Streaming radio

Four 'Streaming radio' stories August 2013 - June 2015

Mini review: Home Radio, the Mac app that could plug the gaps in Apple Music radio (free today only)

Ben Lovejoy Jun 22 2015 - 3:49 am PT

While we’re all expecting good things from the radio side of Apple Music, it’s going to be a curated experience, meaning we’ll get the radio stations Apple chooses to offer. If it doesn’t cover all of our favorite stations, we’re going to need another radio app to plug the gap.

For listening on the move, the free SwipeRadio iOS app is a delightfully minimalist way to do it. Developer Dataphase has now taken the same approach on the Mac, with Home Radio. The philosophy is the same: no bells, no whistles, just the radio stations you want to listen to in an extremely lightweight app.

I’ve been trying it out, and if you want to do the same, developer Noam Gordon is kindly making it free for today only (22 June) especially for 9to5Mac readers …
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New Pandora iOS app rolling out with emphasis on personalization

Ben Lovejoy Dec 2 2014 - 6:36 am PT

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pandora

Pandora is rolling out an updated version of its iPhone app with a strong emphasis on personalization.

Personalized genre and artist suggestions will now appear at the top of your list of stations, and a new thumbs-up icon on the now-playing screen gives you fast access to song ratings – as well as acting as a visual reminder that you only get the most from the service if you get into the habit of rating songs.

There’s also a modest visual redesign. The update will roll out to iPhones in the coming weeks (it’s not yet available from iTunes), with an iPad refresh to follow at a later date.

There had been speculation that last year’s launch of iTunes Radio might have threatened Pandora’s future, but following a move to drop its 40 hour/month listening limit, the company announced that it increased its listeners following the launch of Apple’s streaming service.

iHeartRadio iPhone app updated w/ CarPlay support & Today widget

Zac Hall Oct 23 2014 - 9:16 am PT

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iHeartRadio CarPlay iHeartRadio, the Internet radio streaming app, is out with a new version for iPhone today adding a couple of new features for listeners. First up is support for Apple’s CarPlay feature for CarPlay-equipped vehicles. This presents an optimized version of the iPhone app on CarPlay equipped cars’ built-in screens when connected to the iPhone making it easier to navigate and control the app when driving.

Apple has mentioned that iHeartRadio is a supported CarPlay app since the re-branded feature was introduced earlier this year, but support was not yet available when we reviewed CarPlay in an aftermarket Pioneer display last month. iHeartRadio brings a wide variety of content to CarPlay with stations ranging from talk radio to sports to various music genres, and traditional AM/FM stations with online streams can be accessed through CarPlay using the new iHeartRadio app for iPhone.
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Apple asks Internet radio stations for cover art for likely inclusion in iTunes Radio service

Ben Lovejoy Aug 6 2013 - 4:04 am PT

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Apple appears to be further preparing for the official launch of iTunes Radio, Apple’s Pandora-like streaming music service, by asking streaming radio stations to provide cover art. iTunes Radio is included in the Music app in iOS 7, as seen in our hands-on video.

Dear Internet Radio Provider,

Cover Art

The iTunes Store now requires cover art for Internet Radio stations. The cover art files must be 1400 x 1400 pixels in JPG or PNG format using RGB color space. The image URL must end in “.jpg”, “.jpeg” or “.png”. To add cover art to your station, send an email to itunesradio@apple.com including your contact name, station name and cover art file.

Cover art should avoid pixelation. Any text should be legible at reduced image sizes on small devices. Note that Internet Radio cover art is not currently displayed.

Questions about iTunes Radio?

Check out iTunes Radio here.

Regards,

The iTunes Internet Radio Team

While cover art is already available for many radio stations, some of it is very small and wouldn’t scale well on a Retina iPad.

Via MacRumors