# KNBR The Sports Leader — user reviews > 101 indexed App Store user reviews of KNBR The Sports Leader by Cumulus Media, rated 2.00/5 from 135 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knbr-the-sports-leader/id733688897/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/knbr-the-sports-leader/id733688897.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 23 · 4★ 10 · 3★ 3 · 2★ 12 · 1★ 87 ## What do users think of KNBR The Sports Leader? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - ✅ Access to live Giants games and sports content - 🎙️ Good podcast library and sports coverage - 📱 Functional when working properly - 🔊 Clear audio quality when streaming **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes - 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements - ⚠️ Fraudulent/scammy ads masquerading as system warnings - 🔇 Audio playback stops when screen is locked - ⏸️ Stream constantly pauses and drops unexpectedly - 🎬 Commercial interruptions during live game action - 🔄 Requires app restart after crashes, forcing re-watching ads - ⏱️ Long loading times and startup delays - 🚫 Permission/access errors preventing streaming - 📊 Poor background play functionality - 🎯 Difficult navigation and confusing UI - 🔊 Inconsistent audio volume levels - 💾 High battery drain - 🌐 Streaming quality issues despite good signal - 🚨 Forced account registration requirements - 🎪 Overwhelming ad-to-content ratio **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes randomly during playback - Stream pauses and repeats last 30 seconds - App stops playing when phone screen is locked - Freezing and buffering issues - Login process takes several minutes with ad bombardment - Stream connection errors and permission denial messages - App closes unexpectedly after few minutes of listening - Podcasts freeze after playing one episode - Audio continues playing on speaker after headphone removal - App defaults to wrong stream on startup - Pop-up ads that cannot be closed easily - Video ads that don't continue playing when phone is locked - Continuous commercial loops requiring app restart - Ads playing over other audio content - App update broke navigation and live streaming access - Bluetooth auto-play when app is closed - Podcast download button non-functional **Most requested features** - Background play without app being active - YouTube streaming option for live content - Ability to stream 1050 AM content - Seamless switching between KNBR and Giants game streams without additional ads - Notification when broadcasts are ending - Removal of old/outdated podcasts from menu - Consistent audio volume normalization across shows and commercials - Headphone jack auto-pause functionality - Podcast download capability - Local deals feature (advertised but missing) - Improved podcast organization and recency - Reduced commercial frequency during live games ## Newest reviews (18 of 101) ### 1/5 — Good but the commercials are a terrible! *2025-04-30, version 16.0.0* I downloaded KNBR to listen to Giants baseball, which is good and I like it a lot, but developers, why do you interrupt the California commercials with NY commercials??? I hate it! Fix it. I want the full experience of the radio station and you’re not providing it. Giving you 1 star is more generous than you deserve. I’ll gladly change it to 5 stars once you fix it. ### 1/5 — App *2025-03-21, version 16.0.0* Bad app Pop up ads App crashes ### 1/5 — Don’t bother *2025-02-22, version 16.0.0* This app is bad enough that I’ve resubscribed to the MLB app, paying money in order to listen to the KNBR broadcast without the terrible issues of the KNBR app. ### 1/5 — Terrible App *2024-10-21, version 16.0.0* This app rarely works for listening. i could care less watching the hosts, but the video app seems to be the only functionality to work most times. Unfortunately, I don’t use due to the battery drain on my phone. I expect more from KNBR. I now listen to 95.7 The Game on the Audacy app, which works 100% of the time. ### 1/5 — So much potential *2024-09-23, version 16.0.0* Incredible SF sports coverage. The app is such a massive disappointment. Sketchy ad experience completely ruin the experience. ### 1/5 — Cumulus, where radio stations go to die *2024-09-15, version 16.0.0* Cumulus is the John Fisher of media companies ### 1/5 — Messed up Giants Broadcasts *2024-09-15, version 16.0.0* Inexplicably, they run commercials in 4 - 5 minute blocks in the middle of innings, which destroys the enjoyment of the game. I have deleted this app as I don’t want to support their greed, and made a mental note not to patronize their advertisers. Are you listening, Ford Motors and Nick the Greek? ### 1/5 — PLEASE STOP!!!!!!!!! *2024-09-04, version 16.0.0* I don’t know who controls the commercials but “ dare to compare” played every time I will never buy whatever they are selling! ### 1/5 — Broadcast interrupted for unending stream of commercials *2024-08-24, version 16.0.0* Missed the second of back-to-back Giants HRs the other day due to this, and it’s happened every day since. App has always been junky but this takes the cake. ### 1/5 — Ads during Giants at-bats *2024-08-24, version 16.0.0* 6 ads, whoops -now 7 ads, in a row. Ads dropped mid -sentence as Giants were batting. These days we have to listen to all the marketing crap from the sportscasters throughout the game, with this app the game is repeatedly interrupted by ads mid-action. Don’t waste your time! ### 1/5 — Commercial Interruptions *2024-08-24, version 16.0.0* The app has commercials that interrupts live action during baseball games. Multiple commercials that requires restarting the app and listening to more commercials. SO FRUSTRATING! ### 1/5 — This app used to be good *2024-08-24, version 16.0.0* Lately when I’m listening to a Giants game, commercials interrupt the game and I’ve counted at least 20 commercials in a row! DELETE. ### 1/5 — Buggy and loooooong commercial intro *2024-08-24, version 16.0.0* Whenever it glitches out it makes you listen to a couple minutes of commercials. It just cuts out and then you have to hear the awful ads over again. This didn't use to happen. Please fix! ### 1/5 — Ads out of control *2024-08-19, version 16.0.0* Way way way too many ads per minute of programming. I’ve sometimes been hit with seven minutes of ads in a ten-minute period. Time to dust off the ol’ transistor radio. ### 1/5 — Great for commercial interruptions during play *2024-08-18, version 16.0.0* Unlistenable and infuriating! Banks of commercials break in randomly during play. Don’t waste your time ### 1/5 — Everything wrong *2024-08-10, version 16.0.0* No backgrond play unless app is deleted and reloaded every other day. Now, ads interrupt in the middle of play. Deleting for the last time and as John says “Goodbye”! ### 1/5 — Terrible 😣 App *2024-06-16, version 16.0.0* No way to close ads, takes user to unknown websites. Constantly asking for sign up at unknown sites. Delete this app. ### 2/5 — App is OK, beware of spyware *2024-05-14* this app is OK, but obviously KNBR farmed it out to some platform so that every time you open the app you see an ad. That's fine, but the ads themselves are highly questionable. there are ads for software that claim your device needs cleanup or that try to look like official software from Apple, Audible, etc. but that are fake and trying to install spyware or adware on your device. Do not click any of them! It is shameful that KNBR would be promoting these sort of things… ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Poor performance *2026-07-31, version 20.0.0* Open app. Click listen. Hear commercial. Radio starts. 1 minute later, dead air. ### 1/5 — Horrible Horrid *2026-02-21, version 19.0.0* I’m stuck listening to the worst app during baseball season again….Cumulus is a poorly run corporation that kills everything it touches Missed the postgame show listening to corporate brand advertising ### 1/5 — App Don’t Work *2025-10-20, version 17.1.0* App keeps pausing when attempting to listen live and eventually just doesn’t work. Fix the App or make KNBR live available on YouTube. Terrible App. ### 1/5 — The worst app on my phone *2025-08-03, version 17.1.0* Causing torture of users does not do anyone good - users or KNBR. I would live on app if I didn’t have to perform like a trained monkey to access content not to mention it kicks you out for unknown and random reasons forcing you to go through monkey performance again. Always last choice to access KNBR content. ### 1/5 — Dauber way down *2025-07-09, version 17.1.0* Used to be a sports station with lots of adds. Now an efficient add mill with some sports that the app decapitates at will. Terrible experience. Now what’s that other SF sports station? ### 1/5 — Contains Fraudulent Ads Beware! *2025-07-09, version 17.1.0* Shame on Cumulus/KNBR. This app displays ads at startup several of which are intended to fool users into believing their device storage is full or virus-infected. The ads use Apple's iOS settings UI so users who are not tech-savvy won't know the difference. As an IT pro, this is blatant fraud and unethical. DO NOT click any ad or message in this buggy, garbage app. Shame on them. ### 1/5 — Awful and frustrating!! *2025-06-24, version 17.1.0* This app is nothing like tuning into the radio. It covers up the controls with annoying ads that you can barely see how to close, it takes forever to start streaming the broadcast, and once it starts streaming, it will always just stop unexpectedly requiring a whole bunch of head scratching, and finger work to try to start it up again. I can’t understand how the programmers think anyone would enjoy using this app. ### 1/5 — Why so bad *2025-06-07, version 17.1.0* Absolutely terrible 90% of the time background play doesn’t even work. I just wanna listen to it without the app being open. I can’t use my phone and this app at the same time. I can’t listen to Giants games because if I don’t leave it on the screen active it it ends the stream. ### 1/5 — Poor user experience *2025-05-10, version 16.0.0* Podcast menu has really old one at the top from 11-21 with Matt Maiocco. Get rid of it already!! When they break to commercial mid podcast the volume blows out my ears. Sound volume is inconsistent within the show, then 2x for commercials. Terrible user experience. You can tell whoever runs it doesn’t use the app or listen to the content. ### 1/5 — KNBR continues to disappoint *2025-05-07, version 16.0.0* do we really need this many intrusive ads? what happened to you guys? instead of bringing back listeners, you throw together a sub par app and pack it with ads? KNBR is being run into the ground. go giants. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Terrible app!!! *2025-09-26, version 17.1.0* This app is absolutely terrible! And the people at KNBR have updated it multiple times and just made it worse! The live streaming continues to go in and out, pause, and suddenly turn off. Just horrendous!!! ### 5/5 — Awesome Sports app!! *2022-10-09, version 9.4.0* Not sure what everyone else is doing. This app is amazing. Doesn’t cut out, super clear, and great love podcasts! ### 5/5 — Works great for me. *2020-09-09, version 6.16.0* Worked great for me, able to listen to live Giants games without issue. You have to scroll down all the way at the beginning to get past the privacy agreement novel. ### 5/5 — It's Working Great Again! *2017-07-13, version 5.2.6* Review Update: As recommended in someone else's review, I deleted the app, restarted my phone and reinstalled the app. It's now working perfectly, with hardly any commercial breaks. Thanks! ********** The previous update was finally working great, but the latest update is Horrible:( The podcast download button doesn't work at all now! What's that about? And the download button is so small, you need tiny fingers to touch it. Cell signal is bad in my neighborhood, so I depend on downloading podcasts to listen while I walk the dog. And the constant commercials are back! Come on!!!! Guess it's back to politics podcasts now... ### 5/5 — Can't blame KNBR for MLB Policies *2015-01-05, version 3.4.0* I use this app strictly for listening to the radio shows on KNBR during the day. Unless you're paying for MLB at Bat you are not going to be able to listen to Giants games. I like how this app is more synced to live broadcast than I heart radio. Plus it has links to podcast as well. Great app ### 4/5 — Improved for how I use it *2023-05-17, version 11.0.0* I use the app to stream radio & Giants games. Before streaming the Giants sucked & now it’s almost great but works well enough. Suggestions: Culd be better if I didn’t have to change steeams fr. KNBR to a Giants game or back & endure ANOTHER 30 second ad.. Also could improve to be informed when either broadcast is ending instead of abrubt changes to undesired content like to ESPN radio or some pre-recorded content. ### 4/5 — Updates *2022-07-02, version 9.4.0* I love listening to Giants games on this but the actual app was sub par to say the least. However, after these updates everything seems so much more cleaner and quicker. Would recommend getting ### 3/5 — Fix the ads *2023-07-24, version 11.0.0* Glad to have Giants games available again, was quite pointless without them. However please fix the ads. Many of them are not clear on where to click to close them or in the case of the Lenovo/Temu combined ad, have an x that seems to be where we are supposed to click but it doesn’t work meaning I have to close the app and hope for a different ad to get the app to work… ### 3/5 — Umm...Key Feature Missing? *2014-10-10, version 3.4.0* Literally identical experience to listening to KNBR on iHeartRadio. This app advertises that it set itself apart by offering local deals through the app. I've had this app since almost the beginning and unless I'm missing something, there are no local deals on this app. Can you stop advertising this as a feature if it's not there? Thanks. Nothing particularly special about this app except that you have access to KNBR podcasts. ### 2/5 — Ads *2024-08-10, version 16.0.0* Why have ads during play . Making us miss tye parts of the game. Its ok to have 1 ad but 3-4 long ads during play doesnt make sense. --- *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 2026-08-21.*