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

[jelockwood]

I believe Apple will be using or supporting three different streaming radio providers with their new Radio feature. As discussed here the leading one is TuneIn from which the BBC have at least for the moment pulled their radio stations from.

However supposedly Apple will also be using iHeartRadio and Radio.com

Radio.com is unfortunately a complete non starter as they do not support connections from Europe at all, iHeartRadio might be a possibility and seems to have at least some BBC stations on it e.g. BBC Radio 4.

I have not tried iHeartRadio since their website seems horrifically broken as it does not work in Chrome or Safari or Firefox on a Mac or iOS - it does not even display content properly including their presumed home page, nor does they search function work either. They like the others do also have an app which I have not tried.

 

[amsquires83]

If I try that, it starts Beats 1 😳
how hard can it be for a billion dollar company to play the correct radio 1 in each country???

I found that I needed to spell my Siri Shorcut radio station names that contain numbers with letters, not numbers. e.g. "Play Six Music", as "Play 6 Music" resulted in somthing playing in Apple Music .

 

[steeevo]

You have to say numeral 6 for it to type a 6 otherwise it will type six

 

[tom.humphrey]

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 licence to listen to the radio - This was disbanded in 1971

Ref

 

[rikscha]

100,000 of stations but try telling Siri to play a non-English radio station. Good luck .. freaking useless and not working. Also, don’t mention radio station in your request, it will ply beats one...