How to Play Online Radio on Smart Speakers, TVs and in the Car
Key points
- The simplest method for almost any speaker or car is Bluetooth: pair your phone, start a station in the browser, and the sound follows.
- Chromecast / Google Cast and AirPlay send audio over Wi‑Fi, which sounds better and keeps playing if your phone moves away.
- On a smart TV, use its built-in web browser, cast a Chrome tab, or connect a laptop with HDMI.
- In the car, Bluetooth or a USB/AUX cable works with every station on the web. Android Auto and CarPlay only show apps, not browser tabs.
- If audio stops when the screen locks, keep the browser tab in the foreground and turn off battery saver for your browser.
Listening in a browser is easy at a desk, but most people want radio in the kitchen, the living room or the car. Here is how to move a station you have found on AllRadioList onto the device you actually want to hear it on, with the quickest method first for each.
Bluetooth speakers and headphones
Bluetooth works with practically every phone, tablet, laptop and wireless speaker.
- Put the speaker in pairing mode (usually by holding its Bluetooth button until a light flashes).
- On your phone or computer, open Settings → Bluetooth and choose the speaker.
- Open a station on AllRadioList and press Play. The audio goes to the speaker automatically.
Keep the phone within about 10 metres of the speaker with few walls in between. If the sound stutters, the problem is usually distance or Wi‑Fi interference rather than the stream.
Smart speakers (Amazon Echo, Google Nest, Apple HomePod)
You have two options with a smart speaker:
1. Use it as a Bluetooth speaker
Most Echo and Nest speakers accept Bluetooth audio. Say “pair Bluetooth” to an Echo, or pair a Nest speaker from the Google Home app, then play any station from your browser as above. This works for every station you can find on our site, including small stations a voice assistant does not know.
2. Ask the voice assistant
Voice assistants can play many well-known stations by name through their own built-in radio services, for example “play BBC Radio 4”. Results depend on the station being in that service’s catalogue and on your country, and the assistant may pick a different station with a similar name. Use AllRadioList to find the exact station name and city, then ask for it precisely.
Apple HomePod
HomePod does not use Bluetooth for audio. From an iPhone, iPad or Mac, start the station in Safari, open Control Center, tap the AirPlay icon on the audio card, and pick your HomePod.
Chromecast and Google Cast speakers
- From a computer: in Chrome, open the station, then choose the ⋮ menu → Cast, save and share → Cast (wording varies by version), select your device and choose Cast tab. The tab’s audio plays on the Chromecast, TV or Cast-enabled speaker.
- From an Android phone: open the Google Home app, select the device and use Cast my screen or Cast my audio where offered, then play the station in your browser.
Your computer or phone must stay on and connected while you cast a tab.
AirPlay (iPhone, iPad and Mac)
AirPlay sends audio to AirPlay-compatible speakers, Apple TV and many smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony and others. Play the station in Safari or another browser, then open Control Center (on a Mac, the Control Center icon in the menu bar), tap the AirPlay icon and choose the speaker or TV.
Smart TVs and streaming boxes
- Built-in browser. Most smart TVs have a web browser app. Open it, go to AllRadioList, choose a country and play. TV browsers can be slow and some lack support for newer audio formats; if a stream fails, try another station or another method below.
- Cast or AirPlay. Use the Chromecast or AirPlay steps above to send audio from your phone or computer.
- HDMI cable. Connect a laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable. Sound and picture both go through the TV, which is the most reliable option for long listening.
If your TV is connected to a soundbar, the radio will play through the soundbar too, which usually sounds far better than TV speakers.
In the car
- Bluetooth (recommended). Pair your phone with the car once. Start the station on your phone before you drive, then control volume from the car.
- USB or AUX cable. Older cars with a 3.5 mm AUX input work with a simple cable (or a USB-C/Lightning adapter).
- Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. These show approved apps only, so a browser tab will not appear on the car screen, but audio from your phone still plays through the car speakers over Bluetooth or USB.
- FM transmitter. For cars with no Bluetooth or AUX, a small FM transmitter plugs into the power socket and re-broadcasts your phone’s audio to an empty FM frequency.
Safety first: choose your station while parked. Do not handle your phone while driving, and follow the laws where you are.
Streaming in the car uses mobile data: roughly 58 MB an hour at 128 kbps. For long drives, a lower-bitrate station or a local FM or DAB+ station saves data. See our data usage guide.
Audio stops when the screen locks
Phones save battery by pausing background web pages. If a station stops when your screen turns off:
- Leave the browser open with the station tab showing before you lock the phone.
- On Android, set your browser’s battery use to Unrestricted in Settings → Apps → [your browser] → Battery.
- Turn off Low Power Mode (iPhone) or Battery Saver (Android) while listening.
- Use the media controls on the lock screen to resume if playback pauses.
Still stuck? Work through our ten fixes for streams that will not play.