Summary
- Traditional AM / FM radio isn’t as popular as it once was, but these apps are keeping the legacy alive and well.
- You don’t need a bedside radio clock or a transistor radio to enjoy local music, sports, and news coverage.
- These are some of the best old-school radio apps, for both local and international wavelength surfing.
These days, the delivery of traditional FM and AM radio waves is on the decline — outside the automotive context, most people have transitioned to other media delivery technologies, including broadband, satellite, and cellular.
Thankfully, with the help of some third-party applications, your smartphone can leverage the internet to tap into traditional radio stations and programs with relative ease. Here are some of the best options currently available on the market.
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1 TuneIn Radio
TuneIn Radio: Music & Sport
An internet-based streaming app which provides access to both local and international radio stations, as well as media coverage.
TuneIn radio is one of the most popular solutions out there, and for good reason — it offers a massive selection of audio content to choose from. The service boosts access to over 100,000 radio stations, which makes it easy to tune into your local FM programming or even explore stations from around the world.
The app is free to use with ads
Additionally, TuneIn offers in-app streaming access to some of the biggest networks around, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Radio, NPR, BBC, and CNBC, ESPN Radio, talkSPORT, and more. By default, the app is free to use with ads. An optional TuneIn Premium subscription plan is available that reduces the prevalence of ads, introduces bonus content, and more.
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2 iHeart
iHeart: Radio, Podcasts, Music
A popular internet-based radio streaming app, with access to a vast number of FM stations and live broadcasts.
iHeart is another popular internet-based radio streamer. The app allows you to browse through your local AM and FM radio stations, tune in to music, live sports, and news-related broadcasts from around the world, and even adds podcasts into the mix.
iHeart is free to download and install, and the service is ad-supported. A subscription-based premium tier called iHeartRadio Plus is also available, which unlocks an ad-free experience, songs on demand, local storage and playback support, among other perks.
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3 SiriusXM
SiriusXM: Music, Sports & News
A satellite-based audio streaming platform that makes it easy and reliable to tap into music, live sporting events, radio news coverage, and more.
SiriusXM is a popular streaming service that provides access to live radio feeds, original podcasts, comedy specials, talk shows, and much more. The app offers an interface with smart recommendations, exclusive music channels, and the ability to organize your media content into custom playlists.
Unlike the other apps on this list, SiriusXM is satellite-based.
Unlike the other apps on this list, SiriusXM is satellite-based. The app requires the purchase of one of several subscription-based tiers to get started, and utilizes a Sirius antenna and receiver module for connectivity. It’s possible that your vehicle already has in-built support for the service — the company’s support page provides a detailed car make-and-model database.
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4 RadioApp
RadioApp – A Simple Radio App
A minimalistic-yet-skeuomorphic app that provides a radio frequency slider for swapping between stations.
Unlike the aforementioned radio apps on this list, which largely emulate the Netflix and Spotify approach to user interface and discoverability, RadioApp takes a different approach. The app leans heavily into the design philosophy of skeuomorphism, providing a digital frequency slider not unlike the ones found in traditional radio systems.
The app leans heavily into the design philosophy of skeuomorphism.
The app automatically detects local radio stations in your area, but also allows you to surf AM and FM waves from around the world. The app is beautifully crafted and entirely free to download. According to the developer, an Android version of RadioApp is actively being worked on, as well.
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5 Simple Radio
Simple Radio – FM AM Stations
A clean and uncluttered internet radio app, which offers access to a variety of AM and FM stations for streaming.
Simple Radio provides a streamlined interface for browsing through both local and international radio stations, and the app includes a radio tuner in the same style as RadioApp. The interface makes it easy to search and curate live sporting events, breaking news, talk radio, as well as trending music.
Simple Radio is free to download — a Premium tier is available which removes display ads and introduces a sleep timer tool. Even in its free variant, the app offers a clean UX that makes perusing stations a pleasant experience overall.
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