The new Sounds app is being pushed pretty hard on the Beeb, is anyne using it in anger yet?

I use the iPlayer Radio app a lot, and I think it’s a great thing. Is the Sounds app worth swapping to?

If you ever use the “sleep” function, don’t bother…

Doesn’t exist in Sounds on the last version I tried. I haven’t looked at the latest update, but will have a go at a later date…

Load it and see, you can have both at once

I much prefer the old Iplayer radio app to use, as it seemed intuitive, new Sounds one is all over the place, and the itunes reviews are something like 2 out of 5 with 1000’s of reviews.

The trouble is i think they may be trying to force people across as my iplayer radio app started playing up, getting error messages when i tried to download radio shows etc.

The trouble is i think they may be trying to force people across

That’s exactly the aim of the huge advertising campaign. Sounds is a replacement for iPlayer radio which will disappear sooner or later.

You can never have too many apps, surely?

I’m liking the desktop versions recommendation functions. It seems to work pretty well. So if you listen to something specific, it’ll bring up recommendations for similar programmes. Theres just so much stuff on BBC radio that you’re bound to miss things, so thats a useful addition.

For just listening to the Radio, I’m sticking with the I player at the moment for the sole reason that the Sounds app doesn’t tell you what track is being played at that precise moment.

I did listen to an Ana Matronic podcast the other day through it though, which I might have missed otherwise.

The sounds app doesn’t have an alarm function (and apparently no plans to put one in). This is a slight inconvenience as it’s what I use every morning (i know other apps are available…)

and – as mentioned above – it doesn’t seem quite as intuitive as iplayer radio. I realise it’s what I’m used to etc etc, but the lack of an alarm is a killer for me

Just downloaded it on the back of this thread.

I sometimes miss Annie Macs Dance stuff at the weekend, that and Trevor Nelson, so should be good for catching up.

I never really got on with iplayer..

I’ve used it a bit for pulling out podcasts and like. It’s a bit harder to find stuff compared to the iPlayer though.

And it doesn’t presently support casting which is a bit of a deal-breaker at the moment, for me at least.

You can never have too many apps, surely?

The storage warnings on my phone would say different.

And it doesn’t presently support casting which is a bit of a deal-breaker at the moment, for me at least.

Seriously? You’d have thought that would be MVP these days.

Iplayer Radio has been shonky as hell for all the years I’ve been using it. Regularly had to close down and reboot in the middle of a downloaded program, random freezes and failed downloads, but recently it’s been worse than ever. The cynic in me suggests that this is deliberate to ‘encourage’ people to move to Sounds…

The storage warnings on my phone would say different.

If you run facebook and/or messenger then there are ‘Lite’ versions out now that take a lot less storage and processing power. Would have saved my Sony XZ3 compact if Black Friday hadn’t have come along…

For me it works, can play radio 5 and 6 and it downloads and plays my podcasts. Not bothered about casting as I just tell Google home to play something

From the faq

We’re working hard on delivering new features to the BBC Sounds app, including:

• Autoplay

• Share function

• Chromecast support

• Sleep timer

• CarPlay and Android Auto support

Iplayer Radio has been shonky as hell

interesting – what platform?  I’ve never had any issues with it and have used it quite a bit.

iPlayer Radio has already gone from the app store but it’s still working fine for me.

interesting – what platform?

iPhone.

Haha after weeks of thinking “what does this buy me over iPlayer radio?” And “I should ask on STW” I finally googled it tonight and came across this thread

I can’t seem to export tubes to Deezer on the sounds app.

Using both.

It seems very skewed towards music and podcasts.  I mainly listen to comedy or drama and the iPlayer app is better for finding stuff than the new one.

Not been able to cast kills it for me tbh, and iPlayer is still working fine for me. I also find it easier to find stuff on iPlayer (I like to browse by genre and pick up random drama stuff, or by schedule for particular shows) so Sounds got uninstalled after about five minutes. Hopefully they’ll sort out some of the issues before killing the iPlayer.

The Sounds app doesn’t seem to have any widgets so I can’t have a Radio 6 button on the home screen for quick start in he car. Found that out just after I deleted iPlayer.

I replaced it with Tunein.

Guessing they’ve rushed Sounds out and functionality will catch up. The alarm does it for me, too. This was a big issue when they changed the iplayer app a year or two ago – would have thought it’s easy functionality to add from the off but what do I know.

The trouble is i think they may be trying to force people across

Who on earth does that in this day and age??!

It’s dead to me until it has Chromecast support, it looks nice though, UI is pretty clean at the moment.

Adverts on Sounds when abroad is annoying.

Find it much easier to find programmes on the iplayer app and I like listening to live radio.

Also, not all programmes are available as podcasts, but with iplayer you can go back and listen to a recently broadcast programme.

I can see the benefit for the BBC regarding advertising, but don’t know what the advantage is for the user.

Oh, and no live radio, alarm or sleep function is a killer.

I chromecast from this all the time, like every day.  Wondered whether casting was unsupported because it’s also gone from the web desktop in browser player.

I don’t like the way it looks.  I’m not moving until I have to. which i’m sure i will have to.

Also, it’s this kind of thread is why i like stw so much. This was literally a  question i wanted answering for weeks but cba to download the app as somehow that would validate the terrible UI of the new app.

So, how do I get this and other apps to play on sonos via android phone?