connected cameras while others cannot. Picking a higher spec Chromebook will give you more options in 1on1 Piano
- Large 2-in-1 Chromebooks such as the Lenovo Flex 3i are nice for lessons because the screen size leaves space for content while the touchscreen interface provides an intuitive experience, and it sits on a music stand nicely when in tablet mode.
1on1 Piano runs best on the Android app, but it can run in the Chrome browser for Android with the following limitations:
4. Older iOS Devices
Because Apple requires all new apps to target iOS 18 or newer, the 1on1 Piano app is not available for some older iOS devices on the app store, including first and second generation iPad Pros. You can, however use the iPad Pro with limited features (no screen share and no MIDI) via the web app by navigating to app.1on1piano.com in the Safari browser.
5. Windows
1on1 Piano will work on thousands of models Windows machines, with these considerations:
- System Performance – Voice Isolation, which is helpful to piano-to-piano, may need to be turned off on older machines with lower performance. When it is turned off, auto mute will turn on automatically to prevent echo, which will prevent users from hearing one another talk while they play. However, MIDI will transmit successfully and other functions should work well.
- Concurrent MIDI usage – Windows OS does not allow a single MIDI device (for instance a piano) to be used at the same time (concurrently) by 2 apps. So if MIDI is not working in Chrome, check to make sure that no other app (such as a generator) is connecting with your MIDI controller.
- Chrome Energy Savings – Sometimes MIDI will not work properly in Chrome on Windows. Symptoms include high latency receiving MIDI messages, sticking keys, and missing messages (notes that don’t go through). This is usually correlated with chrome having run for several days, and it is solved by restarting Chrome.
6. Chrome Bugs
The webMIDI API in Chrome supports the web version of 1on1Piano, and is one of many services provided by Chrome. We are currently tracking issues with decreased MIDI performance of Chrome related to how long Chrome has been open on both Windows and Mac devices. The issues manifest as lagginess, loss of messages, and sticking keys. Usually all issues with MIDI are resolved when Chrome is restarted, but these issues are hard to replicate and therefore hard to eliminate. If you have these issues, you can help the 1on1 Piano team, as well as the Chromium team, improve the experience for everyone by emailing us when you have problems with MIDI in 1on1Piano at support@1on1piano.com