BBC Sounds app updates include Chromecast support as well as an increased number of categories according to a recent BBC blog posting. This comes soon after Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, Alexa support and live rewind and live restart. Google Home speakers are also included in the Chromecast support update.
The number of categories in the app has been increased from 12 to 40. These can be accessed from the home screen or via the Search tab, and include some new categories that weren’t on iPlayer Radio, such as Podcasts, Mixes, Audiobooks and Children’s.
A number of sub-categories have also been added to some of the largest and most popular categories. Cricket fans will be able to go to the Sport category to find the new Cricket sub-category, where they will find podcasts like Tailenders or TMS at the Ashes, and fans of crime drama will now be able to navigate to the Crime sub-category within Drama to find a series like Annika Stranded, or Richard Barton: General Practitioner! Listeners will also be able to sort category lists by the most recently added programmes and podcasts by popularity and alphabetically.
Other improvements include enhancements to Continue Listening to provide even easier access to the next episode of programmes and podcasts you’re listening to, and Autoplay has been refined to queue up more closely-related content after you’ve finished listening to a programme or podcast.
Developments in the pipeline include more information for live and future programmes, easier access to local radio stations, release date information on list views and improvements to search. The BBC says that all the major features and functionality that were on iPlayer Radio are now available on BBC Sounds.
CarPlay and Android Auto
Support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto has been added enabling drivers to safely enjoy BBC Sounds whilst behind the wheel. This support was available for iPlayer Radio but has been improved for BBC Sounds offering drivers a larger choice of content from the dashboard. To use the new in-car experience, Android owners can either connect to a compatible car display or download and run the Android Auto app on any Android phone running Android 5.0 or above.
Listeners will have four main sections to explore:
- My Sounds, which brings your Bookmarks, Subscriptions and your Latest list into one handy place
- Browse, which provides a route to explore music mixes and recommendations
- Stations which lets you listen to live radio stations
- Downloads, where you’ll find everything you’ve downloaded on the app.
Live track information
BBC Sounds app will now display information about the track that’s currently playing for BBC live radio stations making it quicker and easier to find out what you’re listening to.
Apple CarPlay
BBC Sounds app is now supported for iPhone owners who will need an Apple CarPlay-equipped vehicle.
BBC Sounds and Alexa
The BBC Alexa skill was added to devices like smart speakers and phones that have the Alexa voice assistant in 2017. Surveys conducted by the BBC have revealed that 24% of their audiences have access to a smart speaker at home and from this July listeners have been able to pause and resume podcasts and on-demand programmes seamlessly between the BBC skill and the BBC Sounds app and website. If you get halfway through listening to a podcast on your phone using the BBC Sounds app during your commute home, you can resume it on Alexa once you get back into your house. All you need to do is ask for the podcast or on-demand programme you were listening to. For example, say “Alexa, ask the BBC for The Infinite Monkey Cage”. If you’ve been listening on Alexa, and want to pick up on your phone, all you need to do is scroll to the “Continue Listening” section of the BBC Sounds app or website, and click on the programme title. This feature requires you to link your BBC account to your Alexa account which you can do this by clicking on the Settings button for the BBC skill in the Alexa app.
Additional changes to the BBC skill include the recently added ‘Continue Listening’ feature
You can easily find BBC Sounds radio stations, podcasts and on-demand programmes simply by saying the name of the station or show. For example, say “Alexa, ask the BBC to play six music” or “Alexa, ask the BBC for Woman’s Hour”. You can also ask for any of BBC Sounds Music Mixes like “Handpicked by 6 Music” or “The Takeover Mix”.
Finding out track and artist information
It is now possible to ask Alexa for information about the track that’s currently playing on BBC live radio stations, just by saying “Alexa, ask the BBC what’s playing?”. BBC radio is a popular way for people to discover new music and this will make it much quicker and easier to find out what it is you are listening to.
Using the audio player controls
Easier navigation between and within podcast and on-demand programmes has been introduced. To navigate between episodes in a series, just say “Alexa, next” or “Alexa, previous”. If you miss something when listening to an on-demand episode and you want to go back, just say “Alexa, ask the BBC to rewind 30 seconds”. Or if you want to skip forward to find the section you are interested in, just say “Alexa, ask the BBC to fast forward 5 minutes”.
