Huge downgrade from previous service
I have subscribed to the LBC catch up service for years and was very happy to pay a subscription fee for this service. Recently bought a new phone and found out that the app no longer is supported and one now has to use this newer and greatly inferior version. Every time you turn it in you have to watch an introductory video advert and the lengthy news, travel and advertisements which used to be deleted no all remain in the recording. I listen a lot when I am driving and, because I don’t want to be reaching for my phone whilst trying to keep my eyes on the road, I am now forever listening to tedious and out of date information which hugely detracts from my enjoyment. Surely LBC must realise that people subscribed to the service to hear their favourite presenters, not several day old traffic reports!! Please bring back the service as you used to provide it; I would be more than happy to pay a higher subscription if that would be necessary.
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Awful
Total disaster of the highest order. This is a monumental downgrade from the catch up app. Firstly it doesn’t even tell you which topics the presenter you want to listen to is talking about.
Secondly, forced to listen to the adverts. Yes you can forward them but when you’re lying down in bed closing your eyes, having to start picking your phone up and pressing forward is the last thing you want to do. As if that’s not bad enough the content wasn’t even available last time I tried, this means if you haven’t subscribed and downloaded the podcast all you are able to to when this problem occurs is listen to the live show.
Seriously??!!! I couldn’t care less if it’s free, at least give me the option to choose between the paid for catch up app and this pile of utter crap!!!
Secondly, forced to listen to the adverts. Yes you can forward them but when you’re lying down in bed closing your eyes, having to start picking your phone up and pressing forward is the last thing you want to do. As if that’s not bad enough the content wasn’t even available last time I tried, this means if you haven’t subscribed and downloaded the podcast all you are able to to when this problem occurs is listen to the live show.
Seriously??!!! I couldn’t care less if it’s free, at least give me the option to choose between the paid for catch up app and this pile of utter crap!!!
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Full of bugs
Needs a lot of work. Can’t sign in, doesn’t store or play downloads offline. Bad navigation and Apple CarPlay doesn’t function
Limited and difficult to use
Catch up option is difficult to get working, it does allow 20s jumping, but cannot keep downloads for more than a week, also the “walled garden” nature means that if you listen to podcasts from other sources, you need to keep switching between apps... we also lose the ability to pay for a download that don’t contain adverts.
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For those who get lost with subscribing/downloading of shows (and for feedback for the developers)...
The app works in two different ways - First, there an overview area (bottom bar shows Stations, Music For, and My Downloads), where the Stations take you into a completely different side to the app (focused entirely on that station), which shows a small “G Home” icon in the top right (this is the thing to take you back to the overview area).
To subscribe to a station, you need to login (from the overview area, using the small cog icon in the top right), then “go to” a station, find a show from the “Schedule + Catch Up” page (select an old date first), then press “Subscribe”... it will ask you to enable notifications with no explanation as to why - it won’t work if you decline.
I assume they are using notifications to trigger the downloads of new shows (rather than the app polling the server every 30 minutes), but just as likely, they could be doing this to annoy you with notifications (i.e. the “look at me, you haven’t used me for at least a day” problem).
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For those who get lost with subscribing/downloading of shows (and for feedback for the developers)...
The app works in two different ways - First, there an overview area (bottom bar shows Stations, Music For, and My Downloads), where the Stations take you into a completely different side to the app (focused entirely on that station), which shows a small “G Home” icon in the top right (this is the thing to take you back to the overview area).
To subscribe to a station, you need to login (from the overview area, using the small cog icon in the top right), then “go to” a station, find a show from the “Schedule + Catch Up” page (select an old date first), then press “Subscribe”... it will ask you to enable notifications with no explanation as to why - it won’t work if you decline.
I assume they are using notifications to trigger the downloads of new shows (rather than the app polling the server every 30 minutes), but just as likely, they could be doing this to annoy you with notifications (i.e. the “look at me, you haven’t used me for at least a day” problem).
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Car play doesn’t play downloaded shows?
I probably need to get out more but I was really excited by the addition of car play to this app. Imagine my sad disappointment when I found that all you could do was to play the current live show! Who is this aimed at Global Radio? Surely every carplay compatible car audio system will also have a DAB radio receiver? LBC is a national station broadcast throughout the UK on DAB. Why use your data allowance to stream it over the unreliable 3G/4G network when you can just tune the car’s radio? If you only have an old FM radio you are very unlikely to have Carplay so it can’t be that? What I really want CarPlay compatibility for is to be able to play downloaded shows - that would be genuinely brilliant. Next update maybe?
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Best Radio App!
LBC is the single best radio app you can possibly have!
Good app but keeps losing connection
Overall this is a good app but the annoying adverts are a pain. I know the app is free but I’d gladly pay for an ad-free version.
The only real complaint is that the audio keeps stopping and “buffering”. Considering that I’m connected to a very fast broadband service with a strong wifi signal, I can only surmise that the fault is with the broadcast itself. I also use an internet radio and it never drops out which further makes me think the app is the problem.
Shame as I think the app could be excellent with a bit more work.
The only real complaint is that the audio keeps stopping and “buffering”. Considering that I’m connected to a very fast broadband service with a strong wifi signal, I can only surmise that the fault is with the broadcast itself. I also use an internet radio and it never drops out which further makes me think the app is the problem.
Shame as I think the app could be excellent with a bit more work.
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Something Wrong
I loved the app until a week ago when it stopped fully working with the new features. Sometimes I don’t see the photos of the presenters. And I no longer can get the replay of missed scheduled programs. But, when it is working correctly I love it.
Great expert for battery drainage
Seems to be draining battery a lot on iPhone even when not in use.
It's okay, but those adverts! Gah!
LBC, please get rid of those annoying fullscreen ads! Launch the app, wait at least five seconds before you can do anything with it, and it randomly thinks you clicked the ad when you tried to hit the "Skip Ad" button. Why are you showing ads anyway? You're a commercial station - you already have ads in the stream!
It's really annoying when you switch to the app to pause it or stop it, and you get an ad you can't skip for five seconds. This app is a UX PITA.
It's really annoying when you switch to the app to pause it or stop it, and you get an ad you can't skip for five seconds. This app is a UX PITA.
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