NPR Music iPhone App FAQ

What is the NPR Music iPhone app?
Where can I download the NPR Music iPhone app?
What features does it have?
What devices will it work on?
What stations are in the app?
How do I find my station?
What is the playlist? How do I use it?
How many items can I store in my playlist at one time? And how long will they stay there?
Can I use the application to share stories with friends?
Can I listen to news streams in the app?
How can I visit the full NPR Music site on my iPhone?
Are podcasts available in the app?
How do I purchase the featured music in the app?
Can I view videos in the app?
Can I use the app while using another application?
Does the application have underwriting in it?
Who should I contact with my questions or comments about the NPR Music app?

What is the NPR Music app?

The NPR Music iPhone application allows you to access your favorite NPR and NPR member station music programs on your portable device. Enjoy the rich audio and visual content from the NPR Music site optimized for use on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Create playlists, read while listening, and bookmark your favorite stations in a simple easy manner.

Where can I download the NPR Music app?

Download via the iTunes App Store. Simply search for “NPR Music” and once you have found it, download just as you would with any other application.

What features does it have?

• Full text and audio stories
• A ‘My Playlist’ feature to program your listening experience
• Live music from nearly 100 public radio stations across the country
• The ability to browse NPR’s music archives by genre or artist
• Access to NPR music blogs such as Monitor Mix and All Songs Considered
• Video features, such as Tiny Desk Concerts

What devices will it work on?

The NPR Music iPhone app is designed for use with your iPhone or iPod Touch. Your device must have iPhone OS 4 or later.

What stations are in the app?

This app is designed specifically to highlight public radio music programming, so only music stations are featured. For a more comprehensive list of public radio station streams, check out the NPR News app.

How do I find my station?

Find your local station by clicking on ‘Streams’ in the menu. Stations are listed in the NPR Music app by genre rather than by state. Select the appropriate genre to find a list of available station streams

What is the playlist? How do I use it?

The playlist allows you to select and order stories with audio, then listen right away or save them for later.

Browse to any story that has audio, and you’ll see several buttons. One says, 'Add to playlist'; another says, 'Listen now'; and finally there is an option to share stories. Press the 'Add to playlist' button and that story will be saved to your playlist for later listening.

You can easily access your playlist to play, reorder, or delete stories by pressing the “Playlist” tab in the persistent navigation at the bottom of the application. From your playlist, click on any story to begin listening. The player will automatically progress to the next story in your list after the first story you selected has finished.

Reordering and deleting stories works the same way as other lists on iPhone default applications. To reorder stories hit the 'Edit' button in the upper left; drag stories up or down in the list by putting your finger tip on the gray square on the right side of the story item and sliding your finger to the desired location in the list. Press “Done” when you are finished.

To delete a single story from your playlist, click on 'Edit' and touch the small red icon to the left of the story. The ‘Delete’ button will appear. To remove all stories from your playlist, click 'Edit' and select 'Clear your playlist.

How many items can I store in my playlist at one time? And how long will they stay there?

You can store up to 50 items in the playlist.

Can I use the application to share stories with friends?

Yes. At the top of each story page, you will find options to share via Twitter, Facebook, or E-mail.

Can I listen to news streams in the app?

No. For news streams, use the NPR News app.

How can I visit the full NPR Music site on my iPhone?

Open the Safari browser on your iPhone and type in the address for NPR: www.npr.org. This will take you to the iPhone-optimized version of the NPR Mobile Web site, where you will be presented with a link at the top of the page to 'View Full NPR Website.' Please note that some parts of the full NPR.org Web site, including the audio player, require Flash, which the iPhone version of Safari does not currently support.

Are podcasts available in the app?

No.

How do I purchase featured music in the app?

Certain stories have a “Purchase featured music” link which is located below the “Listen” and “Add to playlist” buttons and sharing tools. If you tap on the link, a pop-up will appear to let you know that you will be leaving the NPR Music app and to give you the choice of either cancelling or continuing. If you tap “OK” to continue, you will be taken into iTunes.

Can I view videos in the app?

Yes. Tiny Desk Concerts can currently be viewed in the app. All music videos are expected to be available in the app by mid-October.

Can I use the app while using another application?

Yes. "Backgrounding” is available, but only for certain devices. The background audio feature will only work for iPhone 4 or for iPhone 3GS and 3rd generation iPod Touch devices (32 GB or 64 GB) that have been upgraded to the iOS 4.

Does the application have underwriting in it?

Yes. Though NPR is a non-profit, non-commercial organization, it does recognize the support of sponsors and underwriters with short messages before audio programming as well as graphical banners placed at various points in the application.

Who should I contact with my questions or comments about the NPR Music app?

If you have any technical questions or concerns, or if you would like to share your feedback, simply use our contact form.

 Related Items

NPR Mobile FAQ
NPR News iPhone application FAQ
NPR News iPad application FAQ