iHeartRadio Logo
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4.7

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: January 14th, 2024

iHeartRadio is an Internet radio platform. Since its creation in 2008, the service has expanded its offerings to include music recommendations, customizable stations, podcasts, and a radio network with content from more than 800 iHeartMedia stations across the United States. In 2014, iHeartRadio introduced the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which continue to attract hosts of popular artists. In 2015, artists Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, and Sam Smith won the “Innovator,” “Artist of the Year,” and “Best New Artist” awards, respectively. iHeartRadio regularly hosts concerts in Los Angeles and New York City, with ticket contests featured across the 800 stations. 

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The Good

iHeartRadio is a platform for curated music, with a wide range of features:

  • The service is completely free. There are no hidden charges or paid packages available. However, you can choose to upgrade, which is not free.
  • iHeartRadio offers 19 genre stations, more than 400,000 artists, 15 million songs, and 1,500 live radio stations.
  • Users may create their own stations according to genre or artist. These curated stations display lyrics and artist bios and include links to purchase songs from other vendors, like Amazon and iTunes.
  • All custom-made stations are commercial-free.
  • While listening to live radio, the website displays a station page with links to the station's official website. The page also displays the station's genre, location, and latest tweet, in addition to the current host's name and the schedule for other hosts that day.
  • Users can upvote or downvote songs as they play. Upvoting a song will make it play more often, while downvoting a song will ensure it never plays again.
  • Live radio station pages display the name, artist, and album art for each song that plays. This display updates constantly, even when users aren't currently listening.
  • iHeartRadio is available in an app.
  • The iHeartRadio platform also offers a wide range of podcasts, sorted by popularity and category. Categories range from Health and Food to the Paranormal.
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The Bad

  • As an online streaming service, iHeartRadio's music quality is subject to the strength of users' Internet connections. Songs are not available for download through the site, even for a price.
  • iHeartRadio does not allow users to make playlists of their favorite songs, which means that users are at the mercy of the station's song order.
  • Custom stations are limited to one seed, which means that users can't create stations that feature more than one artist or genre. Stations generated by artist-especially composers with a wide range of material-are rarely harmonious.
  • Users can't navigate music on the iHeartRadio site using their keyboards.
  • Compared to other curated radio services, iHeartRadio offers relatively few songs.
  • Users may only skip fifteen songs per day, and six per hour per station. Once a user has reached this limit, the only way to switch songs is to switch stations entirely. Returning to a station will only replay the current song. The skip limit also applies to songs longer than three or four minutes.
  • Upvoting, downvoting, or skipping a song cannot be undone. Once a song has been skipped, even in error, that skip counts toward the daily limit and users can't play it again until it returns organically. Once a song has been disliked, it will never play again unless a user locates it through the search tool and upvotes it independently.
  • There is no option to censor explicit lyrics.
  • Users can't rewind, fast-forward, or record music while it's playing.
  • When using Google Chromecast or the Xbox app, users can only stream iHeartMedia-owned radio stations. Radio stations owned by other media companies are only available on the website or the mobile app.
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The Bottom Line

iHeartRadio's extensive offerings set it apart from most other radio streaming services available online. It is available on more platforms, with more options for customizability, but interaction is fairly limited. iHeartRadio's curated service is best suited for people who enjoy live radio and don't mind switching stations or enduring mediocre sound quality to find music they enjoy. Audiophiles, look elsewhere.
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Star Rating

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3.7

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156 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

38%

4 grade

26%

3 grade

15%

2 grade

7%

1 grade

14%

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Ashley Hammonds Arlington, TX

This is slightly ridiculous! I finally recevied an email the day before stating: ** No need in stopping by the station, tickets are electronic, and we will reach out to you when they are sent out.**  Yet I won a prize on Wednesday November 9th as caller #9, was supposed to hear from marketing in regards to my prize by Monday November 14th, I left multiple messages on multiple outlets as I still had not heard from anyone, had to call corporate on November 15th to reach out to the station as there is no way to speak to a live person in the DFW area, finally got a text message and email from you yesterday where I promptly responded and sent everything requested and I still have not received the electronic tickets for today's event at 4:30pm. On top of everything else, when I called in as caller #9 that night it was for 5K in NFM and a meet and greet with the Property Brothers (I would love to hear the broadcast from 6:25 to 6:35 that night, Wednesday the 9th). Now I can't get a straight answer or even an acknowledgement on the 5k in NFM and still haven't received my electronic tickets. What is really going on? Is it normally this hard to get your prize? I've never won anything on the radio before and this has been the worst experience, rather than being fun!! This was truly a let down!! I guess I can assume that I will be missing the event, unless it's standard to get your prize at the absolute last minute.

2 years ago

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Anna Brock

For the most part, I like IHeart radio, I don't really listen to specific stations as much as I do genres. One thing that irritates the bejeebers out of me is that I can down vote the same artist or song repeatedly and it makes no difference, I keep getting them again. For example, I listen to fingerstyle guitar by Don Ross, Leo Kottke etc, this is a strictly instrumental (guitar mainly) style, yet I keep getting Joni Mitchell thrown into the mix. Not only is that vocals, but it is not even in the genre. Maybe your software that sorts the music needs a little tweeking or something. Please find a way to fix this problem/

8 years ago

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kim held Vancouver, BC

Try to listen to CFAX 1070 however, seems like each time I turn on radio 1070 Adam S is on. Why? I understand turning his regular time slots m-f 9-12pm. Here on Sunday once again I am listening to Adam S. Is there no other 1070 programs that don't just replay Adam S's early segments? Can't people just listen on line to the old shows instead of taking up live air time with the same old same old. Really disappointed in iheart radio 1070. Not Amazing!

3 years ago

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Amanda George IL

I used this streaming music service for about 2 months because it would mute itself and there would be no sound. It would never save my favorite tracks or podcasts to my lists and the customer service dept is severely lacking in qualified people.

1 year ago

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karel dejong Jerome, ID

Iheartradio is extremely annoying with commercials, going to cancel my subscription. If you pause your headset with certain commercials they come right back and start at the beginning again.

6 years ago

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cassie

Kept getting ads for a car lot non stop for two weeks. I live in Sydney the car lot was in Belconnen a suburb in the national capital of Canberra 180 miles away.

6 years ago

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alyssa Pleasant Grove, UT

iHeartRadio attempts to merge live radio and a curated catalog, but the streaming music service lacks many of the features found in its rivals and its interface is clunky in places.

6 years ago

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Amber C Frey San Diego, CA

I downloaded iHeartRadio once and deleted it within the same week. The quality was really choppy and it reminded me how much I really don't care for regular radio.

6 years ago

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Scotlynn Blair Phoenix, AZ

Has a great variety of options and really get all of the good hits but not my type of music is offered very much

5 years ago

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matthew Logan, UT

really bad streaming not greatest sound. played good music but repeated same music a lot.

5 years ago

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Taylor Larson Nakhon Sawan, 60

I don't appreciate how many ads iHeartRadio has.

3 years ago