Whether you’re driving to work with the same radio DJ every day or eating your breakfast with your favourite station playing, listening to the radio is a part of so many people’s mornings.
To gain access to more stations from different locations, you can download a radio app which allows you to listen on the go. Tune in to BBC Radio 1 for chart-toppers or turn the dial to Smooth for some chilled-out vibes. With a radio app on your phone, you’ll never have a dull moment.
There are plenty of apps on offer for Android and iPhone, some of which can use your phone’s built-in FM receiver while others require an internet connection. Specific stations have created their own apps, but in this article, we’ve picked out some of the best general apps for all of your radio needs.
These radio apps are all available for free, but some do have paid premium versions. Free radio apps are supported by ads, which can sometimes be intrusive or interrupt your listening experience.
Here’s a roundup of the best radio apps for Android and Apple devices.
1. TuneIn
Price: Free (or Premium version for £7.84 a month)
Compatible with: Android, Apple, Windows and Blackberry devices
With 100,000 stations already available and the ability to add your own, this app is great for choice. So if you find it difficult to make decisions, it might be a radio app to avoid.
An excellent app for those who like sports, news, podcasts or audiobooks with so much choice, we reckon it could be the best free radio app on offer at the moment. Not only does TuneIn have a vast choice of stations, but it also works on so many different devices.
The app integrates with TuneIn.com meaning you can manage your favourites and use your account on any internet-enabled device.
Features
- Compatible with Chromecast, Xbox One and Apple Watch
- Listen to podcasts, audiobooks and previously broadcast radio programmes
- Listen on a Smart Speaker
2. Radio FM Online
Price: Free
Compatible with: Android
This popular radio app offers lots of useful features such as a sleep timer and alarm clock, so you wake up to your favourite radio station.
You can also see the stations you’ve listened to most recently, so you quickly tune back into what you were listening to earlier.
Despite the name, this app connects via the internet, not an FM tuner. It lets you listen to over 30,000 stations from around the world, including all the popular UK stations.
You can browse stations by location, so it’s easy to find local radio stations. You can also browse by genre and language.
One downside to this app is that sometimes it interrupts the programme you’re listening to with a short ad.
Features
- Sleep Timer
- Alarm Clock
3. Simple Radio
Price: Free
Compatible with: Android and Apple devices
Simple Radio by Streema lets you listen to over 45,000 radio stations from around the world in addition to local and national stations.
Although it describes itself as an FM AM radio app, you still need to use the internet to use it.
With a super easy interface, this app is really user friendly. Its one-tap favourite option means you can keep your go-to channels at hand and never miss a beat. However, the ads can be quite intrusive.
Features
- Save Favourites
- Compatible with Apple Watch
- No buffering or interruptions
- Listen on a Smart Speaker
4. Radio by myTuner
Price: Free (Pro version costs £3.19)
Compatible with: Android and Apple devices
myTuner Radio app could be the best radio app for iPhone, with over 30,000 stations to tune into. You can search for your favourite artist by name or by track and the top 100 is available to listen to at any time! If pop music isn’t your thing, then you can listen to stations like Classic FM, Jazz FM or Kerrang! It all depends on your preference.
Not only can you enjoy top UK radio stations, but you can also access hundreds of channels from around the world. It also features podcasts.
To use this app, you must have an internet connection, so be aware of this if you have limited data.
Features
- Top 100 tracks
- Compatible with Apple Watch and Google Wearables
- Listen with a Smart Speaker
5. Radioplayer
Price: Free
Compatible with: Android and Apple devices
The creators of this app partnered up with the BBC to produce a DAB radio app which features over 450 UK stations. Depending upon where you are in the UK, the app will recommend local stations for you and you can save your favourites, completely personalising your experience with the app. To get local recommendations you will have to allow it to access your location, which is optional.
Whether you’re into sports, music or podcasts, this app is a great all-rounder, featuring all of the BBC Radio channels as well as those from Bauer Radio and some other great stations, including student and community projects.
The app requires an internet connection to run, which could get pricey if you go outside of your data allowance.
This app has some interesting features, such as showing tweets related to the programme you’re listening to.
Features
- Alarm clock
- Sleep timer
- Car mode
- Chromecast
- Android Wear
- Listen on a Smart Speaker
6. Radio UK
Price: Free
Compatible with: Android, Apple, Windows, Chromecast and Bluetooth
Radio UK has a smaller selection of radio stations, with just over 1500 available, but this would make a great choice for someone who doesn’t need anything extra, or someone who finds it hard to make decisions about what to listen to! The easy-to-use interface is perfect for selecting your favourite radio shows then going about your day – radio will continue to play in the background even as you use other apps on your device.
You do need an internet connection to tune in stations on this app.
Features
- Alarm Clock
- Sleep Timer
- Light and Dark mode
Can You Use a DAB Radio App Without Internet?
As far as we’re aware, no smartphones on the market today have a DAB receiver, so it wouldn’t be possible to create a DAB radio app that would work without the internet.
However, you can pick up FM radio stations without using data or WiFi if you have an Android phone. If you have an iPhone or newer Samsung you’re out of luck, as these phones don’t have radio chips, so you can only listen to the radio on them via the internet.
Lots of people search Google for the phrase “DAB radio app”, but in reality, all radio apps either use the internet or FM, not DAB.
Some apps, such as the Radio Player app emulate what it would be like to have DAB on your phone as they show you stations based on your location, but they still use the internet rather than a DAB receiver.
Summary
Each of these apps has some really great points, so all you have to do is choose which you like the sound of best (literally) and tune in to your favourite stations on the go, in your room or at work. But remember, if you can connect to a Wi-Fi network, it is recommended that you do so, as data is quickly used up when using these radio apps!
how about radicast? it’s great! 🙂
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fantaon.radicast.world
I really enjoy using myTuner Radio. It has 50 thousand stations and 1 million podcasts. More than enough for me!