BBC’s iPlayer Radio app adds mobile downloads for offline listening

By Trevor Mogg July 14, 2015

bbcs iplayer radio app adds mobile downloads for offline listening — BBC

The BBC pumps out some 70,000 hours of radio programming a year covering a wide range of content from multiple music genres to news to drama and comedy. Its iPlayer catchup service has proved hugely popular with UK audiences since its launch in 2007, with up to 10 million TV and radio show streaming requests hitting its servers on a daily basis.

Now the BBC is making it even easier for radio fans to listen to their favourite audio content with an app update enabling downloads to smartphones and tablets. The update, for iOS and Android devices, is rolling out this week.

You have 30 days to listen to a downloaded show, so you can enjoy programs anytime, anywhere, with no Wi-Fi or phone signal needed.

On its website, the BBC outlines the simple steps required to download content to a mobile device:

– Install the latest BBC iPlayer Radio app on your iOS, Android or Kindle smartphone or tablet
– Tap the ‘Download’ option on the program you want to save – the program will be added to your download queue and downloaded whenever the device is connected to Wi-Fi
– Listen and enjoy

Multiple shows can be downloaded to devices, with all content accessible via the Downloads option within the menu. Commenting on the new addition to iPlayer Radio, the BBC’s Mark Friend said, “The spectacular success of the BBC’s podcasts, with around 70 million downloads in May, shows that people want to download high-quality audio to listen to at their convenience.”

The BBC operates more than 10 national radio stations as well as numerous regional and local ones. The free iPlayer Radio app is available via Apple’s UK iTunes app store, as well as Google Play. If you’re unable to get hold of the app but want to check out the huge range of content available on BBC stations, you can listen to its programming via its website here, no matter where you are in the world.

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