# BBC Sounds — user reviews > 751 indexed App Store user reviews of BBC Sounds by BBC Media Applications Technologies Limited, rated 4.69/5 from 352,617 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-sounds/id1380676511/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-sounds/id1380676511.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 8,873 · 4★ 595 · 3★ 133 · 2★ 61 · 1★ 101 ## What do users think of BBC Sounds? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Best app ever - 🔒 No advertisements - 👍 Wide variety of content - 👍 High-quality programming - 👍 Excellent music and podcast selection - 👍 Convenient access to BBC radio - 👍 Helpful for expats to stay connected **Cons** - 🐛 Inconsistent content availability across regions - 🐛 Buggy playback and syncing issues - 🔍 Cluttered and unintuitive interface - 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content - 🔍 Lack of customization options - 🔍 Frustrating content management **Commonly reported bugs** - Frequent crashes and loading errors - Playback issues when switching connections - Inconsistent episode availability **Most requested features** - Add volume controls - Improve episode queuing and autoplay - Introduce a sleep timer - Provide better podcast organization and search - Develop an Apple Watch app - Allow offline downloads ## Newest reviews (20 of 751) ### 4/5 — Review *2026-08-09, version 2.57.0* Would be higher if you didn’t keep asking me to tell you whether I’m enjoying the app. ### 3/5 — Old Harry’s game *2026-08-07, version 2.57.0* Always makes me laugh but is amazing in its clever way of twisting the biblical story. A great way to end my day especially when Edith is introduced to Adam & Eve. Sad it is no longer available. ### 3/5 — Good but funky *2026-08-07, version 2.57.0* Content good, but often app design means cannot access programs when expected. Needs more detailed look at user experience. I understand that Radio is the poor relation to TV. Similarly, BBC Sounds is the poor relation to BBC iPlayer. I briefly worked on Content Distibution Platforms and related internet and telecom systems years ago. I thus have a little insight into the complexity and rapid change that affects these fields. I hope you can make the user experience on Sounds better in these ways in particular: 1) Provide a bridge between live broadcasts and recorded content. Currently, my place is lost after a few hours when I pause a live rogramme. For a recorded programme my place is kept indefinitely. I appreciate this gap is not easy to bridge. Even a note of what time a live broadcast was paused at could be helpful to know where to resume on the recorded version. 2) A related issue is that once a live programme has ended, there is a gap until the recorded version is available. This is funky. It’s not too bad, about 10-15 min gap, for news programs until the recording is available. 3) There is no history of recently listened to, or browsed programs. This could be very helpful. It might even encourage me to turn on some functionality related cookies. 4) Congratulations on providing more content and links alongs the programmes. That has improved a lot recently and I hope that continues, there is more to do there. This was written some months ago but still is valid. I have another concern. At times the replay function doesn’t have skip forward and back buttons. In fact, though it looks like the user can change where they are on the recording, they cannot. Very annoying. There is more, but this the main stuff I can think of now. Regards Mark Dunn ### 5/5 — Good work *2026-08-06, version 2.57.0* I like the variety of programmes and the impartiality of the news. ### 5/5 — The BBC Best!!! *2026-08-06, version 2.57.0* BBC sounds has something for everyone. Going on a long journey? We’ll try and play or a series that will last your whole journey and sometimes even longer. It will transform your travel to place your mind has not encountered before! Try it! Working around town, try a mystery I bet you’ll not leave your vehicle till it ends!! Have a laugh, other road users will wonder why your laughing, yes BBC SOUNDS cover the whole field and you won’t be disappointed, surprised maybe , delighted definitely. Try it , you can’t loose! ### 5/5 — Well researched *2026-08-06, version 2.57.0* The podcasts are always well researched, topical and very engaging ### 5/5 — Hello world *2026-08-05, version 2.57.0* Very good please fund more good bad billianaire stuff ### 5/5 — Can’t survive without it *2026-08-05, version 2.57.0* Absolutely fantastic. Use multiple times a day ### 5/5 — The BBC at its best *2026-08-04, version 2.57.0* Something for everyone. Easy to find what you want, but also great for a browse through to find something new, or very old but new to you. Fantastic stuff. ### 5/5 — BBC sounds review *2026-08-04, version 2.57.0* Just love it 😁sounds of 60s,70s,80s and tony Blackburn listen to all weekly xx Tracks of my years So many fabulous individuals from years gone by ### 3/5 — Lost sounds *2026-08-04, version 2.57.0* Unexpectedly lost some of my sounds subscriptions so I emailed BBC. Reply said if I changed my details this would happen. Very annoying and unhelpful as I hadn’t changed my login… so much for BBC statement that if we subscribe we’ll never miss a programme! Humph ### 4/5 — Almost great *2026-08-03, version 2.57.0* i hope the app people don’t break this classic app like most companies. So many start off with a simple app and then make it worse. The only issue with this app is that it doesn’t always refresh your followed shows. ### 4/5 — Love the app …. But *2026-08-03, version 2.57.0* Really love the app and the content too! What irritates me is how it dominates all programs and comes up on my Bluetooth devices! Else would have been 6⭐️ ### 5/5 — True Crime Podcasts *2026-08-03, version 2.57.0* I enjoy a good true crime podcast and BBC Sounds have some excellent ones ### 4/5 — Whodunnits *2026-08-03, version 2.57.0* Like some but not all of the series. Happy with that but when I download my favourites and want them to play the series I do not want it then to continue with one I haven’t downloaded. ### 5/5 — Wonderful! *2026-08-03, version 2.57.0* So good to have everything in one place. I can listen to mainly Radio 4 (although I have recently discovered Night Sounds from Radio 3 which is brilliant and I listen to podcasts too). Pause, Rewind and listen later al fit in to my busy life and I love having Bluetooth on my hearing aids. I am retired (age 75) and at home with my husband a lot so I can get on with things without imposing my listening choices on him! Kate ### 5/5 — Bookmarking *2026-08-02, version 2.57.0* I love Sounds and use it all the time BUT I continue to have one niggle. I can organise my downloaded content alphabetically- excellent. So why can’t I do the same with bookmarked episodes? ### 2/5 — Ok app and great service but *2026-08-02, version 2.57.0* The TV licence confusion just prevents mass adoption by users as people are put off by having to pay for a licence that no one wants or understands. In protest and out of principle, I have stopped using BBC products all together. And I am not the only one. I do not want to be forced to pay for something I do not use, such as live TV. Let the BBC just run freely in the open market and let it ask users to pay for a subscription. If users find value, they will pay. If not than c’est la vie. ### 5/5 — Jane Eyre *2026-07-31, version 2.57.0* Loving this. Best audio book I have listened to for years thank you! ### 5/5 — Programme display *2026-07-29, version 2.57.0* I use the app all the time but a display change with the latest update I find annoying. I often play the radio at night and use Apple Air Pods. The time display is now much reduced and the programme picture fills the display making the time display difficult to read. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Pop up ads for radio 6 are annoying *2026-07-29, version 2.57.0* Pop up ads for radio 6 are annoying - have to click to make them go away when start the app. Apple Podcasts app is better ### 1/5 — Meh *2026-07-21, version 2.56.0* It’s so annoying when a message appears saying I appear to put of the British isles, modern technology is such, that any person can use the app anywhere in the world. Not providing music that’s not live because of some pathetic excuse about copyright is another failure, someone singing in a show is not an infringement, and no different to a show available with dozens of songs available in full. I don’t see why every archive show has to have a a declaration that’s it’s a podcast or not live, such as women’s hour, it’s not relevant nor is it wanted. ### 1/5 — Just Full of Repeats *2026-07-19, version 2.56.0* Why can’t listeners have a simple means to comment on the drama the BBC produces - surely as they pay for it they should be able to feedback on its quality, value for money and appropriateness! Each podcast could have a feedback function to register listeners approval etc! Are the BBC frighten they are producing stuff with little appeal to their listeners! ### 1/5 — Stop caching geolocation *2026-07-18, version 2.56.0* If you open the app with a VPN running (location set outside uk), the app doesn't recheck your location for ages, meaning if you disable the VPN you can't listen to live sports. Even add an option in settings to clear the cache or recheck geolocation as its a massive pain. ### 1/5 — Broadcasting House *2026-07-12, version 2.55.1* Paused program for a few minutes. Has jumped to the end now and can’t get on catch up. Poor service ### 1/5 — Used to be good.. *2026-07-09, version 2.55.1* But not anymore. I try to listen to post match comments while walking home from the pub and it constantly drops out. I reboot my phone it works for a while then does it again. I changed to a competitor where the problem doesn’t exist. Such a shame,this didn’t use to happen. ### 1/5 — Suddenly far glitchier than before *2026-07-05, version 2.55.0* Like other reviewers, I have found that the app has recently (past week or two) started jumping back to the start of a podcast that I have had to pause briefly. It is happening so often that the app is unusable. I'm going to move to other podcast apps for a while, until this has been fixed. ### 1/5 — Issue with Sounds *2026-07-04, version 2.55.0* In the last week. Podcasts are jumping back to beginning (having paused) from part through listen to a podcast. Then isn’t possible to go back to the point it left, without first closing the app and reopening. Sounds hasn’t done this before until recently. I am on the last software version as I have tried re-downloading the app. ### 1/5 — Resuming from pause restarts *2026-07-03, version 2.55.0* If you pause and then resume, it goes back to the start. Then if you try to move forward, it just jumps back to the beginning again. So an hour of listening and now I can’t get back to where I was. Cheers then ### 1/5 — Jumping to start after pausing *2026-07-03, version 2.55.0* Usually I would give the BBC Sounds App 5 stars but it is jumping to the beginning of a programme after pausing and will not go forward using either the bar or the forward button so I either have to listen from the beginning with no pauses or not bother. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — ‘Still the go-to public service…. *2026-08-13, version 2.58.1* ‘Enjoying some seriously presented podcasts that educate with a hint of appropriate entertainment. ‘Loving listening to R3 & R4, on FM\AM too, so don’t even consider ditching analogue transmissions! Broaden the appeal and don’t dumb-down…highest common factor brings us all up. Lecture concluded. ### 5/5 — An essential part of my life. *2026-08-12, version 2.58.1* Food for the mind and for the spirit. ### 5/5 — Great choice of podcasts *2026-08-11, version 2.58.1* Always a great choice of podcasts , regularly updated. Love it as company on my daily walk ### 5/5 — Good *2026-08-11, version 2.58.1* It is very good to have radio plays etc on BBC Sounds but it needs more to choose from. ### 5/5 — Entertainment *2026-08-10, version 2.58.1* I love BBC Sounds, I can always find something to entertain me, I especially like desert island Discs ### 5/5 — I listen when I want! *2026-08-10, version 2.58.1* The BBC Sounds app allows me to listen to my favourite radio programmes when I want, not just when they’re broadcast, so I often “binge listen” to radio serials; the Paul Temple series are my favourites! ### 5/5 — Wonderful *2026-08-09, version 2.57.0* Easy to use great content ### 5/5 — BBC sounds - generally *2026-08-09, version 2.57.0* Brilliant range of entertainment and information - new and vintage. BBC is quite simply the best at this ### 5/5 — I love R4 *2026-08-09, version 2.57.0* Radio 4 is a big part of my life and Sounds has made it even more so. I’m an insomniac and it really helps to be able to put on a favourite programme- though sometimes they’re so interesting they set me thinking and I can’t get back to sleep! Always so informative, interesting and sometimes inspiring- or funny and entertaining. BBC radio is one our greatest national achievements and I’m so proud of the World Service in particular- I wish we appreciated it more. ### 5/5 — Da best *2026-08-07, version 2.57.0* So easy and strate forward to use --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*