QRadio

QRadio - Support

Version 8.0.0 · Last updated: July 28, 2026

About QRadio

QRadio is a lightweight internet stream player for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, CarPlay, and Mac. No ads, no tracking, no account required. Browse the catalog, add your own stations, and listen.

System Requirements

Features

Getting Started

Open QRadio and browse the catalog, or add a station manually by entering a stream URL. Tap a station to start playing, then tap the star icon to add it to your favorites.

Adding & Editing Streams

To add a manual station, tap the + button in the Favorites tab and fill in:

To edit a station, swipe left on it in Favorites and tap Edit.

Multiple URLs for One Station

Some stations publish several stream URLs. In the Add/Edit screen, tap Add Stream URL to add another URL for the same station. QRadio validates each URL in the background after you save, then fills in stream details such as codec and bitrate when they are available.

The stream picker is shown on the player when a station has more than one stream. For catalog stations, QRadio keeps the catalog's primary stream as the default. For manual stations, your selected stream is saved with the favorite and syncs with iCloud.

Stream Marks

Buffering

In Settings → Buffering choose how QRadio balances how fast playback starts against how smoothly it holds up:

On a strong connection every mode starts almost instantly - they differ mainly in how much cushion they keep against dropouts on a weak connection.

You can also override the buffer for a single station: expand Advanced in the Add/Edit screen to set per-stream WiFi and Cellular sizes. Set to Auto (0) to follow the mode above.

Auto Reconnect & Try Other Streams

Auto Reconnect retries the selected stream after a temporary interruption. Try Other Streams is separate: when enabled, QRadio tries the station's other saved URLs once if the selected stream cannot play. It does not switch streams when your device has no internet connection.

Finding Stream URLs

The easiest way is to browse the QRadio catalog - search and filter by country, then tap a station to open it directly in QRadio. You can also visit the broadcaster's website directly; many publish stream URLs on a "Listen" or "Player" page. Look for links ending in .mp3, .aac, .m3u, .m3u8, or .pls.

Song Recognition

Tap the Shazam icon in the player to identify the currently playing song. QRadio reads the audio directly from the stream - no microphone permission, no ambient noise interference. The result links straight to Apple Music - or to Spotify, if you pick it under Settings → Open Songs In (the option appears when the Spotify app is installed).

Song History

Every track that the app identifies is saved to the History tab with artwork and timestamps. In Settings → Song History you can choose how long entries are kept: from 1 week up to 5 years, or Forever. Choose Off to disable history entirely. The setting and the history itself sync across your iPhones, iPads and Macs through iCloud.

Backup & Restore

In Settings → Backup & Restore you can export your favorites and app settings to a single .qradio file. Save it to Files, AirDrop it to another device, or keep it as a personal backup. Importing the file replaces the current favorites and settings on the device. Backup files are platform-aware: iOS-specific settings are skipped when restoring on a Mac and vice versa.

iCloud & Other Devices

Favorites and selected stream choices sync through iCloud. Song history syncs through your private iCloud database when iCloud is available. If you enable Stop Other Devices on Play, starting playback on one device asks QRadio on your other iCloud devices to pause.

Handoff

While a station is playing, QRadio offers it to your other nearby devices. Pick up your iPhone or iPad and QRadio appears at the bottom of the app switcher and on the lock screen; on a Mac it appears at the end of the Dock. Open it and the same station continues there, while the device you came from stops - Handoff moves playback rather than duplicating it. If the receiving device does not have that station in its favorites, it still plays, because the offer carries the stream details with it.

Handoff is a system feature, so it needs the same requirements Apple's own apps do: both devices signed in to the same Apple Account, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on, physically near each other, and Handoff enabled in Settings (iPhone and iPad: General › AirPlay & Continuity; Mac: General › AirDrop & Handoff). On the Mac, QRadio lives in the menu bar, so open its panel when you want to hand playback off to your phone.

Sleep Timer

Tap the moon icon in the player. Use the two-wheel picker for any duration up to 6 h 59 m, or pick one of the preset chips (15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 minutes). When a timer is running, its remaining time is shown live and you can cancel it with one tap.

Siri & Shortcuts

QRadio exposes four Shortcuts actions: Play, Stop, Next, and Previous. Say "Play favorite in QRadio" to start playback, "Next on QRadio" to skip to the next favorite, "Stop on QRadio" to pause, and "Previous on QRadio" to go back. You can also build automations - e.g. start a station every morning when an alarm fires.

Apple Watch

QRadio includes a standalone watchOS app. When your iPhone is nearby, the watch acts as a remote control. When away from your phone, it can stream directly over WiFi or cellular. Favorites sync automatically from the phone, and the watch can use iCloud settings as a fallback source when the phone is not reachable. The watch mirrors your buffering choice from the phone and, because it plays over a mobile link, keeps a generous buffer for smoother playback on the move.

Accessibility

QRadio works with VoiceOver throughout. Every button - play/pause, previous/next, favourite, share, sleep timer, song recognition - is labelled, and those labels are translated into all five supported languages, so nothing is read out as an unnamed button. The sleep timer also reports how much time is left, and the song-recognition button reports when it is listening.

When you open the full player it takes VoiceOver focus and keeps it there until you close it, so swiping doesn't wander into the station list behind it. Station rows are grouped so each one reads as a single item, and while a station is playing, newly identified songs are announced as they change. Labels are used by Voice Control and Switch Control too, so the app can be driven hands-free.

Content Disclaimer

QRadio is a player only - it does not host, modify, or redistribute any audio content. All streams are delivered directly from the broadcaster's servers to your device. Users are responsible for the URLs they add.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is QRadio free?
Yes. QRadio is free to download and use.

Do I need an account?
No. QRadio works without registration or sign-in. Your favorites are stored locally and sync across your devices via iCloud.

Where do the streams come from?
Browse the QRadio catalog to discover stations, or add any stream manually by entering its URL.

Can I add backup URLs for a station?
Yes. Add another stream URL in the station editor. QRadio stores the URLs with the station, shows codec and bitrate when known, and lets you choose which one to play. If a URL redirects, QRadio marks it with →.

Does QRadio collect any data?
No. QRadio does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. See the Privacy Policy for details.

Can I use QRadio without WiFi?
Yes, over cellular. Streaming uses mobile data - the cellular buffer setting in Settings → Buffering helps reduce dropouts on slower connections.

Why is a stream I added not working?
Stream URLs change occasionally. The broadcaster may have moved or temporarily taken the stream offline. If the station has another URL, select it from the stream picker or enable Try Other Streams in Settings.

Troubleshooting

Contact

For questions, feedback, or bug reports, contact us at radio@qbus.pl.