Support

No. Octave plays its sounds on top of whatever you're listening to. By default it lowers your music for a moment during each cue and brings it straight back. Turn that off in Settings → Lower music during sounds if you prefer.

Check your media volume (not the ringer), and that the sounds are on in Settings → Sounds. Use Preview sounds to test. On iPhone, Octave plays even with the silent switch on.

The voice announces each new interval ("Exercise", "Rest", "Recovery", "Cool down", "Last set", "Cycle 2"). You can turn the voice, beeps or applause off individually in Settings.

Yes. Lock your phone or switch apps and the workout keeps counting, with cues on time. On Android, a notification shows the time left with Pause, Skip and End.

Allow notifications for Octave in your phone's settings (Settings → Apps → Octave → Notifications). The workout still runs without it, but you won't see the controls.

Some phones aggressively save battery. In Settings → Apps → Octave → Battery, choose Unrestricted (the name varies by manufacturer).

They're included in your phone's normal iCloud or Google backup and restore with it. You can also use Export all workouts (Workouts screen ⋯ menu or Settings) and then Import workouts on the new phone.

Tap ⋯ on the workout and choose Share. Your friend opens Octave and uses Import workouts to add it.

Octave matches workouts you already have and only replaces them with a newer copy, so re-importing an older file never overwrites your recent edits. The message after importing tells you what was added or updated.

A set is one exercise interval followed by a rest. A cycle is a full round of sets, followed by a recovery. Classic Tabata is 8 sets of 20 s exercise / 10 s rest in 1 cycle.