You're glancing at a score on your iPhone over coffee. An idea hits, so you sit down at your iPad or Mac to work on it for real. The same score is already open there, on the exact bar you were looking at. Later, you have to run for the bus, so you pull out your iPhone and keep making small edits on the way home. You never lose your place. That's Handoff, and it's now part of writing music in Flat.

Handoff lets you start work on one Apple device, then switch to another nearby device and pick up where you left off. Apple built it into iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and Flat now plugs straight into it in whichever direction you need. Open a score on one device, reach for another, and a tap later you're back in the same piece. It's free for everyone, and there's nothing to set up inside Flat itself. Here's what it does and how to use it.

What's new: Handoff for your scores

  • Open a score in Flat on one Apple device and continue it on another nearby device, exactly where you left off, in either direction.
  • Pick up on your iPad or Mac when you want a bigger screen for serious work, then carry on from your iPhone when you're on the go.
  • Works today between Flat on your iPhone and your iPad.
  • The score you're currently editing also shows up in your device's Spotlight search, so you can jump back to it from your home screen.
  • No new buttons, no toggles inside Flat. If your devices already use Handoff, this works the moment you update.
  • Free for everyone. No subscription, no add-on.

Why it matters

The two devices you reach for usually play different roles. Your iPhone is the one that's always with you, perfect for checking a score, catching an idea, or making a quick fix while you're out. Your iPad or Mac is where you sit down and do the real work: laying out parts, refining a tricky passage, hearing the whole thing back.

Handoff connects those two moments. Spot something on your phone and want to fix it properly? Open it on your iPad or Mac and it's already there. Working at your desk and have to leave? Carry on from your iPhone on the bus or the metro. You land right where you left off, no hunting through your library, no wondering which copy is the latest.

How Handoff works in Flat

Once you're signed in to the same Flat account and the same Apple ID on both devices, there's nothing else to learn. Apple shows the handoff in a different place depending on the device you're moving to:

  • On iPhone: open the App Switcher and tap the Flat banner that appears at the bottom of the screen.
  • On iPad: tap the Flat Handoff icon that appears in the Dock.
  • On Mac: click the Flat Handoff icon in the Dock. Flat opens in your browser at flat.io so you can carry on from the bigger screen.

The score opens on the new device, ready to keep editing. Nothing is copied or sent between your devices. Your scores live in your Flat library, so Handoff simply opens the same one on the device in your hands.

A couple of things need to be true for Handoff to appear, and they're the same conditions Apple uses for every app: both devices are signed in to the same Apple ID, they're near each other, and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff are all turned on. If you've ever passed a webpage or an email from one Apple device to another, your devices are already set up.

Try this in Flat: Open any score on your iPhone. Pick up your iPad and look at the Dock. Tap the Flat Handoff icon. The same score opens, right where you were. That's it.

Who it's for

If you only ever write on one device, you may never need to think about this. Handoff is for people who move between screens during a single piece:

  • Phone first, then the big screen. You review or tweak a score on your iPhone, then open it on your iPad or Mac to do the heavier work.
  • Desk first, then on the go. You're arranging at your iPad or Mac, have to head out, and keep making edits from your iPhone on the bus or the metro.

A composer drafting ideas on a phone and arranging them on a tablet, a student catching a homework theme on the way to school and finishing it at home, a teacher reviewing a class score on whichever device is closest. The more you switch, the more time Handoff gives back.

Flat works across web, iOS, and Android - and now with the new desktop app for Mac and Windows, your scores are available on every screen you own. Handoff is the bridge that keeps your iPhone and iPad in sync with the rest of that workflow.

A note on Mac

Handoff also reaches your Mac. For now, when you continue a score on a Mac, Flat opens it on flat.io in your default browser so you can keep working there on the bigger screen. If you want a dedicated Mac experience outside the browser, the Flat desktop app is available to download now. A dedicated Mac experience for Handoff isn't available yet, but the same score still opens and you don't lose your place.

How to get started

  1. Sign in to the same Flat account on each device, and make sure each device is signed in to the same Apple ID.
  2. Turn on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff on both devices (Handoff lives in Settings → General → AirPlay & Handoff).
  3. Open a score on one device, reach for the other, and tap the Flat banner or Handoff icon.
  4. Make sure you're on the latest version of Flat, and you're set.

Not on iOS yet? Download Flat for iPhone and iPad from the App Store — it's free to get started.

Handoff turns two devices into one continuous workspace for your music. Start anywhere, finish anywhere, never lose your spot. It's a small thing that quietly removes a daily annoyance, and it's already waiting in your library.

Ready to pick up your scores on any of your Apple devices? Flat lets you write and edit sheet music in your browser and on iPhone and iPad, no download needed. Try Flat free.