Audials Play: Radio & Podcasts

What Audials Play is and who uses it

Audials Play is a radio player and recorder for Android. The developer says it was previously sold as Audials Radio Free. It combines a large directory of internet radio stations with a podcast catalogue, so one app covers both live streams and on-demand shows.

It suits people who listen to a lot of different stations or shows and want to find them by genre, location or artist without switching apps. Listeners who want to keep broadcasts for later will also find the recording features central to the app.

Browsing stations and podcasts

The directory lists 40,000 U.S. stations, sorted by state and genre, within a total of 110,000 radio stations in MP3 and AAC format. It covers 120 genres. Pop lists 25,000 stations, Rock 18,000, Gospel 3,000 and Country 3,000. A search function helps find a specific station or podcast by name.

The podcast catalogue holds 1,900,000 shows sorted by country and genre, including audio and video podcasts. Examples given are 10,000 English news and politics podcasts and 18,000 English business podcasts. The listing names stations such as KEXP 90.3, WCBS-FM, KIIS 102.7 and Beatles Radio among those available.

Some broadcasters carry paid advertising, and English ads sometimes run on foreign-language channels. The developer suggests searching for a similar ad-free station in the app if you prefer not to hear them.

Now playing and artist search

The On Air view shows what each station is playing before you tune in, so you can pick a stream by its current track rather than by its name.

You can also search for stations that play a particular artist at that moment. This is useful for finding a live station that is airing music you already know, without listening through several streams.

Recording shows and songs to replay

Audials can record an entire broadcast on demand, or save a live stream with automatic song separation so individual tracks are kept apart. Both are listed as ways to capture material.

Recorded programs and songs can be played again later, including when the phone is offline. This lets you listen to a show or track after it has aired without needing a connection.

Sleep timer, equalizer and casting

The listing names a sleep timer, an equalizer, and a clock radio mode. The sleep timer stops playback after a set period, and the equalizer adjusts the sound.

Playback can be sent to a Chromecast device or to Android Auto in the car. The listing also mentions wireless music syncing through Audials Anywhere, a service the app connects to for moving music between devices.