iStethoscope support page
This is the official iStethoscope support page. I’ve moved all previous comments here to make it easier. Please check out the following information. If you still have a problem, then please leave a message below and I’ll reply on this page within a day or 3. If you enjoy this application, please check out the popular science book: The Undercover Scientist.
Help page for iStethoscope: http://www.peterjbentley.com/istethoscope.html
For details of how everything works, check out:
-the entry for version 2.03
-the entry for version 2.0
-the entry for version 1.1
-the entry for version 1.0
Also try watching the video for version 2:
And the video for version 1:
Peter Bentley (July 22, 2009 5:46 PM):
Hi guys, many thanks for your support of the program. For the latest (firmware 3.0 compatible) version, which also has a huge number of improvements over the original, please go to the AppStore and download "iStethoscope Pro." I am now retiring the original "iStethoscope" and will not be supporting it any further.
Oliver Drobnik (July 7, 2009 11:48 AM):
I wanted to inform you before writing a negative review: I installed iStethoscope on my 3GS and it does not work, always says "ERROR: audio failed to initialise". Would be nice if you could fix that and notify me.
Tak (July 2, 2009 10:40 PM):
Keep us up to date on how things are going for the OS 3.0 release!!! I haven't been able to use it for months!
We are expecting twins, and I’d be interested in trying to see we can hear their hearbeats!
thed (July 1, 2009 6:28 PM):
ahh i desperately want to use it on 3.0 !
please hurry ... its an amazing software you have developed !!!!!
Jeff (July 1, 2009 1:12 AM):
have 3Gs and dev setup willing to help test
Dean (June 30, 2009 11:40 AM):
Waited a week for my I phone to come in. Had already downloaded this app which I think is a great program, but, as I now see, it is not yet ready for the 3G S. Would be interested in research testing using the program when it works for me.
wmheng01 (June 25, 2009 4:13 PM):
Greetings
Anxiously awaiting update for firmware 3.0. I downloaded after updating so have not had the pleasure of listening to hearts.
Peter Bentley (June 25, 2009 12:13 AM):
Update: as you should be aware, the current version of iStethoscope is not compatible with firmware 3.0. Latest news is that I do have a new version working. The audio routines are completely new and considerably improved (almost no delay and much more stable), and I've added an option to email the audio. I also have a medical research collaborator who is testing the program and wants to do research using your audio. Still more features to add, and because of the work involved I think I'm going to release the new version as a "professional version" and maybe charge 59p/1 dollar. It's the only way I can justify all the work I'm putting into the app. Expect to see iStethoscope Pro in the App Store in the next few weeks.
Dippy (June 22, 2009 7:02 PM):
Yup, same intialisation error on my new 3GS phone, am quite happy to do testing or what for the release. Does apply offer refunds from the app store?
Marina (June 22, 2009 4:31 AM):
I have an iPhone 3G S and when I open the steth app, it tells me that there was an error initializing the audio every time. Is the app just not compatible w/ 3.0 software yet, or am I doing something wrong?
Mohan (June 20, 2009 8:01 PM):
I have the new iphone 3GS. On pressing the mode button I get the message "audio failed to initialize" I tried to reinstall it with the same result. Any suggestions??
Frans (June 19, 2009 5:13 PM):
Peter, I have the same problem as PIP above
"Just wanted to confirm, this isn't working on 3G iphone with 3.0 GM seed 7A341, which is the newest version. "Audio failed to initialise" error message, tried reboot etc. without result".
Peter Bentley (June 13, 2009 12:00 PM):
Hi Pip, I do have new versions under development, but I am waiting until the final release of firmware 3.0 before I finalise the code. This means I can't complete updating the app until the end of this month. So there will be an update which makes the app work with version 3.0, hopefully out sometime in July (depends how long Apple takes to do their thing). There will also be a professional version with more features which will be released after that. Also, if anyone has got the iphone 3GS and is willing to be a tester, please get in touch so I can ensure it works on all devices.
pip (June 9, 2009 11:51 AM):
Just wanted to confirm, this isn't working on 3G iphone with 3.0 GM seed 7A341, which is the newest version. "Audio failed to initialise" error message, tried reboot etc. without result.
Jim D (June 8, 2009 8:08 PM):
Hi, further to my note on April 15th and to update you, I have tried and tried until there is no bare skin left untouched (sic), but still can't get the microphone to pick up any beats on my ipod Touch. Not once. Regrettably, I think I'll just have to delete it. Shame. It does not work with the headphone/microphone set.
Peter Bentley (May 29, 2009 1:16 PM):
Hi Fernando, can you install any other app? You sure it's not just your user ID?
Fernando (May 22, 2009 5:30 PM):
hi! when i want to install this app. Itunes tell me that I have no autorization to install it.
?? i have iphone 3g firm 2.1 need to update? thanks
Peter Bentley (May 22, 2009 12:47 AM):
Hi rosteu, I've not tested the app yet for version 3.0... interesting to hear that it does not want to initialise the audio. I guess they've done something to the audio API (which always was flakey). I have a professional version of iStethoscope pro under development and so I'll try and created a new version of the app for the new firmware... May be a month or 2, but I'll update it!
rosteu (May 11, 2009 12:59 AM):
hi
thanks for a wonderful app!
im running the 3.0 beta 4 on my iphone 3G right now, and i keep getting an error message "audio failed to initialize" when i press the mode button, and just as the message says, the app won't work...
i suppose it's some issue with the 3.0 OS, will there be a fix?
rosteu
Tom (May 6, 2009 2:34 PM):
What is the icon to the left of the slider at the bottom of the screen? I also have the 2nd gen Touch and can not get it to work.
Peter Bentley (April 28, 2009 1:34 AM):
Hi Jim, sorry for the delay. Well I'm now collaborating with researchers who are specialists with electronic stethoscopes and cardiac research. They tell me that the program works extremely well, even on the Touch. The main problem people seem to have is that they do not know where to place the microphone to hear the audio... I guess doctors do get training for this! All I can say is try looking at the help images and keep trying the microphone on the locations shown. The microphone must be directly on the bare skin.
Jim D (April 15, 2009 3:38 PM):
Hi, I downloaded this around 1 week ago and have been trying to get it to work ever since on my heartbeat. I have a 2G 32gb Touch. I've read all the other comments & watched your video and it looks like Touch operation is a bit spasmodic. I have the combination earphone/mic set plugged in and try as I might, I can't pick up any beat - tried re-set etc. The mic does work as I can hear it respond when I tap it, e.g. Any ideas? Thanks.
Peter Bentley (March 29, 2009 8:03 PM):
Hi Ian, the app will only use the built-in mic if you use ordinary headphones. If you plug in the earphones with inline mic, then the device automatically uses that inline mic- it's an iphone feature.
ian (March 25, 2009 6:52 PM):
hey peter how come the app just changed last night or something i was using it all fine with the iphone and now today it is not working properly it uses the mic on my earphones intsead of the one on my phone!
Peter Bentley (February 14, 2009 1:17 PM):
Hi Dennis,
thanks for your message. iStethoscope is quite demanding on the hardware because it records and plays the same sound simultaneously. It may not be able to activate the audio if another application has not shut down the audio correctly, so your solution probably resets the audio by running a different app. Another way of doing it is to restart the device. I'm glad you figured it out!
Dennis Rufer (February 12, 2009 7:24 PM):
I had the "no op" problem on my Touch 2G until I tried a recording app to see if my mike was still working. It was ok and the recording app worked fine and when I switched back to the istethoscope it was now working as well.(?????) It now works great, thanks.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 5:06 PM):
Hi Bob, I'm afraid this is not feasible for two reasons: first, the microphone is designed as a short-range directional mic - it's not so good at picking up audio from long distances. Second, in order to filter and amplify the audio, the processor needs some time to process the data, hence the delay. If apple gave us access to the audio hardware at a lower level then it could be achieved with almost no perceptible delay. Unfortunately they do not give us this access, so all audio processing has to be performed in slower software. In fact I originally wanted to create an anti-noise program to cancel background noise actively, but the delay from input to output is just too slow for this to be feasible. If you need audio amplification for everyday use, you need a hardware-based solution designed for this purpose, sorry!
Radio Bob (February 8, 2009 5:02 PM):
I have an Iphone G3 and have a severe hearing disability. I would love to be able to use your app as a hearing assistance device. When I heard about it from my son I down loaded it immediately. However as you know there's a slight delay in the "conversation mode" is there anyway this can be eliminated so that one can use the Iphone as a hearing assistance device. Pleas make that happen. Thanks for a great effort and a very neat app. If you can make it work, I'll have you on the radio to promote it for no charge. Thanks,
Bob
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:59 PM):
Hi Justin, you did try the update 2.01 to the app? This has nothing to do with the recent 2.2.1 update to the firmware. But you have a 1st Gen Touch? Mmmm, they have much slower processors - I was aiming to make it more stable on the 2nd Gen Touch first. Please do send me a screen shot and any other details you have (e.g., do you ever hear anything; does it sometimes sound like gurgling or a dalek? Have you tried an add on microphone?) I strongly suspect I'd need yet another special update just for the 1st Gen Touch users, which would have to cut down the audio quality... Can be done though.
Justin (February 8, 2009 4:55 PM):
sorry to break the news to you but i tested the 2.2.1 update that was supposed to work with slower processes aka ipod touch and after restarting my ipod and the app multiple times it still did not work. I could send you a screen shot or photo of what happens if you do not have an ipod touch to test it on. just email me something and I'll reply to it with a photo of accelerometer mode on a 1st gen ipod touch.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:51 PM):
Hi Sandie, thanks for your lovely comment. I don't think you can edit the star ratings unless you delete the app and then rate, before reinstalling again (although the ratings seem to be pretty random anyway). Without wanting to advertise too much - if you like the app, please check out my books "The Undercover Scientist" and "The Book of Numbers" - you may enjoy them!
Justin (February 8, 2009 4:47 PM):
ok sweet hope the update comes soon!
itsasweetlife (February 8, 2009 4:43 PM):
I love your app, which was discovered by my 8 year old son. I attempted to leave my first review and neglected to highlight the 5 star rating I meant to. Can my rating be deleted or edited? Thanks for a fun app and a great way for a respiratory therapist to connect with her 8 year old son!
Sandie
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:40 PM):
Hi Justin, actually it does work on iPod Touch devices, just not very reliably. As I say in the instructions, you may have to restart the program 3 or 4 times on some devices before the slower processor can activate the audio correctly. But it is possible to use iphone headphones with an iPod Touch 2G and listen to your heart, and use the accelerometer mode, because I have done so! This has always been primarily an iphone application, because iphones have microphones. However, I am working towards improving reliability with older devices. A new update will be available soon on App Store which hopefully should help. See my comment below for more details.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:36 PM):
Hi Ivan, I moved your query here as it was in the wrong place before. Um you need to be more specific about what's wrong. Do you hear noises in the Accelerometer mode? Do you see any error messages? Have you tried restarting the app, or restarting the phone? When you shake the phone, do you see the graph display?
Ivan (February 8, 2009 4:33 PM):
The istethoscope2 makes zero sounds on my 3G iphone - what to do Peter - any advice for me ?
Thanks a lot, yours, Ivan
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:30 PM):
Hi Jack, I don't like the sound of that - but I think this may be a problem with your device. First try turning off the iphone and restarting it. If that doesn't work, try a full software restore -if that doesn't work, you may have a hardware problem. Check to see if the socket is clean inside. Make sure it's not a faulty cable or inline microphone. Otherwise you may need a new iphone. My program can't cause this problem, especially if the problem persists when other apps are running.
Jack Salom (February 8, 2009 4:26 PM):
What I meant below is that it is no longer possible to use the earphones for an ordinary telephone conversation. I can hear the other party on the line but since the microphone on the cable seems disconnected: they don't hear me when I speak. It is the same situation with any other cable earphones that do work properely on other iPhones. The iPod function works correctly too. The "microphne function on the cable, seems down. Sorry
Jack Salom (February 8, 2009 4:23 PM):
Since I installed this application on my 3G iPhone 2.2, the microphone on thecable of the earphones stopped working! No matter what it is no longer possible to use the earphones (as their microphone no longer operates)... How to solve this!?
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:20 PM):
UPDATE: I've created a minor upgrade to iStethoscope (v2.01) which reduces the processor load, making it slightly more reliable when starting its audio. It now also auto-detects if it is not running on an iPhone and uses a larger audio buffer. This will make a slightly longer audio delay for iPod Touch users but should improve reliability further. I also added an audio failure detection routine that should detect if audio completely fails, and shows an error message. With the error showing, pressing "mode" will force it to try and reinitialise the audio, until it works, I hope. Finally I slightly shortened the name, so the latest version will be labelled "istethoscop2" under the icon to help you know which version you have. These changes mean that you may have to shake the device slightly slower to activate the phonocardiograph and the accelerometer may sound slightly different, but audio quality remains unchanged. The new version should be available by early February 2009.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:17 PM):
Hi Justin, because it's shake-activated, the phonocardiogram display is not active in the accelerometer mode. Some 1st Gen Ipod Touch users are telling me they hear nothing - this is because the processor is much older and slower on this device and is not always able to activate the audio properly. The solution would be to change the program to reduce the audio quality and sensitivity, but then it won't sound great... Anyway, I'm thinking about how best to do this and will hopefully release an update in a few weeks to make it work better on these older devices. For best results, you do really need an iphone 3G.
Justin (February 8, 2009 4:13 PM):
When in the accelerometer mode on the 1st gen ipod touch nothing happens. there is no sound and there is no way to get to the movement graph. How can i make this work??
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:10 PM):
Hi Bryan, does the microphone work in any other application? Are you sure you have an iphone compatible microphone? The plug should have 4 little metal parts separated by 3 little spacers. Peter.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 4:06 PM):
Hi Philip, thanks for your message. The accelerometer mode is in version 2.0 which will be freely available on AppStore in a few days. Apple need to get around to putting it online, so please be patient, it will be out soon! You can't use a stereo splitter to add a microphone - you have to use iphone compatible earphones with inline microphone which have a special plug with 4 contacts.
Dr Philip Cordrey (February 8, 2009 4:03 PM):
Thanks for the program although I have some problems. I have a 8 gb itouch. The version downloaded from itunes does not have the acceloerometer mode. You describe using a separate microphone. I have tried using a sterio splitter so that the earphone and the microphone can be plugged in at the same time but nothing. Where did I go wrong?
Bryan Page (February 8, 2009 3:58 PM):
I purchased a headset with an inline microphone an can not get the microphone turned on. have tried the tips on your website with out any success in getting sound to come from the inline microphone. Please send me any tips to getting it to work on my 16g ipod touch.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:55 PM):
Hi Jacko, other people say they have managed to listen to their unborn babies. Use an iphone 3G with good quality normal headphones, select "Heartbeat Pure" mode and press the bottom of the device to bare skin. Watch the youtube videos if you need more help!
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:52 PM):
Hi Darren, this is very strange. Try restarting the program about 5 times in a row and see if it works - this is normally how to get the iPod Touch to activate its audio properly as its processor seems to struggle. I don't know why your iphone 3G would have problems... unless you have other applications running in the background, or another app that uses the microphone has not shut down properly.
jaco (February 8, 2009 3:49 PM):
Hi,we like to hear baby sounds in the belly or even hear the baby's heart beating like an echo?
darren (February 8, 2009 3:45 PM):
hi yes sorry.i use my headphones like i did before you updated it.and i have done the same this time round.the microphones on the iphone are not pickeing up any sound from from me at all?but did before the update.i have rebooted my iphone but still the same.all i do get is just a bit of static sound now and then thats it.like the microphone is down?this is a really good app.and thanks for letting people get it for free.sorry about my spelling its not that good lol
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:40 PM):
Hi Darren, I'm not seeing the effect you describe (and I have not changed the audio processing from the previous version)... It works on all iphone 3Gs i have here. Please make sure your earphones / headphones are plugged in before starting the app, and if the sound glitches restart the app. If the problem persists please reply with more details so I can take a closer look. Thanks!
darren (February 8, 2009 3:36 PM):
hi the new update for this app as made the mike stop working on the iphone 3g for some reson the app did work befor the update
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:33 PM):
You need a microphone for the application to work. To delete it, just hold your finger on the icon until they all start wiggling and then press the 'x'. However a new version is coming soon which will be more fun for ipod touch users.
Katie (February 8, 2009 3:29 PM):
I can't this to work for my iPod touch. How can I delete it?
cheyne (February 8, 2009 3:26 PM):
how can I use this with the ipod touch (2nd generation). I have tried but can't get it to work.
Thanks for the help
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:22 PM):
It's not there already? That's very strange... it's available everywhere else I think.
Ricardo Berea (February 8, 2009 3:19 PM):
Can you please offer this app in the mexican itunes store? would be great, thanks for reading this.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:14 PM):
Hi Mike, I suspect you are accidentally pressing the little white microphone too hard, and activating its little internal button. This will turn your music on! The solution is not to press the microphone so hard. (I can't turn it off because it's an iPod function, nothing to do with my program.)
Mike Preisman (February 8, 2009 3:11 PM):
This is a great app and I am so glad you have created it; but I am having a problem. Within a minute of starting the iStethoscope, my iPod music starts playing. I will bring up the iPod and pause it, but it starts back up again when I try to check my heart rate. Any ideas how to fix this?
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:08 PM):
It's just been pointed out to me that the program will not work through a shirt. Like a real stethoscope, you have to press the microphone against your bare skin or you will hear nothing!
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 3:04 PM):
Hi Franklin, probably the best I could do is have an option to display a static image of the last few seconds... the real time audio processing is so intensive that I can't easily show a good real-time image. I'll give it some thought...
Franklin Diaz (February 8, 2009 3:01 PM):
Great potential! Recording for phonocardiography with iStethoscope has imminent clinical value for education and in the office but especially in the field like medical missions in developing countries. Please, check the following sites:
Spectrogram in iTunes
http://www.stethographics.com/index.html
Thank you so much!
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 2:57 PM):
Good idea. From other comments I'm starting to realise no-one is reading my instructions so to provide this information, I've put some new images on the iphone webpage: http://www.peterjbentley.com/istethoscope.html
Leif Silverstrand (February 8, 2009 2:53 PM):
Thanks Peter, you are absolutely right, I will recommend this App now. But maybe you should mention in the manual (I have seen other complaints with probably the same cause) that if using the headphones that came with iPhone it will be kind of awkward to use.Thanks
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 2:50 PM):
Hi Leif,
I am not sure what the problem is. When you plug in the white earphones with built-in microphone (the little plastic lump in the wire on the right hand side), then the iphone will automatically use that microphone. If you plug in normal headphones without a built-in microphone, then the iphone will use the microphone at the bottom of the iphone itself. This is the way the iphone works and has nothing to do with the application. But it does not matter which microphone you use with an iphone 3G - the program will work just fine, when you position the microphone in the right place.
Peter.
Leif Silverstrand (February 8, 2009 2:45 PM):
On my iPhone 3G iStethoscope insist on using the headset mic instead of inside mic, which make the App useless.
I have reinstalled, no change. If I could get 1.0 from somewhere I guess that would work.
If someone have the same experience and now how to fix it please comment.
Thanks
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 2:41 PM):
Hi Daniel, thanks for your comment - I'll add your advice to the web page. Unfortunately the application uses almost 100 percent of the iphone processor in order to do the real-time filtering with minimal delay for the listener. I can't even add more buttons in the user interface without them affecting the overall speed or making the sound glitch. (It's why that 'i' button in the corner doesn't seem to work so well - the processor is too busy to look at it most of the time.) This means that it is not possible to show a real time phonocardiogram of any precision. However, it might be possible to store the data and show a phonocardiogram summary every few seconds... I'll think about that. (And if anyone else wants to see that, let me know!)
Daniel Ginsberg (February 8, 2009 2:38 PM):
This is a cool application. As a physician I know where to listen, but I could not get it to work until I thought to take the phone out of the case. I suggest you add that tip to the instructions.
One suggestion to make it even cooler, assuming it’s feasible, would be to have it also show a graphic, i.e. a phonocardiogram.
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 2:33 PM):
Hi Judi,
I’m guessing you may have a 3G iphone? Some people have reported that their 3G iphones have a nasty background hiss in “Heartbeat” mode - this noise stops the heartrate monitor from working and makes it harder to find your heartbeat. I have found that using ordinary headphones and pressing the bottom of a 3G iphone to your pulse, or to your chest, works quite well.
But the main news is that version 1.1 will be released in a couple of days, and this has a new heartbeat mode which works much better for the 3G iphone! Until then, I hope you enjoy the other features of the app.
Peter.
Judi Kleiman (February 8, 2009 2:27 PM):
I can't seem to make it work - it is not picking up the heartbeat and is not reading any number! Please help
Thank you
Nordmeyer (February 8, 2009 2:24 PM):
The application is working very good, a graphical function and a counter would be nice when added
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 2:18 PM):
Thanks for your request, Holger. OK, since everybody seems to want it, I have changed the information in iTunes and the application should now install in the iPod Touch 2G and 1G (it may take a couple of days before the change is passed to all servers). Please note that I currently don't have an iPod Touch with microphone for development or testing so I have no idea if v1.1 of the app will work. I am not supporting the app on this device... but please let me know what happens when you run it!
Holger (February 8, 2009 2:15 PM):
Hello,
I would be very much interested into a version for iPod Touch 2G (supporting headphone mic).
Will it be available in the near future?
Thanks and best regards
Holger
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 2:12 PM):
Hi Peter, this is a bug in iTunes - nothing to do with me! I've had a similar problem with updates to other apps in the past. What I suggest you try is deleting the app from your iphone, and unchecking the app in iTunes, then synchronizing your phone. While unchecked, update the app on your computer if you haven't already done so. Then check the application again in iTunes and sync again. With luck that should reset it and it will just copy the new version to your phone afresh. In the worst case it may mean that a failed sync has corrupted a file in your iphone and you might need to restore the iphone using iTunes.
Peter (February 8, 2009 2:08 PM):
I think there is a bug in your software. After downloading iSethoscope to my iPhone 3G, it keeps prompting me to update in the App Store both in my iPhone, as well as iTunes on my desktop computer. After updating in iTunes, it still prompts you to update in "My App Updates". On the iPhone 3G when you try to update, it tells you that the software is already installed but the prompt on the App Store icon still remains. By the way my desktop is a iMac (latest model). Get this bug be fixed soon?
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 2:05 PM):
Thanks for your comments Recon. My biggest problem is that heartbeat sounds are *really* quiet. The app is designed to use the in-line microphone for the iphone - it's sensitive enough and perfectly positioned to allow you to listen with the microphone pushed to the pulse in your neck. I have to do serious amplification and real-time filtering to make it work. But I'm getting complaints from people who can't find their own pulse even when the hardware is capable of picking up the sound. The quality of sound input from an external mic on a Touch and the processor speed may not be good enough for me to claim the app works... However, I have now made the app downloadable to all ipod touches, so if you have a microphone I hope it works for you!
Recon (February 8, 2009 2:02 PM):
I downloaded this app but it doesn't support Touch 2G, this is a shame looks a great app.
And Peter, i disagree with your comment that not many people have external mics for the iPod Touch 2G, everyone i know with a 2G have external mics. I use my 2G to make phone calls using Skype so i can’t understand why this app is not compatible?
Most of the apps on the Appstore that require mic are 2G compatible.
Anyway Good work on what sounds a great app!
Peter Bentley (February 8, 2009 1:54 PM):
Thanks for your feedback! istethoscope requires a good quality microphone input and works best with the standard earplugs with inline microphone that comes with the iphone. The iPod touch 1st gen is not compatible with these earplugs and not many people bother to attach an external microphone to this device, so I'm afraid this will probably remain an "iphone only" program.
Juan (February 8, 2009 1:51 PM):
Nice idea, already downloaded, but doesn't support iPod touch 2G, I'd like to see compatibility with this device in a future update, thanks.