# Best Clock Radio-Podcast — Podcast & Radio Player BCR > Clock radio app for alarms, podcasts, radio, and soothing sounds. (iPhone/iPad app by Mark Linthicum.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-clock-radio-podcast/id858324439 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Mark Linthicum](https://appshunter.io/developer/382749598) - Category: Utilities, News - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 3.80/5 from 25 App Store ratings · 104 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 202 MB - Languages: American English, Danish, Dutch, French (France), German (Germany), Norwegian Bokmål, European Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish - Released: 2014-05-14 - Data updated: 2026-08-28 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-clock-radio-podcast/id858324439/reviews.md ## What is Best Clock Radio? New in Version 9.1.7 • Station Reliability Updates – If a US Radio or World station stops working, the app can automatically notify the development team so the station can be updated. After a short wait, simply try playing the station again. “Your app is outstanding - by far the best radio alarm clock app available!” - David Riviello “The most powerful easy to use clock radio available anywhere” - Jay Adams "Makes me happy" - Rick TX A Clock Radio that plays the radio, podcast, and soothing sounds for meditation, relaxing, or sleep! Visit our website videos, for more info or to contact support. www.BeautifulClockRadio.com For the alarm to work properly you must allow notification to be sent from the app, For Radio to be used as an Alarm Best Clock Radio must be open, closing the app will cause a backup alarm to sound. AutoDim feature dims the screen automatically at night so it is not too bright and brightens it up again in the morning. Alarm, 5 Alarms allow you to program 5 different alarm times and sounds. With this feature, you can trigger the radio to turn on when your favorite show starts. Radio, touch and hold one of 9 radio buttons to program it to your favorite internet streaming Radio Station, Podcast, or Soothing sound. There are over 40,000 stations available or you add your own URL. Weather, Subscription-based weather shows the current conditions. Swipe to the left to get the 5-day forecast, Swipe again to go to the weather underground web site. Swipe to the right to turn the weather display off. Best Clock Radio Features: • Powerful Podcast player • One-Touch Radio & Podcast Access • AutoDim • 9 Programmable Radio Buttons on the iPhone and 8 on the iPad. • Very easy to use, stable and reliable • 5 easy to set alarms • Wake up to Radio, Music, or one of the 32 included Alarm Sounds • Auto Sleep feature will turn the radio off after a set period of time • 12 hour or 24-hour mode • Thousands of Shoutcast, U.S., and World Radio stations. • Soothing sounds to relax you. • URL option allows you to program a radio URL to a button • Support link in the app for any questions or to request a radio station Contact support for any questions ## Key features - 5 programmable alarms - Wake up to radio, music, or alarm sounds - Thousands of internet radio stations - Podcast player - AutoDim screen feature - Auto Sleep feature ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 yr weather & Radio Access | $7.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Best Clock Radio? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🌍 Extensive international radio station selection - 📻 Reliable radio streaming functionality - ⏰ Customizable alarm settings with multiple presets - 🎚️ Easy station preset buttons and controls - 🌡️ Weather display integration - 🔆 Auto-dim feature for nighttime use - 💬 Responsive developer support - 🎵 Large music/audio clip library for alarms - 📱 Works well as bedside clock replacement - 🎛️ Volume and brightness adjustment controls **Cons** - 🐛 Alarm frequently fails to trigger - 🔋 Excessive battery drain - 📻 Radio streams frequently go offline - 🔊 Audio only plays on device, not Bluetooth speakers - 💰 Subscription model for weather and extra features - 🎨 Outdated and confusing user interface - ⚙️ Complex setup process requiring video tutorials - 📵 App doesn't run in background properly - 🔆 Brightness settings don't persist after closing app - 💥 Frequent crashes and freezes - 🔇 Default beeping sound instead of selected station - 📱 Compatibility issues with older iOS versions - 🎯 Difficult to find and select specific stations - ⚡ App hangs on splash screen **Commonly reported bugs** - Alarm doesn't go off when phone is locked or screen is off - App crashes when screen rotates to landscape - Weather feature stops working after iOS updates - Radio station links become outdated and non-functional - Settings reset after app updates - Snooze button unreliable or non-functional - App freezes during station setup - Display elements move off-screen or misaligned - Auto-dim feature activates unexpectedly - Auto-sleep/sleep timer doesn't work - App crashes on splash screen - Wake to music setting won't save properly - Radio station selection reverts to default - Notification appears but alarm sound doesn't play - Battery drain even when app is closed - Interface elements difficult to interact with (sliders) **Most requested features** - Sleep timer to auto-stop radio after set duration - Red/warm color display option to protect night vision - Dark mode for better sleep compatibility - Better station search and sorting functionality - Ability to disable weather banner display - Fade-in/fade-out music feature - Volume control per individual alarm - One-screen alarm setup interface - Torch/flashlight toggle with double-tap - Ability to turn off auto-dim feature - Support link in settings menu - Better Bluetooth speaker integration - Display indicator showing if alarm is set for tomorrow - Improved station search by call letters or name - Larger temperature display on weather widget ## Recent user reviews (10 of 104) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-clock-radio-podcast/id858324439/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Didn’t work properly *2025-01-14, version 8.9.5* I set to a radio stn and it only plays chimes and bird noises, tried a few times ### 1/5 — Real name is “Worst Clock Radio EVER” *2024-06-16, version 8.9.2* Spent quite bit of time loading and setting it up…. Results: 1. Did NOT alarm at set time even though the app was open and on that screen all night. 2. Drained my battery more than 50% even though the phone was on a charger all night! 3. Did NOT dim as per setup. Far too bright for a night stand. Complete waste of time and effort!…. Don’t bother with it ### 5/5 — Best clock radio app *2024-06-01* I’ve been using this app for years. If you love using it as a traditional clock radio to wake up to AM/FM stations, or to listen to AM/FM stations it remains the best. The button design to set stations, settings to set brightness and volume are great. Even provides the local weather all for a reasonable yearly fee. The only problem for which I used to contact Mark is when certain stations change their streaming links. If you are a local CBS news radio junkie this is a regular issue since Audacy purchased these stations. I’ve notified Shoutcast about this but it is not priority for them. For our yearly fee 😀 I would suggest Mark check the following stations quarterly or so and update the app with working links if needed for the following Audacy CBS news stations: WBZ 1030 Boston WCBS 880 New York WINS 1010 New York WBBM 780 Chicago WKNX 1070 Los Angeles Many of the above now simulcast with corresponding concurrent FM stations also. and these additional city news, weather, sports stations that frequently change their links: KTAR talk/news 98.3 Phoenix AZ Arizona Sports 98.7 Phoenix AZ If done for the app then everyone has these working stations rather than just for individual users. Thanks for such a great app! **Developer response:** You should contact support if you are having problems. Weather does not sync, not sure what you mean by this. Contacting us with a problem is how we make the app better, we have had no other users report these issues so it could be your device, simply use the contact link in the weather panel and we will get back to you the same day. ### 1/5 — How to set the alarm clock to make it work *2024-05-13* I Followed all the instructions save and it never Alarms or I can’t hear an Alarm it’s Extremely Frustrating thanks in Advance For your Help **Developer response:** Sorry you are having trouble, it sounds like you did not enable notifications. This is not the support page, you can use the in app support links or go to www.BeautifulClockRadio.com and contact me from there. ### 4/5 — FOX News goes offline. Why? *2023-10-22, version 8.9.1* I listen to FOX NEWS every morning as my wake up channel. Ya, I know it is one sided news just like CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS and NPR. But what are we to do, I just want to wake to a human voice. Any way FOX has been working for months but now the connection just won’t connect. I have had this happen before and it did correct itself. This time however it’s been a few weeks. What’s the deal. Fox is off line again. 10/22/2023. ### 3/5 — Paid for weather *2023-09-23, version 8.9.1* Payed for year but only works on one of my devices ### 5/5 — Works without fail *2023-09-20* My iHome Clock radio died, all the new ones are Bluetooth only. As I’m a news junky, I wake up to the local NPR station App works perfectly, even the free version I did upgrade to add the weather not that I really needed it. But wanted to make sure the author is making some money so he keeps updating the app, which I now depend on. One thing I wish I could figure out. My local NPR station provides a pledge free stream for members. However the url doesn’t work in the app. Not the apps fault, as the url launches a website. Mark if you have any suggestion, I’d love to hear it So pledges I hear. ### 1/5 — Sad *2023-01-17* Doesn’t work I really liked the sounds it had to choose from too bad **Developer response:** Notifications need to be enabled for the alarm to function, please contact support with any issues and we can get them solved for you. Use the in-app support links or www.BeautifulClockRadio.com ### 5/5 — Works well and great support *2022-09-12, version 8.8.9* The app is really versatile even though using the features and buttons is not super simple and requires watching the accompanying instruction video. Wanted to add an unlisted ethnic radio (Chinese) outside the USA (in Canada). Emailed support and the station was added promptly! Great app. ### 5/5 — Rely on it every day *2022-08-04, version 8.8.9* I use this great clock radio every day to listen to news and public affairs programs with pre-sets for CBC, BBC, The New York Times podcast and more. I love the big clock display and the ease of use. There have been occasional problems with links to some services but this is a very minor inconvenience and the developer provides quick fixes. Overall this is the most-used app on my iPad. ## Frequently asked questions about Best Clock Radio ### What does the Best Clock Radio-Podcast app do? This app functions as a clock radio that can wake you up with your favorite radio stations, podcasts, or soothing sounds. It offers features like programmable alarms, automatic screen dimming, and access to a vast library of internet radio stations and podcasts. ### What are the key features of this app? Key features include 5 programmable alarms, the ability to wake up to radio or podcasts, access to thousands of internet radio stations, a podcast player, an AutoDim feature for screen brightness, and an Auto Sleep feature to turn off audio after a set time. ### Is this app free to use? The app is free to download and use, but it offers in-app purchases. A subscription-based weather feature is available, and users can also purchase additional content or features. ### What are the compatibility requirements for this app? The app is available for iPhone and iPad. For the alarm functionality to work correctly, users must allow notifications from the app. The app needs to be open for radio alarms to function properly; otherwise, a backup alarm will sound. ### What are common use cases for this app? Common use cases include waking up to a preferred radio station or podcast, using soothing sounds for relaxation or sleep, setting multiple alarms for different times, and checking the weather forecast with its subscription-based feature. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 9.1.9 — 2026-08-26 • Interface colors can now be changed • Further improvements to automatic station updates • Improved geo-restriction handling – Stations that are not available in your location now correctly show a “station not available in your location” message instead of a “station is broken” error. • Contact support for any questions. ### 9.1.7 — 2026-08-13 • Automatic update system for non-functioning radio stations If a station stops working, the app automatically notifies the development team so we can fix it as soon as possible. After waiting a few minutes to a few hours, simply try playing the station again. • Note: This feature currently works only for stations selected from the US Radio or World categories. • Station update is free for all users for 6 months. After that, an In-App Purchase unlock is required. • On iPad, all 8 radio buttons can now be used as alarm sounds. • Many interface and reliability improvements. ### 9.1.3 — 2026-06-15 Interface Improvements, Bug Fixes ### 9.1.2 — 2026-06-08 • New iPad layout • Interface improvements • Bug fixes • Contact support for any questions ### 9.0 — 2026-05-20 • Apple Music Integration – Play your full library and playlists directly! • Thousands of radio stations updated and expanded • Now available in Spanish and Portuguese • Major efficiency improvements – uses much less battery • Smoother interface and usability enhancements • Bug fixes and stability improvements Questions or problems? Contact support directly in the app or visit www.BeautifulClockRadio.com ## Apps similar to Best Clock Radio | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Alarm Clock - Wake up Music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alarm-clock-wake-up-music/id406141511) | 4.6 (35,639) | Free | Utilities | | [Loud Alarm Clock LOUDEST Sleep](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/loud-alarm-clock-loudest-sleep/id593567385) | 4.4 (7,940) | Free | Utilities | | [Alarm Clock HD](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alarm-clock-hd/id476555713) | 4.5 (103,890) | Free | Utilities | | [Alarm Clock for Me - Wake Up!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alarm-clock-for-me-wake-up/id749124884) | 4.6 (123,690) | Free | Utilities | | [Alarm Clock App: myAlarm Clock](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alarm-clock-app-myalarm-clock/id1350722971) | 4.6 (14,603) | Free | Utilities | | [Alarm Clock ◎](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alarm-clock/id450993079) | 4.5 (3,433) | Free | Utilities | ## More apps by Mark Linthicum - [Best Clock Radio & Podcast](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/best-clock-radio-and-podcast/id502211159) All apps by Mark Linthicum: https://appshunter.io/developer/382749598 ## Related topics [clock radio](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/clock-radio) · [alarm clock radio](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/alarm-clock-radio) · [podcast alarm](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/podcast-alarm) --- *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 2026-08-28.*