Editor's Review
Everything the BBC broadcasts on radio arrives here: Radio 1 through 6 Music, the national and regional stations, the World Service, and the large back catalogue of programmes that survives after transmission. Live streams sit beside on-demand episodes, and the app remembers where you stopped in each one.
Podcasts are the part that has grown most. The corporation's own series appear here first, often ahead of other platforms, and the drama and documentary archive runs deeper than any commercial podcast app can match. Music mixes and curated collections fill the space between a radio schedule and a streaming service, and downloads let you carry episodes onto a plane or the Underground.
The wall around all of it is licensing. Most content is restricted to listeners in the United Kingdom, and the app checks. Abroad the catalogue shrinks to the World Service and a handful of podcasts, which is the clearest reason the rating stops at 4.2 rather than climbing higher. Rights also expire, so programmes drop out of catch-up once their availability window closes and there is no way to hold on to them.
A BBC account is needed to sign in. For listeners in the UK this remains the only sensible way to hear BBC radio on a phone. For everyone else it is a partial catalogue behind a lot of locked doors.
Features
Live streams for every BBC national, regional and World Service station
On-demand catch-up for radio programmes after broadcast
BBC podcast series, often released here ahead of other platforms
Curated music mixes and themed collections
Downloads for offline listening
Playback position remembered across devices
Pros
The whole of BBC radio in one app, with no advertising
A drama and documentary archive with no commercial equivalent
Offline downloads hold up on commutes without signal
Cons
Most content is blocked outside the United Kingdom
Programmes expire from catch-up once their availability window closes
A BBC account sign-in is required before you can listen
Questions people ask
Can I listen outside the UK?
Only in part. Rights agreements restrict most programmes to UK listeners. Abroad you are generally left with the World Service and a selection of podcasts.
Do I need a TV licence for it?
Radio and on-demand audio do not require one. A BBC account is still needed to sign in, and BBC iPlayer television is a separate matter.
How long do programmes stay available?
Each programme has its own availability window set by rights agreements, after which it leaves catch-up. Downloads are tied to the same window.
