About This App
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Category
Entertainment
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Installs
50,000,000+
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Content Rating
Rated for 12+
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Developer Email
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Privacy Policy
https://www.iheart.com/privacy
Screenshots
Editor Reviews
iHeart: Music, Radio, Podcasts is a streaming app designed to help you listen to live radio, on-demand music, and podcasts all in one place. It launched back in 2008 and has grown into one of the most popular apps for audio. You can download it for free from Google Play or the App Store, and it has been installed over 100 million times on Android alone. No registration is needed to start listening to live radio, which is great. If you want to save songs or create playlists, you'll need to make a free account. The app itself is free to download and use, but it does have ads when you're listening to the free radio stations and music. They also offer a paid subscription called iHeartRadio Plus or All Access that removes ads, lets you play any song on demand, and allows you to save music for offline listening. So, you can enjoy a lot without paying, but the subscription unlocks the full experience.
Using iHeart is pretty straightforward. I open the app and the home screen usually shows me live radio stations near me, my favorite podcasts, and some recommended music playlists. For radio, I just tap on a station logo and it starts playing instantly—it feels just like turning on a real radio. A simple tip from a regular user: you can search for stations by city or call letters if you miss a station from back home. For music, I often browse the "For You" mixes; they create playlists based on artists you like. If I hear a song I love on the radio, I can thumbs-up it, and the app will remember it for better recommendations later. The podcast section is also easy; I subscribe to my favorites and new episodes download automatically.
Compared to other apps like Spotify or TuneIn Radio, I keep coming back to iHeart for a few reasons. If you're a big fan of real, live FM and AM radio with local DJs and news, iHeart is the best. Spotify is amazing for music playlists, but its live radio offering isn't as vast or local. TuneIn has a lot of radio stations too, but iHeart integrates its own huge catalog of podcasts and custom artist radio more smoothly. For someone who wants a mix of traditional radio, music discovery, and podcasts without juggling multiple apps, iHeart is a fantastic all-in-one choice. It just feels more familiar for radio listening, while still giving you modern features.
Features
- 📻 Live Local & National Radio: Access thousands of real live radio stations from across the country, including local FM/AM stations with hometown DJs, traffic, and news. This is the core feature that sets it apart from pure music streamers.
- 🎵 Custom Music Stations & Playlists: Create unlimited custom radio stations based on any artist or song, similar to Pandora. Plus, browse curated playlists for different moods and activities, blending its radio heritage with on-demand style listening.
- 🎙️ Integrated Podcast Hub: Discover, subscribe to, and listen to a massive library of podcasts, including popular iHeartRadio originals. It's all within the same app you use for music and radio, so you don't need a separate podcast app.
- ⭐ All-in-One Simplicity: The main appeal is having live radio, music streaming, and podcasts in a single, free app. It simplifies your audio experience, especially if you frequently switch between listening to local news, a music mix, and a talk podcast.
Pros
- 👍 Unbeatable Live Radio Selection: For authentic live radio, especially local stations, iHeart's catalog is broader and more integrated than what you find on most music apps. It's the best for that traditional radio feel.
- 👍 Seamless Blend of Content: The way it mixes local radio, custom music stations, and podcasts in one feed is smoother than using separate apps like a radio tuner app plus Spotify plus a podcast catcher.
- 👍 Completely Free Tier for Radio: You can listen to live local radio for free without even an account, which is a huge plus compared to some services that wall off live content behind a subscription.
- 👍 User-Friendly for Radio Fans: The interface is simple and familiar for anyone who knows how to use a radio. Tuning into a station is instant and reliable.
Cons
- 👎 Ads on Free Music: The ad load on the free music streaming can feel heavy compared to some competitors. The skip limits on custom stations can also be restrictive.
- 👎 Music Library Depth: For pure on-demand song playback, its catalog isn't as deep as Spotify or Apple Music, especially if you don't subscribe to the paid tier.