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Important Update to BBC Live Radio Access

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Hi everyone,

The BBC has made some changes to the way you can access BBC live radio in the United Kingdom.

BBC live radio will not be available through Sonos Radio, or TuneIn in the United Kingdom from Today, 13th April 2022.

Find all your favourite BBC radio stations, podcasts and music mixes on BBC Sounds, available on Sonos in the United Kingdom.

To keep listening, you can add BBC Sounds to your Sonos system:

iOS or Android:

Open the Sonos app.
From the Settings tab, tap Services & Voice.
Under Music & Content, tap Add a Service.
Tap on BBC Sounds
Tap Add to Sonos.
Follow the on-screen instructions to add the music service account.

Mac or PC:

Open the Sonos app.
Under the Select a Music Source section, click on Add Music Services.
Click on BBC Sounds
Follow the on-screen instructions to add the music service account.

Users outside of the United Kingdom will still be able to listen to BBC live radio through Sonos Radio.

Cheers,

James L.

BBC Sounds

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D

DYates

Lyricist I

Hi,

BBC sounds isn’t in my list of services. This morning, I corrected my location to United Kingdom, though that hasn’t made it appear. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the app. I have accepted usage monitoring.

Nothing is helping - any suggestions?

Thanks.

I’ve just done the same, took ages to find this nugget of info: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/2396?language=en_US
Still waiting for BBC Sounds to appear though, same as Scooter2...

D

DYates

Lyricist I

For those who are not seeing BBC Sounds in the Add a Service list - it is because Sonos has your account defaulted to USA location, where BBC Sounds is not available. The fix is to update your address on your Sonos account Profile and wait (up to 24 hours in my case) for it to filter through, then you should see BBC Sounds in the list and be able to add it. You may need to restart your phone/force stop the app/ or any of the other usual things if it doesn’t show, but it worked for me. Here’s the link to the Sonos help page for Missing Music Services https://support.sonos.com/s/article/2396?language=en_US

wkeith

Trending Lyricist I

BBC stations can be played from within the Sonos app, no longer works with voice control at all, always tries to play from TuneIn and fails, known issue Sonos says BBC hasn’t done the work to integrate with the Sonos API to make it work.

Google or Alexa voice control? I’m using Alexa.

I use “Alexa play BBC Radio ‘x’ from Radioplayer” or “Ask the BBC to play Radio ‘x’”

I use Radioplayer as it has separate feeds for Radio Scotland FM and AM/DAB which is useful when the BBC split frequencies for sport, and the BBC Sounds app only carries one of them.

Still frustrated that cant skip forward/back/resume on BBC sounds using Alexa on Sonos - Now works using app but crazy that I can do this using Alexa on Dot but not on Sonos One

A

amjl

Trending Lyricist I

Thanks. Just got this running now on my Sonos 1 system. I wish though that Sonos would try to inform users through the system rather than it simply refusing to work…

Delighted to be able to access Sounds through my Sonos system now. Only question is that I can’t seem to find BBC Sounds Schedules, as I can on my phone, to be able to listen to a program broadcast earlier in the day. Anyone know how I can do this?

S

Somerset Boy

Lyricist I

Have finally managed to get BBC Sounds working with voice commands on my Sonos One.

Tried everything I could with Google Assistant but it just kept reverting to TuneIn. In the end I did a full reset on my Sonos and chose Alexa instead of Google Assistant. Still had problems as when I said play BBC Radio 2 it would say BBC Sounds and then just silence. I then re entered Sonos as a skill to my Amazon Alexa app and it now works perfectly.

W

windbag

Avid Contributor I

Another Update-Can’t set BBC R4 in alarms

Hadn’t thought of alarms until end of holidays - but I came to update them (not done for ages), and in Alarms/Music, it doesn’t let you choose from saved favourites - only from the installed music services - and guess what - Select BBC Sounds and I’m back to the “Unable to browse music”.

Tearing out hair again.

So I searched & browsed and came across myTunerRadio - which has all the national BBC stations!
Eh?

So, for the time being, I have used the Radio4 & World Service options there.

But, how long will their availability last ???

If a short time, then
BBC Sounds app needs to let “browsing” in an S1 setup, which it currently does not.

If a long time - why wasn’t it highlighted as a way round the TuneIn Radio approach?

Ken_Griffiths

@windbag,

I am able to see and use ‘BBC Sounds’ stations for alarms in the S1 Sonos App - see attached screenshots.

W

windbag

Avid Contributor I

That’s nice, Ken_Griffiths.
Presume you can browse for stations in BBC Sounds, too (I can’t, same error msg)
How do we find what is different between your setup & mine ?

Ken_Griffiths

That’s nice, Ken_Griffiths.
Presume you can browse for stations in BBC Sounds, too (I can’t, same error msg)
How do we find what is different between your setup & mine ?

Yes, I am able to browse stations. My initial thoughts are to perhaps check your country settings in your online Sonos profile - you can check that here:

https://www.sonos.com/myaccount/user/profile/

Whilst in your profile it’s also worthwhile checking that you can see your current Sonos products on the ‘System tab’ and ensure your controller App is logged into the same account and is fully up-to-date.

J

JakeA1978

Lyricist II

Hi. When I try and add BBC sounds to my s1 app for the play5 gen 1, the BBC site authorises it but then it goes back to the app which says there's an error and a connection to BBC sounds can't be made. I have successfully added it to my other sonos app for my more recent products. Any advice?

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