If you frequently listen to the radio on your way to work, you have probably heard the station’s DJ mention iHeartRadio. When you hear that name, you probably think, “Oh, it’s just an app that plays the radio. I don’t need that.”
iHeartRadio is so much more than just an app that plays the radio. You can listen to podcasts, create playlists, save your favorite stations, and more.
The app has a smorgasbord of features that give you a customized listening experience. There is a free version and paid versions, with different options for different listening experiences as well as tools for enhancing your journey on the app. Let’s take a look!
Complete guide to iHeartRadio
Learning what you like
When you first download iHeartRadio, the app will ask you what you like. You will be shown a list of music genres as well as other things to listen to like podcasts and news.
Once you choose what you like, it’s time to pick your plan.
Free vs. paid listening
If the occasional advertisement doesn’t bother you, then there is really no reason to really go beyond the free option. That said, there are a few things that you might miss. For example, there is a limited number of times that you can skip past songs. You also can’t download and listen offline or create custom playlists. If that doesn’t matter to you, the free version is a great option.
IHeartRadio Plus costs $5.99 per month, but you can try it out with their one-month free trial. This version lets you skip as many songs as you want, play songs and albums on demand (like Spotify), and save and replay songs you hear on the radio.
For $12.99 a month, you can get iHeartRadio All Access. It’s got everything from the previous two tiers, plus the ability to download for offline listening and the ability to create custom playlists.
Yes, you can listen to live radio
Yeah, yeah, yeah. iHeartRadio does have an option to listen to live radio. And it’s a bit more convenient then you might have anticipated.
Sure, you can listen to some of the same radio stations you listen to in your car ride to work. However, iHeartRadio has stations that solely revolve around specific artists. This is similar to something that you might find on XM radio, but that costs money; iHeartRadio is free. Are you in the mood to listen to Post Malone? IHeartRadio has an entire station dedicated to him!
Suggestions based on your interests
When you’re on Facebook, you’ll get friend suggestions for people you might not even know. When you’re on iHeartRadio, you get suggestions for artists and stations you will probably know and like!
You’ll get a bunch of suggestions right when you download the app, so you can start listening right away.
Create a library of your favorite music and podcasts
If you find a station that you like, you can save it in the Your Library tab. The app will also create a special station filled with songs and artists that you love listening to.
You can also follow podcasts and save them under the Podcasts tab.
Share with your friends!
Have you ever been driving and you started listening to a song that is perfectly defining your morning? You’d love to share that song on social media, but you just can’t search for it on YouTube while you’re driving. Luckily, iHeartRadio gives you the ability to share songs, artists, podcasts, and more right from the app.
To make things even better, iHeartRadio gives you a ton of sharing options. Sure, you can just copy the link, but you can also share directly through Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Messenger, Instagram, and even WhatsApp.
Don’t forget the lyrics
It’s a small little feature, but it’s fun and worth mentioning. While listening to a song, you can click on the Lyrics tab to get a transcript of the song’s lyrics.
This is fun if you want to sing along with the music, or if you want to prove to your friend that Jimi Hendrix isn’t saying “Excuse me while I kiss this guy.”
Wrapping up
IHeartRadio shares a lot of the same features as Pandora, but it also has so much more. It’s truly a one-stop shop for all of your listening needs, and for the low price of free, it’s definitely worth your time.
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