Important Update to BBC Live Radio Access

Ugh, OK. I guess it’s better in some ways as all the bbc past shows and podcasts are all in one place but there’s a couple of things wrong or bugs.

Add station to favourites doesn’t work from within the bbc sounds service, it’s just greyed out. You can add stations but you need to use the universal search to find them from the bbc sounds service where add station to favourites does work..

The other problem is the stations are still listed and appearing in search results from Sonos Radio so need to be removed.

I use Stingray a lot. With Stingray Sonos only shows the favorites I make when logged into the Stingray app. You cannot ad any favorites from within the Sonos app. Does BBC Sounds maybe also works like this?

Replying to Stuart_W & John B posts trying to help:

PS is there any way to get email notifications of replies to this thread?

 STOP PRESS-Suddenly working - see below

>1.Make sure you have a BBC account created via the BBC. If so confirm you can log in and then go to BBC Sounds
Yes I have & yes I can,both Windows & Android

>2&3.Then ensure you add the BBC Sounds service.
Yes, it appears under "Browse" in S1

>4. Once you select that...On mobile you see Listen Live....
No! When tapped in the browse list, it just gives a new white screen saying "Unable to browse music".

The only way I can “see” stations is by going back to the search, inputting BBC - and they all appear if you tap more>

Then the three dots even allows me to “Add station to my Sonos”. Which I did for Radio 4. and it appears there. But does not play.  so, as previously stated - I'm stuck at this stage

STOP PRESS-today, it does !!!!

What??? We were tearing our hair out yesterday as it did not do this yesterday.  I even set up a DAB radio to get R4 overnight via a feed-in to the rear of a Sonos unit..

Today, just now, it does.
The Browse/BBC Sounds still doesn’t work, but today the via 
search, inputting BBC then three dots, “Play Now” does.
Also, Three dots & “Add station to my Sonos” gives favourites that now do play.

*** Hallelujah! ***

One thought - is it because, overnight, it rebuilds the music database?
I thought that was just for music on hard drives - but could that be it?

Either that is it or something else has happened in the last 24 hours. 
Two of us with PhDs attest that the S1 behavior has changed!

===  The rest of this post is here because I’d already typed it all out and might be helpful

>you could try manually adding streaming URLs for the BBC stations you use. 
>here are instructions for adding a station.
>https://www.google.com/search?q=add+radio+station+to+sonos

That brings up articles re TuneIn & top bit says:
    Using the Sonos App for iOS or Android:
    From the Browse tab, select TuneIn.
I think not!

>Here are the BBC streaming URLs
>https://en.everybodywiki.com/List_of_BBC_radio_stream_URLs

That is a nightmare as for Radio 4 fm alone, it offer 7 options;

Worldwide HTTP stream (128 Kbps MP3)
Worldwide HLS stream (48 Kbps AAC+)
Worldwide HLS stream (96 Kbps AAC+)
Worldwide MPEG DASH stream (48-96 Kbps AAC+) (adaptive bitrate)
UK-only HLS stream (128 Kbps AAC)
UK-only HLS stream (320 Kbps AAC)
UK-only MPEG DASH stream (128-320 Kbps AAC) (adaptive bitrate) 
-all are links - and none "open" in Chrome…

Even if I copy a “link” (eg the last one looks promising), what do I do with it ?

@windbag  You follow the instructions in the first link, which you dismissed as "Select Tune  In, I think not!". Well, you ****** well do select Tune In. It's just a means to an end.

Use the UK 320kbps stream.

It shouldn't be an insuperable challenge with two PhDs to rub together.

I went through the process to add BBC Radio 3 as a test before posting. 

I tested it too. Added 128kbs Radio 1 and it appears under My Radio Stations under TuneIn.

PS You can only do on desktop controller. At least that used to be the case and assume it still is.

You suggest the overnight rebuild of the database has fixed issue. I’m sure that isn't the case. I suspect that the number of issues people have reported has led to a flurry of activity at Sonos’ end leading to improvements

@Stuart_W . It is now possible to add a manual station on the mobile app. At least, it is on S2, I cannot be sure on S1, but I thought it was possible. 

I thought it might since I haven’t been keeping such a close eye on things for the last few years and mobile is getting more ubiquitous.

Update - spoke too soon but found a cure for latest issue

Went to bed last night where the Sonos focus changes from day areas to night. Was aghast to find that the bedroom unit responded to the newly set up favourites/Radio 4 with “Unable to play the selection”.

Hair being torn out. Found I could get R4 to the bedroom if I grouped it with the one that had worked before.  This morning, did more thorough tests to find that all the other 6 units do work with the new favourites, only the bedroom didn’t. Hmm.  So, powered it down/restarted. 
Lo, that unit now works like the rest.  Yo!
Some limitation in the Mesh network internal communication ?

Stuart_W;

>You suggest the overnight rebuild of the database has fixed issue. I’m sure that isn't the case. I suspect that the number of issues people have reported has led to a flurry of activity at Sonos’ end leading to improvements.

Yes, I was clinging at straws there. If it is activity at the Sonos end then good on them - but how is that being folded into to my S1 system? Or might it be a change in BBC Sounds end of things?

PS still asking if there any way to get email notifications of replies to this thread?

If you click on your picture on right hand side, click settings the. Click settings again and select the relevant option re notifications 

Hi Stuart_W

Thanks for that. I hadn’t twigged there was a second “settings” tab under the Settings/Profile.
Rgds