HomePods are the intelligent assistant speaker by Apple. These HomePod speakers are based on Siri. You can call the speakers simply using the hot word ‘Hey Siri’.

As usual, Apple has added some nifty cool features to their HomePod speakers. One of those features is the ability to play radio stations on the HomePods. However, by default, you cannot listen to all of the radio stations on HomePod by Siri.

Fortunately, we have found a way to listen to the radio stations that aren’t supported by Siri- this includes BBC Radio stations.

For all the HomePod users, it is a very good feature that they can listen to radio stations as well. People who are planning to buy HomePods can look for this feature as well.

Apple released a software update to the HomePods in October 2019. This is when the smart speakers got the ability to play radio stations that are provided by TuneIn radio. The HomePods are also able to play a lot of different podcasts with the help of iHeartradio.

You can listen to HomePods radio with all of your favourite radio stations including (If you reside in the UK)

• Virgin Radio
• Capital UK
• Heart UK
• Smooth UK
• Kisstory
• LBC UK
• Radio X UK
• Absolute 80s
• Planet Rock
• TalkSport
• Absolute Radio 90s
• Jazz FM
• Mellow Magic

In addition to the above-mentioned list of radio stations, you can also listen to some more local radio stations.

However, as said earlier, you cannot listen to the BBC Radio stations. This is because of the ongoing dispute between TuneIn radio and BBC radio stations including BBC Radio One, Radio 2, and BBC Radio 4 can’t be played unless you stream the radio stations using your iPhone.

How To Get Siri to play a Radio Station

To start playing a radio station on the HomePod all you need to do is just say:

Hey Siri, Play [ name of the radio station]

Alternatively, you can also request local versions of the various radio stations by saying-

Hey Siri, Play Heart Suffolk” and get the Suffolk version of that station, with its local news and traffic information.

What To Do if HomePod won’t play a Radio Station

For some reason, if you are not able to play the radio station on your HomePod then you can try the below method to fix the issue.

1. First, ensure that your iPhone has been updated to the latest version of iOS. With the installation of the latest version of iOS on your iPhone, the HomePod will also be automatically updated to the latest available software for it. The minimum requirement for the same is iOS 13.
2. If updating to the latest version didn’t fix the issue then you need to check that it is included in TuneIn’s list of supported radio stations. You can find that on TuneIn.com. In the link provided, you will be able to find an overview of the radio stations that are offered. You can also use the search field to search for whatever channel you are looking for.
3. In case the radio station that you want to listen to isn’t listed you can still listen to the radio station on your HomePod. You can do so by streaming the radio station from your iPhone.

How To Listen to BBC Radio on HomePod

As we have talked about the situation of BBC Radio not working on HomePods. We have found a way through which you can stream BBC Radio on HomePods. Below is a quick tutorial on how you can stream BBC Radio on HomePods.

1. First, you need to download the BBC Sounds App from the App Store on your iPhone.
2. Start by signing or registering to use the app. If you have already signed up for the app then you can just log in to the BBC radio app.
3. Once inside the app, you will be able to see a lot of different BBC Radio stations like Ceebeies radio and more. Apart from radio stations, you will also see some podcasts.
4. You can choose any of the stations or podcasts that you want to listen to. It should start playing on your iPhone.
5. You will see a button saying Connect to Airplay located at the bottom of the screen.
6. Tap on the Airplay and Bluetooth buttons.
7. That’s it, now you can choose the HomePod devices to stream the radio.

In case you want to stream audio from any app then you can follow the steps mentioned below.

1. On your, iPhone open the control centre.
2. Press and hold on to the Music box (audio card icon).
3. Now, tap on the Airplay icon from the right corner.
4. From the menu choose your HomePod from the devices that appear.

So, this was a detailed tutorial on how you can stream radio stations on HomePod with the help of iPhones and iPads.