iHeart suits listeners who want live AM and FM stations, podcasts and music playlists in one Android app instead of juggling a tuner and several services. It comes from iHeartMedia, Inc., and covers local news, sports play by play, hip hop and country channels. It also works with Android Auto, so travel playlists can run on the car display.
Live AM and FM stations are the core of iHeart
The defining feature is live radio. The app streams local and national AM and FM stations, with news, sports and world stations alongside music. The listing pitches it as a replacement for a radio tuner or satellite radio.
Genre stations cover pop, hip hop, rock, country, jazz, classical, Latin and K-pop, among others. Sports channels include ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio and CBS Sports Radio, with league stations such as NFL, NBA and MLB.
A typical session: station, podcast or Monday mixtape
Most sessions start with picking a station by genre or by local market. Sports listeners can follow play by play and use the Talkback mic to talk with hosts. Android Auto is supported for listening on the road.
Podcasts have their own library, with adjustable playback speed and video podcasts as well as audio. Named shows include TED, Wondery and How Stuff Works. For music, Your Weekly Music Mixtape delivers new picks on Mondays, and song charts point to ad-free streaming.
How iHeart compares with TuneIn Radio and other listed alternatives
The alternatives to iHeart include TuneIn Radio, Radio FM and Simple Radio, which are the closest in purpose. Google TV, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV are video platforms, so they overlap only loosely. No ranking is claimed.
iHeart's own pitch is breadth in a single free app: radio, podcasts and playlists together. The cost is advertising and in-app purchases, covered below.
iHeart pros and cons
Pros
- Free to install
- Live AM and FM stations across music, news and sports
- Audio and video podcasts with adjustable playback speed
- Android Auto support for listening while driving
- Google Play rating of 4.6 from over 2.3 million ratings
Cons
- Contains ads
- Includes in-app purchases
- Teen content rating
- Contains ads and in-app purchases
Is iHeart safe?
iHeart is published by iHeartMedia, Inc. It carries a Teen content rating, shows ads and offers in-app purchases, though the app itself is free. Before installing, read the permissions and data practices on its Google Play page.
How to install iHeart
- Press the Google Play button on this page.
- Check the listing in the Play Store and press Install.
- Open iHeart when the install finishes. Updates arrive through Google Play.
