BBC launches personalised in-car listening experience

More than 22 million people listen to BBC radio while they’re in the car, for an average of four hours 54 minutes a week.

The new, car-friendly view of the BBC iPlayer Radio app is comprised of four sections:

• Following: easy access to all radio shows and series. Listeners can add programmes in the mobile app and they’ll automatically appear in the car-friendly view
• Listen Later: back-to-back playback of episodes listeners have added to Listen Later - their very own BBC radio station
• Downloads: offline playback of programmes listeners have downloaded; perfect for ensuring uninterrupted listening whilst driving through signal black spots or a summer trip through the Eurotunnel
• Stations: listen live to all the BBC’s national and local radio stations across the UK
• A simplified touch interface makes it easy to skip to the next episode or jump backwards and forwards 20 seconds within a programme on both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Android Auto experience also supports voice commands, enabling you to control your BBC radio in-car experience without taking your hands from the wheel.

To enjoy BBC iPlayer Radio’s 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. iPhone owners will need an Apple CarPlay-equipped vehicle.

Dan Taylor-Watt, head of BBC iPlayer and BBC iPlayer Radio, says: “BBC Radio is the daily soundtrack for millions of motorists via our broadcast services. I’m delighted that we’re now able to open up the full breadth of our live and on demand offer to UK drivers via the BBC iPlayer Radio app and let them tailor their listening experience for their journey.”

The BBC iPlayer Radio app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. The new in-car listening experience has been developed by BBC Design & Engineering team in Salford, Media City.

Notes for Editors

• The BBC iPlayer Radio app has been downloaded over 12 million times
• The BBC iPlayer Radio in-car experience via CarPlay & Android Auto is only available via the UK version of the BBC iPlayer Radio app
• A list of supported vehicles for Apple CarPlay is available here

RB