Collaboration

Sharing and collaboration

JustChords makes it easy to share setlists and songs with band members, worship teams or other musicians. Using the built-in collaboration feature, multiple users can work on the same setlist and stay synchronized in real time.

How sharing works

JustChords uses the OpenChords protocol (actively maintained by Marek, the JustChords developer) to enable sharing between JustChords users and users of compatible apps such as OpenSongApp on Android.

When you enable collaboration on a setlist:

• The setlist and all its songs are converted to ChordPro format.
• The ChordPro files are uploaded to the JustChords server.
• A shareable link is generated that you can send to other users.
• Anyone with the link can import the setlist into JustChords or OpenSongApp.

Creating a collaborative setlist

To share a setlist and enable collaboration:

1. Create or open a setlist in JustChords.
2. Tap the More… or settings button for the setlist.
3. Select Collaborate.
4. JustChords generates a unique sharing link.
5. Copy and send the link to your band members or team via email, messaging apps or Discord.

How synchronization works

Once collaboration is active, the JustChords server manages versioning and synchronization for all users who have access to the link.

Push changes

When a user makes changes to the setlist (adding, removing or editing songs), they can push their changes to the server.

This uploads the updated ChordPro files so other users can see the changes.

Pull changes

When another user has pushed changes, JustChords can detect that a newer version exists on the server.

Users are prompted to pull the latest version to synchronize their local copy with the server.

Automatic conflict detection

The server can distinguish whether a user needs to push (their version is newer) or pull (the server version is newer).

This ensures that all band members always have access to the latest and greatest synchronized setlist version.

Use cases for collaboration

Collaborative setlists are perfect for:

• Band preparation – Quickly change setlists in preparation for a gig while keeping all band members in sync.
• Worship teams – Share weekly setlists with vocalists, instrumentalists and projection operators.
• Multi-platform teams – Collaborate between iOS users (JustChords) and Android users (OpenSongApp).
• Remote rehearsals – Update songs and arrangements remotely, and everyone gets the changes instantly.

Cross-platform compatibility

Because JustChords uses the OpenChords protocol, shared setlists work seamlessly with:

• JustChords on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
• OpenSongApp on Android devices.

This makes JustChords one of the few apps that allows true cross-platform collaboration for musicians, regardless of their device ecosystem.

The OpenChords protocol

The OpenChords protocol is an open standard for sharing song libraries and setlists in ChordPro format. Marek, the developer of JustChords, actively maintains and contributes to this protocol to ensure reliability, compatibility and continuous improvement.

By leveraging this open protocol, JustChords supports a collaborative, vendor-neutral approach to music sharing that benefits the entire musician community.