PSA: HomePod Supports Live Radio Requests, But Even UK Users Can't Stream Most BBC Stations

[ipedro]

The Canadian HomePod page on Apple.ca changed from "Available 9.30" to "Coming This Fall", despite the fact that I've been able to listen to radio on my HomePod for about a month now.

Maybe it's a phased rollout per market? Anybody in Canada still not able to listen to radio on their HomePod?

 

[ipedro]

Side effect of this feature - How do we now play the Apple Music radio stations with Siri? Before when I asked HomePod to “Play Chill Radio” it would play Chill Radio from Apple Music which I love! But now it plays a chill radio station from TuneIn! Annoying. I even tried “Play Chill Radio from Apple Music” and it still plays something from TuneIn! Anyone else finding this or know of a way to get HomePod to play stations from Apple Music?

You don't have to say "radio", more so because it's not radio. Just say Hey Siri, play some chill music. When you ask for radio, it'll give you actual radio.

 

[SSD-GUY]

TBH I fail to see how the HomePod can compete against my Google Nest. Search functionality, streaming etc is unparalleled compared to the HomePod, and it comes with a screen.

 

[squizzler]

Works in the UK. Playing most obscure radio station from Latvia as we speak.

 

[VulchR]

WTF BBC? I support the BBC through my licence fee and should have convenient access to everything the BBC produces. That's all you need to know about me.

 

[macfacts]

I excited for handoff support later this year. I think it’s so neat that you’ll be able to wave your iPhone over a HomePod when walking through the door and it will continue playing the song where you left off🤯

That's how it works with normal Bluetooth. How does apples handoff make it better?

 

[iGeek2019]

Weirdly if I ask my HomePod to play Gem FM it either opens a radio station based on G.E.M or a podcast but if use Siri on my iPhone 11 it plays Gem FM via TuneIn.

It's been possible for sometime to ask HomePod to play radio stations from the Global group.

 

[ngrai]

Good for Apple to care about privacy. The BBC disappoints in so many ways these days. I grew up listening to it in the 1950s, and have watched with dismay a dismal drop in copy-editorial standards ever since. It remains a good and relatively impartial news source but is no longer the only one. Its refusal to let me listen to it without letting it have my usage data (I know, I know, it's ostensibly de-identified) leaves me and others like me with a not-so-difficult choice to go elsewhere.

 

[orangezorki]

Anyone else think that the BBC Sounds app is a hot mess compared to the now finished radio app?

 

[Heineken]

BBC quality has dropped, now this its being run by a bunch of dumb *****. You can see the results.

 

[darkcompass]

You have to pay a tax (called the licence fee) to listen to BBC radio, although its more of an honesty system at the moment. When you use iPlayer it asks if you nave a licence, although the answer is just yes/no, there's no need for proof. Maybe there's a problem with authentication with voice activated systems?

You have to have a BBC licence to watch TV here, even if you don't watch BBC channels, it's quite controversial, especially with the BBC, which is bound by charter to be impartial, taking an increasingly partisan political stance and dealing in 'fake news'.

Axe the Telly Tax!

You DON'T need a TV License to listen to the Radio - https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ102

This issue with BBC Radio and Tunein started in August in regards to data, nothing to do with the TV License fee. https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/37e4e3f6-fbd2-4c14-8d72-7f7139641582

It's a pity that you cannot get the stations via tunein, but BBC Sounds app to Homepod via Airplay works.
Until there's some BBC integration to Homepod, Airplaying is ok by me.

 

[JamesSinger94]

Another good reason not to pay the license fee 🙈

 

[luvbug]

Given this, and the other software-related issues with Apple , lately, I'm wondering if the visa restrictions that have been implemented might be starting to hurt tech hiring. Just a thought.

 

[coolfactor]

Another half baked feature release from the brilliant Mr. Cook, that can make the stage just fine but fails to deliver time and time again.

This has nothing to do with Apple failing to deliver. The BBC is demanding to have information on its listeners before they'll allow the service on HomePod. Apple refuses to hand that over, as did TuneIn.

 

[citysnaps]

Another half baked feature release from the brilliant Mr. Cook, that can make the stage just fine but fails to deliver time and time again.

What feature did Mr. Cook release that's half-baked?

 

[coolfactor]

Side effect of this feature - How do we now play the Apple Music radio stations with Siri? Before when I asked HomePod to “Play Chill Radio” it would play Chill Radio from Apple Music which I love! But now it plays a chill radio station from TuneIn! Annoying. I even tried “Play Chill Radio from Apple Music” and it still plays something from TuneIn! Anyone else finding this or know of a way to get HomePod to play stations from Apple Music?

Can you train Siri to exclude TuneIn by saying "Please don't play anything from TuneIn"?

 

[darkcompass]

Another good reason not to pay the license fee 🙈

I doubt you'll need to pay for it if you get your scottish independence.

 

[sintra1]

The reported inability of the HomePod to play Radio 4 directly is what's holding me back from buying one. At the moment I use a Tivoli One FM radio, and Auntie has no idea what I'm listening to using that, either.

Public broadcaster yes . Free to air no - The BBC are obligated to know where all their listeners are to ENSURE YOU PAY THE TV LICENSE FEE.

 

[darkcompass]

Public broadcaster yes . Free to air no - The BBC are obligated to know where all their listeners are to ENSURE YOU PAY THE TV LICENSE FEE.

You do not need a TV License for Radio.

TV License is per household, not per person.

They would like to know where all their watchers and listeners are, hence the reason for the data requests that they wanted from tunein.

 

[squircle782]

IOS 13 for Homepod is not out yet, launches latter this fall (or autumn for us brits).

This round of iOS/homepod/appletv/watchos update dates is a real mess, I can't make head nor tail of when a particular device is meant to get updates, especially when the press say "iOS 13 includes updates for HomePod yada yada yada" lol


So the latest current version is 12.4?

 

[amsquires83]

Living in the UK I just need to state how frustrated I am with the BBC for this move to remove their stations from TuneIn. I can only hope that they have plans to work with Apple on integrating their stations with HomePod down the line...
Time to send them some feedback https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/feedback

 

[macfacts]

What feature did Mr. Cook release that's half-baked?

A smart speaker

 

[blinkie]

You have to pay a tax (called the licence fee) to listen to BBC radio, although its more of an honesty system at the moment.

What are you talking about?

 

[zengod]

Having bought into the Apple Homekit several years ago and having bought a large number of what now seem outdated products, I have given up completely on Homekit and Siri as being viable options for a "smart Home" - Apple should realise that Siri and Homekit have been hugely superseded by Google and Alexa devices and call it a day. Admit defeat and let us define Google or Alexa as our weapons of choice on Apple devices without having to jump through the continually hopeless Siri !

​

 

[steeevo]

Set up a shortcut on ios. I have one setup “play radio one” it opens the sounds app and plays. Job done