Internet streaming music services have been around a long time, but up until recently, you had to be sitting at your Internet-connected computer to listen.
But of course, that’s all changed with the exploding popularity of Internet-connected mobile devices like iPhones and iPads that let you listen to streaming music wherever you might be.
When comes to listening to steaming music on your device, you have a lot of different app choices, including Pandora, Rdio, Slacker, and many others. (I’ll review Pandora in another upcoming “My Favorite Apps” video).
But when you start comparing these different services and apps, you begin to discover that there are really just two different ways the services all work.
First are those that give you a way to search for songs or artists, and then using that song/artist create a “radio station” of selected music that is similar to what you originally chose. These are not “real” radio stations, but instead are playlists of music tracks the service thinks you might like. Pandora falls into this camp.
The second type of streaming service really does give you access to radio stations from around the world, letting you choose the station by call letters, city, or music genre. And this is where iHeartRadio comes in.
iHeartRadio has been around for a long time, and was one of the first services to provide streaming internet radio to your computer. And when mobile devices became popular, the company created apps on almost all the mobile platforms (including the iPhone and iPad), expanding their service by leaps and bounds.
Originally, the iHeardRadio app provided the same type of radio station access the original iHearRadio service provided. But in recent months they’ve added new features to the app that allows you to create your own “favorite kind of music” stations, just like Pandora and others.
Still, where iHearRadio shines is in how it lets you listen to radio stations from around the country and the world.
And that’s why I’ve added the iHeartRadio app to my Favorite Apps list!
To give you a better idea of what the iHeartRadio app is all about, I’ve put together this short video. Click on the image below to take a look…
The iHeartRadio App
Click the lower-right corner button (above) to go Full Screen—>>>
Once the video starts playing, click the “gear” button (above) to change the video quality—>>>
As always, I’d love to hear about your own personal experiences with this App or any fun Apps you run into. You can leave your comments below!
And don’t forget, you can CLICK HERE to learn more about the Using Your iPad & iPhone book which has all kinds of tips, tricks, and how-to’s on using your iPad and iPhone.
The book was created as a supplement for our very popular Using Your iPad & iPhone classes held at our Lincoln, NE, computer lab, but it’s also a great guide for anyone who wants to learn more about how to use their iDevice.
This was very helpful John….Thanks! I’m a real ‘Green Horn’ when in comes to these “techie” things!
Hi Joy…
Glad you found the video useful. I’ve got a lot more “favorite apps” to review and add, so watch your email for more!
Take care!
John Lortz
thanks for info on i heart radio station, I do not have i pad but have smart phone using android, and will try it on that.
ken
Hi Ken..
Great to hear from you! iHeart Radio is available across multiple platforms, so you shouldn’t have any problems using it on your android phone. And when you do, it would be great to hear about your experiences.
Thanks for posting!!!
John Lortz
My favorite news station from Little Rock, Arkansas is on this app. There
are many other stations from around the country that I like to listen to. In fact, they advertise the app so Arkansans traveling elsewhere can still get their local news on KARN FM 102.9.
Tune In Radio app has others that iHeart does not have.
Sometimes reception is poor on my radio in the house. I can get much of the
same content better through the apps.
I always missed hearing my hometown stations when away from home. It is also fun to listen to stations from around the country or even the world.
Hi John…
Thanks for the great post! I think one of the coolest things about Internet radio is the ability to listen to stations from all over the country, including stations from where you use to live. It’s like taking a piece of “home” with you.
And I agree that just about the time your regular radio starts cutting out with bad reception, iHeart on your mobile device will still sound digitally crystal clear. To take it a step farther, in one of our old, high-mileage cars, the radio recently went out. Instead of spending the money on a new radio, I just listen to iHeart on my phone.
And also as you mention, when iHeart doesn’t have the particular station you are looking for, other Internet radio apps, such as Tune-In, often do. Since the companies that make those apps contract with stations to carry them, you can imagine that they often have different radio line-ups.
Thanks again for sharing…
John Lortz
I love Pandora too, although I don’t listen to it regularly, I dial it up on my blueray player and listen while I do the dishes. It sounds great on our surround sound system. I sometimes like to listen to old cowboy songs by Gene Autrey, Marty Robbins, and Johnny Cash to name a few. I have also found if you want a specific song or artist you can probably find them on YouTube, although you may have to sort through the trash.