Setup Guide · 2 minutes · Free
Get your
Gemini API key
BatDrop's AI song suggestions run on Google's Gemini AI. You connect your own free API key — Google's free tier covers normal app usage with zero cost. Here's how to set it up in about two minutes.
Before you start
You'll need a Google account (Gmail works). That's it — no credit card, no billing setup required for the free tier.
Step by step
Go to aistudio.google.com in your browser. This is Google's free developer portal for Gemini.
Use any Google account — a regular Gmail account works perfectly. If you're already signed into Google in your browser, it may sign you in automatically.
In the left sidebar, click Get API key. On the next screen, click the blue Create API key button, then select Create API key in new project from the dropdown.
Google generates a key that looks like AIzaSyD_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Click the copy icon next to it. Keep this key private — don't share it publicly or post it anywhere.
Open BatDrop on your iPhone. Tap the gear icon ⚙ on the Teams screen to open Settings. Scroll down to the AI Suggestions section. Tap the key field and paste your key. It saves automatically.
Open any player in the Player Editor and tap the ✦ button next to their walk-up song. Optionally type a vibe note like "power hitter, loves hip hop" or "fast leadoff, upbeat energy" — then tap Get Suggestions. You'll see 3–5 ranked song ideas with start times.
Your key stays on your device
Your Gemini API key is stored only in your iPhone's local settings. It is never sent to BatDrop's servers — API calls go directly from your device to Google. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Google's free tier for Gemini 2.0 Flash allows 1,500 requests per day and 1 million tokens per minute — far more than you'd ever use in a season of walk-up song suggestions. No credit card is required to get a free API key from Google AI Studio.
No. The free tier key from Google AI Studio requires no billing setup. If you ever wanted to exceed the free tier limits (which is very unlikely for normal use), Google would ask you to set up billing at that point. For BatDrop's use case you will never hit that.
It depends. BatDrop uses Gemini 2.0 Flash via the Google AI Studio API endpoint. A Vertex AI key from Google Cloud won't work — you need a key specifically from aistudio.google.com. If you're not sure which type you have, just create a new one from AI Studio — it only takes a minute.
A few things to check: make sure you copied the full key (they start with AIza and are about 39 characters). Make sure there are no extra spaces before or after the key when you paste. Make sure your device has an internet connection. If you see "rate limit reached," wait a minute and try again. Still stuck? Contact us.
Yes — the vibe note is optional. If you leave it blank, BatDrop will ask Gemini for generally popular walk-up songs. Adding a note (like "country music fan" or "cleanup hitter, hard rock") gets you more relevant suggestions.
All set?
Head back to the app and try the ✦ button on any player in the Player Editor.