BBC Sounds User Reviews

BBC Sounds

BBC Media Applications Technologies Limited

News

Music

Reviews Summary

Positive highlights

🎧

This app hasExcellent variety of content (dramas, comedies, documentaries, music, etc.)

🔍

This app hasInteresting and thought-provoking programs

🎨

This app hasBeautifully designed app with a user-friendly interface

🔥

This app hasConsistently high-quality production and sound

🌍

This app hasAccessible to international users, with a wide range of global content

🕰️

This app hasAbility to listen to programs on-demand, even after they've aired

Negative highlights

🌍

This app hasRestricted access to certain programs outside the UK

🔇

This app hasLack of features like speed controls, volume adjustments, and rewind/replay

🗂️

This app hasInconsistent organization and navigation of content

🔴

This app hasOccasional crashes and loading issues

📚

This app hasLack of clear indication of which programs are available to international users

⏰

This app hasLimited options for setting timers or alarms to play content

Top reviews

Most RecentHighest RatedLowest Rated

TERRIBLE!! Please bring back the SCHEDULED function! ZERO STAR RATING FROM ME!

This new app is terrible! I have for years been a huge fan of radio 4 but, due to a frantic daily schedule in recent years, have listened to radio 4 via the ‘scheduled’ function of the old app which enabled me to see what i had missed and catch-up on all those programmes that i was interested in. It was a fabulous function of the old app. I have tried every way possible to find the scheduled list of past and future programmes in this new app, so that i can continue to listen to the programmes that interest me, but to no avail. Am about to give up on radio 4 now as trying to search for programmes missed is taking too much of my time. BRING BACK THE “SCHEDULED’ FUNCTION THAT WAS IN THE OLD APP. ASAP PLEASE!!! (Also, it appears i cant submit this review without giving the app at least one star, but i dont give it any stars until i can easily get into the ‘scheduled’ function if there is one.

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R.C.M.79-21

5 years ago

Response from developer

Thank you for your review. To find station schedules visit the Listen tab, then tap the link to Schedules just under the station dial. More on this here: https://bbc.in/2qPBLvn

I am too old

I realise that the app was not intended for existing listeners especially those who listen only to radio 4 speech programmes and can just about tolerate Desert Island Discs. It doesn’t even deserve one star from me because it does not allow me to select a programme from a daily schedule and set the sleep timer.
The only options are : live, (listen to the current offering) my sounds( the types of content which I have listened to in the past) and search. The way I search for a programme is to look at the schedule to see what is available. I can not see how your target listeners are going to be attracted to listen unless you tell them what there is available!
Update: An extra star for helping me to find ‘sleep’.
Still searching for schedules which I suspect is to be found under the calendar symbol because there is an message there “ ! there was a problem during loading”.

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Reg12629

5 years ago

Response from developer

Thank you for your comment. To find station schedules tap the link to Schedules just under the station dial. You can find more info on using schedules in the following FAQ: https://bbc.in/2D9wcgz We do have a sleep timer feature on our app which you can find in the full player screen. You can read more on how to use it on our FAQ: https://bbc.in/2lKsRwQ

Not happy

I’m only awarding this 2* as it’s such a poor replacement for the old Ap. Why does it not go directly into the site when I press the Ap? Instead I have to go into Open Ap mode every time and start from scratch. Then finding what I’m looking for is long winded. The only thing I like better than the old Ap is that you’ve split the comedy section up by type of show. However, even then you have to scroll down a load of other stuff to find the menu. If you fall asleep listening to a show, you wake up to find it’s automatically moved onto another show. Not even another episode in the same show, but a completely different show altogether. You then have to start again to find your original show so you can listen again. It’s just messy, overly complicated and long winded. Why mess with something that worked fine before? If you need to change things, please improve them and not make them worse. I’m clearly not alone feeling this way looking at the other reviews and I’m staggered this Ap was passed by your team as fit for purpose. Sorry to sound miserable, but it’s really really poor.

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MarkKins

5 years ago

Response from developer

Thank you for your review. When selecting the app from your phone’s home screen it should will launch the app rather than directing you to the BBC Sounds website. We'd recommend reinstalling the app and removing any web bookmarks you’ve added to your home screen, or contacting our Support teams for help with this. We do have a sleep timer feature on our app which you can find in the full player screen. At the bottom of the playback screen, tap the clock icon. Then, select how long you'd like the stream to keep playing before it switches itself off. More on this here: https://bbc.in/2KilWoa You can also switch autoplay off by visiting My Sounds, then Settings, or by selecting the queue icon when on a playback page.

More difficult to navigate, smaller font than before

You may well dismiss this review as just another middle-aged person who doesn’t like change however I do hope you consider my complaints as valid.
As much as I prefer the former app, I always found it annoying that one couldn’t increase the screen view for easier reading. That seems so minor now, considering that you have made the font even smaller with still no way to enlarge it.
How many taps does it take to finally find the desired programme? Too many. More than before.
It is not intuitive and is certainly not an improvement on the old version. It feels like change for the sake of change, not for the viewers’ ease of use but because you had the funding allocated to create a new one. Why not just improve upon the former one rather than reinventing it and making rather a hash?

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mabel2712

5 years ago

Response from developer

Thank you for your review. You may be interested to know that you can increase the size of the font in our app by adjusting your device's settings. Visit your iOS Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Larger Text and then drag the slider to your preferred font size.