BBC Sounds - rewind/pause live radio?

Not sure how you could ‘pause’ or rewind ‘live’ radio, though. You’d need to make it not ‘live radio’, but a podcast of some type. But I certainly agree with @castalla , this is a source issue, and nothing to do with Sonos. 

Well, you can pause and rewind live radio in the native BBC Sounds App - but not in the Sonos version for some reason. Anyway, here is the reply I got from the BBC:

Hello John,

Thanks for contacting us about BBC Sounds.

I understand that you would like the option to use ‘live restart’ on your Sonos device.

We’re always working to evolve and improve the BBC Sounds experience, so we welcome feature and design requests from our loyal users.

Your request has therefore been included on feedback reports that are available to personnel responsible for maintaining and improving the BBC Sounds service, including the head of BBC Sounds.

These reports are viewed as important documents that can help shape decisions on future aspects of BBC Sounds.

Should you wish, you can subscribe to alerts about new BBC Sounds features here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/features/upcoming-features/#/Notification

Thanks again for contacting us and for your interest in BBC Sounds.

Best wishes,


Andrew Gilfillan

BBC iPlayer & BBC Sounds Support Team 

@jwedwards .  Good of you to post the info you obtained.

Hi

I had this ‘issue’ with the previous Tune-in app linked to Sonos - one could play BBC Sounds but no pause/rewind/select/download individual programmes etc as you can in the Android app/PC. The answer I had then from the sickeningly over-effusive beeb was slightly more helpful than JEs response.

Essentially it all comes down to sharing information. Reading between the lines and from memory - it was a couple of years ago and more - when one pauses/rewinds/selects/downloads on the BBC Sounds app/PC it sends info to beeb which can then be used to ‘tailor’ (eurghhh) listening pleasures and keep an eye on what you’re up to and where, blah de blah. Beeb blames Sonos for not wantin to share, Sonos, well, perhaps they don’t - I dunno the politics of it all…

I shouldn’t think there will ever be a resolution and it seems it’s not just Sonos - I bought an Audiopro C5 to replace my Sonos Play 3 (because I REALLY want to use BBC Sounds as I do in the app, wirelessly, not having to use flaky ol’ bluetooth through the app to an enabled device) but despite assurances it would work, nope. I get the impression with all the other similar prodcuts and the clever marketing blurb (which you can see skirts around the issue using various hyperbole about how other features are really grand) that until Auntie changes its mind, it’s a no go.

Same old garbage….

Pause-rewind is not just a feature limited to the BBC, Global also has this in their player app. 

@Queak I think I have read somewhere one of the reasons to take the BBC off TuneIn and use BBC Sounds was the fact Sonos cannot supply the tracking features the BBC wanted. This could mean the BBC wants to do more tracking, but also that the BBC would like to keep all tracking in it’s own hands and not that of a commercial partner as TuneIn. Not sure the BBC’s goals are as bad as you seem to see them.

Also not sure if these tracking features would be necessary for a pause and rewind function in the Sonos app. Since such features would mean some sort of cloud implementation (since a computer elsewhere would need to know where you are in a broadcast), maybe some extra tracking is needed the Sonos API cannot deliver on the BBC’s terms (whether they are good or bad).

I have a legacy Connect unit which I use with commands spoken to an Amazon Echo Dot 3. If I ask Alexa to pause the BBC radio station that is playing (in this case BBC radio 6 music) and then later issue a command “Resume”, Alexa responds with “Resuming BBC radio 6 music from hh:ss” - however the stream resumes from the current live position and not from the time I paused the stream.

I am not sure whether to raise this with the BBC or Amazon!