Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, really — no ads in any version. Along with our no-tracking policy, the Mood Player and the free-forever promise, it’s one of the main reasons we built Just Radio: radio free of any distraction.

We tried a lot of radio apps. They’re fine. But every time we switched station, turned the radio back on, or listened for a long stretch, an ad break would cut in — and we hated it. Not the ad itself, but the lost moment: the favorite song we couldn’t hear, the little joke the hosts were telling. That simple frustration is where the whole idea for this app came from. No ads, no distraction. Ever.

Just Radio never plays ads. But radio stations broadcast their own programming, and some include their own ad breaks as part of their live signal — exactly as they go out on air. That’s the station’s broadcast, not ours, and we can’t remove it. What we promise is that Just Radio adds nothing on top: no ads from us. Your station will not stop playing or be unreachable because you have to wait for an ad (or two) to finish. Ever.

Yes, and we mean it. There’s no tracking of any kind, at any level of the app. Not your name, email or phone, no location, no usage data — nothing is saved or sent anywhere. The only record of anything is your purchase on the App Store, and that’s Apple’s record, not ours. We keep none of it; it exists only so you can restore your purchase if you change your phone.

Not tracking you has another benefit: a lightweight app. We don’t use third-party libraries of any kind, which keeps our footprint tiny — under 10 MB, which is rare these days, if not unheard of. Just Radio runs without a glitch even on a phone that’s 10+ years old.

And we don’t track you on our website either (no ads there, of course). No Google Analytics, no Google Tag, no tracking libraries at all.

No. There are no accounts, no sign-up and no login — ever. You open the app and press play. Nothing to create, nothing to remember, nothing for us to store.

It’s really free, and there’s no catch. The free version has no ads, no tracking and no time limit — use it forever. If you ever want every station in the world, the Custom list and unlimited favorites, there’s a single one-time purchase (Just Radio +). That’s how we cover our costs. No subscription, no pressure.

Because we don’t pile on what we don’t need. Just Radio uses no third-party libraries at all, which keeps it tiny — under 10 MB, which is genuinely rare today, if not unheard of. It installs in a blink, sips data and battery, and runs without a glitch even on a phone that’s 10+ years old. Light, fast, and out of your way — the way every app should be.

It’s a special screen in the app: a vibrant, living wash of color that fills your whole display. This ever-changing mesh of colors gives your eyes an interesting focus and gently shifts your mood — a kind of visual interpretation of the music.

It’s another thing that annoyed us about old radio apps: staring at the same station logo every single time. The Mood Player breaks that — a different color, a different mood, every time you look. It’s especially lovely in dark rooms, cars or offices. You can even get a little romantic with it, right?

Search works the same in both versions. On the free version it only searches the stations available there (around 10–30 per list), so it’s rarely needed. Otherwise, it looks and behaves identically.

Yes. Playback continues with the app in the background or the screen off, and you can control it from the Lock Screen, Control Center and CarPlay.

Yes. Tap the AirPlay icon on the Player screen and pick any AirPlay speaker, HomePod, TV or Bluetooth device — multi-room works too.

Yes, in full, from day one — in both the free and paid versions. The only difference is that the paid version has many more stations to choose from. That’s a limit of the free version, not of CarPlay itself.

iPhone and iPad running iOS or iPadOS 16.6 or later (iPhone 8 or newer), plus CarPlay in the car. Everything works from day one on both the free and paid versions.

It’s on the way. A version for all Android phones and tablets is in the works, built with the same care as the original: no ads, no tracking, the same clean feel. We won’t promise a date — but it’s coming, and we’re excited about it.

That’s the dream, and it’s part of the plan. Beyond iPhone, iPad and CarPlay, we’d love Just Radio to live on Mac, Apple Watch, Windows and even VR headsets — the same radio, everywhere you are. These are works in progress with no set dates, but the direction is clear: one Just Radio, on every screen you own.

Just Radio has a few kinds of station lists.

The Country list shows every station in a country — some countries have a handful, others thousands.

The Worldwide list is our preset selection of around thirty popular stations from across the globe: your default window into the world, and the fallback list. Both are ordered by popularity and you can’t reorder them — but you can add any station to your Favorites.

The Favorites list holds your favorite stations, from your own country or anywhere in the world. It’s where you keep the stations you want close at hand — though they’re still served to you from public broadcasts.

The Custom list holds stations you add yourself. You enter the name, stream URL, country, tags and so on. It can be any station in the world — even ones that aren’t publicly available through official broadcast networks or specific channels.

Either way, the Custom list is a great way to keep your favorite stations set up exactly your way. And the Import/Export options in the Custom list let you move your whole setup to another device in seconds or share them with the world.

Go to Settings → Stations, then pick any available list. In the free version those are Countries and Worldwide, plus the Favorites list on the Favorites screen. The paid version adds the Custom list, on top of those three.

Stations are run by their broadcasters, and streams sometimes move or go offline. Just Radio offers you a replacement when that happens. Removed a station by mistake? Settings → Reset removed stations brings them all back.

Five in Just Radio. No limit with Just Radio +.

Purely by popularity — nothing else. The free version shows the most-listened-to stations in each country, ranked by real listener data, so you get the ones people actually tune into most. No editorial picks, no favorites, and no paying for a spot — ever. But stations popularity may change so you could (and should) try to fetch new set of stations every now and then.

Want the full list for a country? That’s what Just Radio + unlocks. A paid version, Just Radio + fetches all the stations in a country’s pool.

Your Favorites and your Custom list are yours to keep. Open either one and tap Share to save a Just Radio file — then send it anywhere. Tap Import to bring a file back, on this device or any other. No account, no cloud.

Not at all. A Just Radio file holds only station data — name, stream URL, logo, country and tags. Nothing sensitive, nothing private. It’s a plain JSON file you could open in any text editor, and it’s safe to share with anyone, anywhere.

Yes — please do. Post your Just Radio file as a download on any website so others can enjoy the same stations you do. It’s also a quiet opportunity for small broadcasters: publish your station’s file and reach listeners far beyond your signal. From their street to the whole world.

Just Radio + is a one-time in-app purchase. First install Just Radio (the free version), then open Settings → Upgrade and tap the Upgrade button. Confirm the purchase with your App Store account, and every station, the Custom list and unlimited favorites unlock right away — on this device and any other signed in to the same Apple Account. One payment, once. No subscription.

We’re not here to make millions — we’d love to, of course, but that’s a long shot. We just want to cover our costs: developers, servers, hosting, taxes, and the time and tools it takes to make this app.

We think a price under $10 is within reach for people all over the world. You shouldn’t have to spend a fortune every year just to listen to your favorite stations. Radio really shouldn’t be something you rent. We think it’s a fair price — but if you still find it too much, use the free version as much as you like. Forever. Free.

The free version has no ads, no tracking, the Mood Player, Favorites (up to five), AirPlay and full CarPlay — forever. Just Radio + unlocks every station in every country, the Custom list, and unlimited favorites. One payment, once — no subscription.

Reinstall Just Radio, open it, and choose Restore Purchase. Because your purchase lives in your App Store account (Apple’s record, not ours), it comes straight back — no account with us, and nothing for you to dig up.

Just Radio + is one price, once — and that’s it for personal use. For businesses that want Just Radio across many devices or venues, a dedicated license with volume pricing is on the way. Write to support@justradio.app.