{"id":577,"date":"2026-06-18T04:47:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T04:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/?p=577"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:40:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:40:34","slug":"hold-please-help-troubleshooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/hold-please-help-troubleshooting\/","title":{"rendered":"HOLD Please \u2014 Help &amp; Troubleshooting Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>HOLD Please \u2014 Help &amp; Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<!-- HOLD Please \u2014 Help & Troubleshooting -->\n<!-- Paste this into a Custom HTML block in WordPress -->\n\n<style>\n.hp-guide { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.7; color: inherit; }\n.hp-guide h2 { font-size: 1.4em; margin: 2em 0 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.3em; border-bottom: 1px solid #e0e0e0; }\n.hp-guide h3 { font-size: 1.1em; margin: 1.6em 0 0.4em; }\n.hp-guide p { margin: 0 0 1em; }\n.hp-guide ul, .hp-guide ol { margin: 0 0 1em 1.5em; padding: 0; }\n.hp-guide li { margin-bottom: 0.4em; }\n.hp-guide code { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; background: #f4f4f4; padding: 2px 5px; border-radius: 3px; }\n.hp-guide pre { background: #f4f4f4; border-left: 3px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; overflow-x: auto; border-radius: 3px; margin: 0 0 1em; }\n.hp-guide pre code { background: none; padding: 0; }\n.hp-guide table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0 0 1.5em; font-size: 0.95em; }\n.hp-guide th { background: #f4f4f4; text-align: left; padding: 8px 12px; border: 1px solid #ddd; font-weight: 600; }\n.hp-guide td { padding: 8px 12px; border: 1px solid #ddd; vertical-align: top; }\n.hp-guide blockquote { border-left: 3px solid #ccc; margin: 1em 0; padding: 0.6em 1.2em; background: #fafafa; color: #555; border-radius: 0 3px 3px 0; }\n.hp-guide blockquote p:last-child { margin: 0; }\n.hp-guide a { color: inherit; }\n.hp-guide strong { font-weight: 600; }\n.hp-toc { background: #fafafa; border: 0.5px solid #ddd; border-radius: 4px; padding: 1rem 1.25rem; margin: 0 0 2em; }\n.hp-toc h3 { margin: 0 0 0.6em; }\n.hp-toc ol { margin: 0; }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"hp-guide\">\n\n<p>HOLD Please is a stage management soundboard for theater, film, and rehearsal. Tap any button to play a pre-recorded vocal cue \u2014 &#8220;Hold Please,&#8221; &#8220;Places,&#8221; &#8220;Standby,&#8221; &#8220;Go,&#8221; and more \u2014 organized into sections for Stage Cues, Timing, Production, Movement &amp; Lighting, Quiet &amp; Wrap, and Calling the Show.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"hp-toc\">\n  <h3>Table of Contents<\/h3>\n  <ol>\n    <li><a href=\"#getting-started\">Getting Started<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#troubleshooting\">Troubleshooting<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#tips\">Tips for Show Calling<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#requirements\">Requirements<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#privacy\">Privacy<\/a><\/li>\n  <\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"getting-started\">Getting Started<\/h2>\n\n<h3>Playing a cue<\/h3>\n\n<ol>\n  <li>Scroll to find the cue you need. Cues are grouped by category (Stage Cues, Timing, Production, etc.).<\/li>\n  <li>Tap a green button to play the cue. The button turns red while it&#8217;s playing.<\/li>\n  <li>Tap the red button again to stop playback immediately.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h3>Master volume<\/h3>\n\n<p>At the top of the screen is a master volume slider with a live VU meter (the bar of colored segments). Drag the slider to adjust output level for every cue. The meter shows real-time output level so you can confirm sound is actually playing.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Playing multiple cues<\/h3>\n\n<p>You can tap several cues in a row \u2014 each plays independently. Tapping the same button while it&#8217;s playing stops just that cue.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"troubleshooting\">Troubleshooting<\/h2>\n\n<h3>I don&#8217;t hear anything when I tap a button<\/h3>\n\n<p>Try these in order:<\/p>\n\n<ol>\n  <li>Check the silent \/ ring switch on the side of your device. HOLD Please is set to play through the playback audio session, so it should sound even when the ringer is muted \u2014 but it&#8217;s the most common cause of &#8220;no audio&#8221; reports.<\/li>\n  <li>Turn up the master volume slider in the app (top of the screen). Confirm the percentage is above 0%.<\/li>\n  <li>Turn up your device volume using the hardware volume buttons.<\/li>\n  <li>Watch the VU meter when you tap a cue. If the green\/yellow segments light up, audio is playing \u2014 the problem is your speaker, headphones, or output device, not the app.<\/li>\n  <li>Disconnect Bluetooth headphones \/ AirPlay. If audio is being routed to a paired speaker, headset, or CarPlay device, that&#8217;s where the cue is playing. Toggle Bluetooth off in Control Center to force playback through the device speaker.<\/li>\n  <li>Force-quit and reopen the app. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-click Home), then swipe HOLD Please off the top.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h3>Audio cuts out when another app plays sound<\/h3>\n\n<p>HOLD Please uses the standard iOS playback session. Music apps, video calls, and other audio apps may interrupt or duck playback. Pause the other app and try the cue again.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Audio stops when I lock the screen or switch apps<\/h3>\n\n<p>Cues are designed to play in the foreground. If you need a cue to fire during a show, keep the app open and the screen awake. You can disable auto-lock during a performance in Settings \u2192 Display &amp; Brightness \u2192 Auto-Lock \u2192 Never (remember to set it back afterward).<\/p>\n\n<h3>The VU meter is moving but I still hear nothing<\/h3>\n\n<p>This almost always means audio is routing somewhere else:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>Bluetooth speaker or headphones still paired<\/li>\n  <li>AirPlay session active<\/li>\n  <li>A wired headset plugged in<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Open Control Center, tap the audio output picker (top-right of the music card), and switch output to iPhone or iPad.<\/p>\n\n<h3>A button stays red and won&#8217;t stop<\/h3>\n\n<p>Tap the same button once more \u2014 that toggles playback off. If it still won&#8217;t release, force-quit the app and reopen it. The button state resets on relaunch.<\/p>\n\n<h3>The app feels sluggish or buttons are slow to respond<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>Close other apps to free up memory.<\/li>\n  <li>Restart your device.<\/li>\n  <li>Make sure you&#8217;re running a current version of iOS \/ iPadOS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3>Audio sounds distorted or crackly<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>Lower the master volume slider to about 75% \u2014 pinning to 100% combined with a loud cue and a small speaker can clip.<\/li>\n  <li>Try a different output (built-in speaker vs. Bluetooth) to rule out the accessory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3>I miss the cue I need \/ can I add my own sounds?<\/h3>\n\n<p>The current version ships with a fixed library of professionally recorded cues. Custom user-recorded cues are not supported yet \u2014 if there&#8217;s a phrase you&#8217;d like added in a future update, send us a request.<\/p>\n\n<h2 id=\"tips\">Tips for Show Calling<\/h2>\n\n<ul>\n  <li><strong>Pre-test in the venue.<\/strong> House PA systems vary wildly. Plug in or connect to the venue&#8217;s speaker system and run a few cues before doors.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Use a wired connection when possible.<\/strong> Wired audio has lower latency than Bluetooth \u2014 important when calling &#8220;Go&#8221; against a click.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Keep the device plugged in.<\/strong> Continuous use with the screen on drains battery quickly.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Disable Do Not Disturb notifications<\/strong> so a text or call doesn&#8217;t interrupt a cue mid-show. Better yet, enable Airplane Mode during the performance and re-enable Wi-Fi if you need it.<\/li>\n  <li><strong>Set Auto-Lock to Never<\/strong> for the duration of the show, then change it back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 id=\"requirements\">Requirements<\/h2>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>iPhone or iPad running a current version of iOS \/ iPadOS<\/li>\n  <li>A few megabytes of free storage for the bundled audio library<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 id=\"privacy\">Privacy<\/h2>\n\n<p>HOLD Please does not collect personal data, does not require an account, and does not connect to the internet to play cues. All audio is bundled with the app and plays locally on your device.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HOLD Please \u2014 Help &amp; Troubleshooting HOLD Please is a stage management soundboard for theater, film, and rehearsal. Tap any button to play a pre-recorded vocal cue \u2014 &#8220;Hold Please,&#8221; &#8220;Places,&#8221; &#8220;Standby,&#8221; &#8220;Go,&#8221; and more \u2014 organized into sections for Stage Cues, Timing, Production, Movement &amp; Lighting, Quiet &amp; Wrap, and Calling the Show. Table &#8230; <a title=\"HOLD Please \u2014 Help &amp; Troubleshooting Guide\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/hold-please-help-troubleshooting\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about HOLD Please \u2014 Help &amp; Troubleshooting Guide\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1","category-help"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":597,"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577\/revisions\/597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mickeydesigns.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}