How to Tune a Guitar With Your Phone: The Free Tuner Guide
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Now for the practical part. These steps use a free tuner app on Android; the same approach works with any tuner that shows a needle or a colour when you are in tune.
Step-by-step: tune your guitar with a free app
Install a tuner app
A widely used free option is GuitarTuna, whose free tuner covers guitar, bass and ukulele. Install it from Google Play and open it.
Allow the microphone
The tuner cannot hear the strings without it. Choose "While using the app" so it only listens when the tuner is open.
Choose your instrument and tuning
Select guitar and standard tuning (E A D G B E). If a song needs a different tuning, choose it here.
Start with the thickest string
Pluck the 6th string once and let it ring. Watch the needle or indicator.
Turn the peg slowly
If the note is flat (too low), tighten the string a little. If it is sharp (too high), loosen it. Pluck again after each small turn.
Stop when it shows in tune
Most apps turn green or centre the needle. Move to the 5th string and repeat for all six.
Do a second pass
Tightening one string slightly changes the tension on the neck, which can nudge the others. Check all six once more.
If the tuner won't settle
- Needle jumps around: move somewhere quieter, pluck more gently and hold the phone closer.
- Shows the wrong note: switch to manual mode and select the string you are tuning.
- String keeps going flat: new strings stretch. Gently pull each one away from the fretboard a few times, then retune.
- Everything is in tune but chords still sound odd: check you are fretting cleanly, and ask a teacher to check the guitar's intonation.
Alternate tunings and other instruments
Once you are comfortable, you can explore alternate tunings such as drop D, where only the 6th string is lowered from E to D for a heavier sound. Tuner apps list common tunings so you don't have to memorise the notes. The same app can usually tune a bass or ukulele, which is handy if you play more than one instrument.
What is free and what is paid
In GuitarTuna, the tuner itself is free. The app also offers chords, songs and practice features, some of which are part of a paid subscription, and its Play Store listing notes that it contains ads and in-app purchases. You never need to pay to tune your guitar.