# BBC World Service

> BBC World Service news and radio programs with audio player and dial-up option. (iPhone/iPad app by Zeno Media LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-world-service/id1451694511 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Zeno Media LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451694510)
- Category: News
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 67,582 App Store ratings · 631 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 56 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2019-02-13
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-world-service/id1451694511/reviews.md

## What is BBC World Service?

The official BBC World Service news app by Zeno Media LLC offers the latest programmes and news headlines from the BBC World Service. You can to listen to the latest radio programmes using the free audio player or by using the telephone dial-up option (standard geographic mobile charges will apply. Please check with your provider for exact costs before calling).
 
- Read the latest news headlines from the BBC World Service website 
- Listen to your favorite radio programmes free with the audio player, or by using the standard-rate telephone dial-up service.
- You can listen to the most recent editions of:
- The Global News Podcast
- Newshour
- HARDtalk
- Sport Today
- Business Daily
- Focus on Africa, and many more
 
For EU users only: If you choose to receive customized ads, a unique identifier (Google Advertising ID  or Apple’s ID for Advertising) relating to your device will be stored by Zeno Media to provide you with the service and allow customized advertising to be served within the app.
 
No other Personal Data relating to you (such as a username or email address) is processed. Such information will only be processed in line with Zeno Media’s Privacy Policy, available at https://www.zenomedia.com/wp-content/themes/zeno/privacy_policy.pdf
Find out about your privacy rights and the BBC’s Privacy and Cookies Policy at http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy.
 
Notifications may include alerts, sounds and icon badges. These can be reconfigured in Settings (notifications). Details of data this app collects, including the unique identifier relating to your device and your location data, is also found under Settings.

## Key features

- Latest news headlines
- Audio player for radio programs
- Telephone dial-up option
- Listen to popular podcasts
- Global news updates
- Customizable notifications

## What do users think of BBC World Service?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🌍 Comprehensive world news coverage
- 🔍 Unbiased and objective reporting
- 🎧 Excellent audio quality
- 📰 Variety of content (news, podcasts, documentaries)
- 🌐 Global perspective beyond just local news

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional app crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Bias towards British/European viewpoints in some cases
- 🔊 Intrusive and disruptive advertisements
- 📱 Suboptimal user interface and navigation
- 🕰️ Delayed or outdated news updates

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Live stream frequently disconnects or stops working
- Inability to resume playback from where user left off
- Overlapping UI elements and poor layout on tablets
- Compatibility issues with older iOS and Android versions

**Most requested features**

- Add option to customize news feed and topics
- Improve offline listening and caching capabilities
- Introduce written news articles in addition to audio
- Enhance accessibility features for visually impaired users
- Provide more localized news and content for different regions

## Recent user reviews (10 of 631)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-world-service/id1451694511/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Why are you getting rid of this app

*2026-08-15, version 4.10.21*

This app is great. Don’t delete when you have a great app! How does the new BBC app work? Will it be easy as this one is?

### 5/5 — ❤️BBC

*2026-06-18, version 4.10.20*

We love BBC. Better than most US news outlets. The audio part is amazing… all free too (with ads). Thank you UK!

### 4/5 — Good readings! But…

*2026-06-17, version 4.10.20*

Where’s the Asia Specific podcast?

### 5/5 — Great app

*2026-06-17, version 4.10.20*

Informational

### 5/5 — Love this news

*2026-06-16, version 4.10.20*

It’s reliable and up to date

### 5/5 — Sudan post War.

*2026-06-16*

Eye opening situation
Of war torn country. It needs immense amount of foreign aid in Education, Nutrition, Psychiatric counselling, Assurance of Safety to expatriate personnel who would be willing to help this once upon a time thriving country. And experienced planners, economists, advisers from several UN agencies wld be required to get Sudan on its feet once again to usher in momentum in various spheres of human activity including New Investments in Industry and commerce  to revive the Economy for new job creation for a country predominantly with a huge young population aspiring skills, aspiring higher education at all levels right from primary , secondary school with vocational skills yo University schools. An expert team from the World Bank and UN need to be invited to draw up plans for rehabilitation of a large section of displaced population and to quickly generate avenues of employment for displaced war affected people.

### 5/5 — Non Partisan

*2026-06-16, version 4.10.20*

Factual info only.

### 5/5 — La

*2026-06-14, version 4.10.20*

Comprehensive nice feature.

### 5/5 — Must Have

*2026-06-12, version 4.10.20*

Remains the gold standard for world news coverage.

### 1/5 — Fake News

*2026-06-10, version 4.10.20*

Britain is in freefall and will be taken over by radical Muslims if they don’t repent of their sins and return to Jesus. The BBC is not a reliable source of news.

## Frequently asked questions about BBC World Service

### What does the BBC World Service app do?

The app provides access to the latest news headlines from the BBC World Service website and allows users to listen to radio programs. It features an audio player for on-demand listening and a telephone dial-up option for accessing content.

### How can I listen to radio programs on the app?

You can listen to your favorite radio programs using the free audio player within the app. Alternatively, a standard-rate telephone dial-up service is available, though standard geographic mobile charges will apply. It's recommended to check with your provider for exact costs before using the dial-up option.

### Is the BBC World Service app free to use?

Yes, the app offers free access to its news headlines and radio programs through the audio player. While the app itself is free, using the telephone dial-up option will incur standard geographic mobile charges.

### What kind of news and programs can I access?

You can read the latest news headlines from the BBC World Service website and listen to popular radio programs. This includes recent editions of shows like The Global News Podcast, Newshour, HARDtalk, Sport Today, Business Daily, and Focus on Africa, among others.

### What data does the app collect?

The app may collect data including a unique identifier relating to your device and your location data. For EU users who opt-in to customized ads, a unique identifier (Google Advertising ID or Apple’s ID for Advertising) will be stored by Zeno Media. No other personal data like usernames or email addresses are processed.

## Version history (last 5 of 5)

### 4.10.21 — 2026-08-14

This app will be at end of life and retiring for a new BBC app : The version has a minor fix on reloading the banner on redirecting users to the new store app

### 4.10.20 — 2025-01-18

Thank you for using our app! We are constantly working to improve it and offer better versions to our users.
This update includes iOS 18 bug fixes and minor improvements.
If you like our app, please give us a review. We appreciate your feedback!

### 4.10.18 — 2024-05-16

Thank you for using our app! We are constantly working to improve it and offer better versions to our users.
This update includes iOS 17 bug fixes and minor improvements.
If you like our app, please give us a review. We appreciate your feedback!

### 4.10.16 — 2024-02-12

Thank you for using our app! We are constantly working to improve it and offer better versions to our users.
This update includes Channel redesign, bug fixes and minor improvements.
If you like our app, please give us a review. We appreciate your feedback!

### 4.10.14 — 2023-11-20

Thank you for using our app! We are constantly working to improve it and offer better versions to our users.
This update includes Channel redesign, bug fixes and minor improvements.
If you like our app, please give us a review. We appreciate your feedback!

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## More apps by Zeno Media LLC

- [BBC News Somali](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-news-somali/id1128071649)
- [BBC News Hausa](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bbc-news-hausa/id1241224492)

All apps by Zeno Media LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1451694510

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*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 2026-08-25.*
