New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…

Original story (published on April 12, 2021) follows:

If you listen to radio on your smartphone, you probably use the TuneIn app to do so. TuneIn works on just about every platform including on Google Home, Google Home Mini, Home Max, JBL Link, and more.

For the most part, the service works fine although it does go down or stops working at times for all users, which is common for such applications so there’s nothing to worry about.

But now it seems that some Google Home users are reporting that TuneIn has stopped working on their devices recently.

Here are some reports for reference:

google-home-tunein-not-working
(Source)

Same issue here. Radio stations that were working a couple of days ago, now are showing the same behavior. I can listen to it on TuneIn in my phone (so the radio station is working). But when I ask Google to “play X radio on tunein”, as I always did, it accepts the command and then it goes silent. (Source)

Tunein not working on google home when asked to play cbc radio tunein says stream is not compatible with device even though plays fine on my phone (Source)

Same here. Worked for the last months and today in the morning stopped streaming TuneIn channels. No station is working…. (Source)

According to some Google Home users, the assistant says “ok, playing radio,” when asked to play a radio station, however, there’s no sound. Others claim that that they get a message saying “this stream is not compatible with this player.”

The problem has been around for a few years now but Google has not been able to or is unwilling to fix it since the problem was acknowledged towards the tail-end of last year.

A ‘Community specialist’ on the company’s community forums claimed that Google is aware and looking into the issue at hand, however, there has been no official response after that.

tunein-stations-not-working-google-home-acknowledged
(Source)

While users await an official fix for the seemingly unfixable problem, there’s a workaround shared by a user that you can try out for yourself too.

I am using a temporary solution(maybe helps):
– I open tunein on chrome (phone or pc)
– I choose the desired radio station
– Then I click Cast inside Chrome menu, and I choose the device.

That works for me, but what is the point to use Google Home if is not working. (Source)

Of course, the workaround is nowhere near as convenient as the real deal but it’s worth a shot for the time being. Since the problem has been around for a couple of years, it’s unclear if and when Google will fix it.

As usual, we’ll keep track of the situation and will post an update once there are any new developments regarding TuneIn not working on Google Home devices.

Update 1 (June 04, 2021)

Even after months, the issue continues to persist and trouble users. And all they can do is wait for the fix to arrive. In case, any other development catches our sight, we’ll share.

Update 2 (June 10, 2021)

While Google is looking into the matter, here’s what they’re suggesting the affected users – complaining about being taken to YouTube instead of playing the request on TuneIn – to do (translated):

Okay, indeed we are aware of this incident and we are working to solve it as soon as possible together with TuneIn. Meanwhile, what you can do is play this station on your mobile and send the content to Google Home with the button that the app has.

Update 3 (June 15, 2021)

The support has shared yet another workaround:

We’re also looking into similar reports lately where Google Home can’t play several TuneIn stations. If restarting your network and Google Home doesn’t work, try saying “Hey Google, play 102.0 P4 Malmöhus FM on TuneIn”. If it’s still not working, drop us a DM.

They further add:

it’s possible that your Google Home and TuneIn are experiencing interference or could be app-related. Try rebooting your devices and Wi-Fi router by unplugging them from the wall outlet for about 2 minutes as it might do the trick.

Update 4 (September 17, 2021)

Google has finally acknowledged the issue where Google Home won’t play radio.

Thanks! Our team is already checking on this and working on a fix. We’d suggest sending us feedback using the Google Home app with the keywords, “GHT3 Can’t play radio stations on . Make sure “Send device usage data and crash reports to Google” is turned on.
Source

Update 5 (September 22, 2021)

According to a recent user report from Twitter, Google might have fixed the issue where Google Home was not playing any radio stations from TuneIn.

Update 6 (May 27, 2022)

06:35 pm (IST): Users are again reporting (1, 2, 3) an issue where some TuneIn stations are not working on Google Home.

Fortunately, Google support on Twitter has acknowledged this issue and said that they are working on a fix.

Understood. Our team is aware of reports about being unable to play some TuneIn stations on Google Home — we’re working on a fix. Thanks for bringing your case to our attention. Have a good one! (Source)

Update 7 (March 13, 2023)

04:23 pm (IST): Some Google Home and Nest users are again reporting (1, 2, 3) that TuneIn radio stations (like RTE ones) are not working for them.

Luckily, Google support has acknowledged the problem and said that they are working to fix it.

We’re sorry for the trouble, Ronan. Our team is aware of this and is working with our partners on a fix. We appreciate your patience. (Source)

Update 8 (March 17, 2023)

`03:55 pm (IST): According to one of our readers, the recent issue with RTE Radio stations on TuneIn has now been resolved.

Thanks for the tip: Conor Cassidy!

Update 9 (April 7, 2023)

05:58 pm (IST): Some users are now reporting (1, 2, 3, 4) that BBC radio is not working on Google Home for them. Luckily, Google has acknowledged the issue and they are working to fix it.

Thanks for reaching out, Nicola. Our team is aware of this and they’re already working on a fix for playing BBC radio stations on Google Nest devices. We appreciate your patience. (Source)

Update 10 (April 12, 2023)

03:48 pm (IST): A user has suggested a potential workaround for the BBC radio not working issue where you can connect Google Home or Nest to your phone via Bluetooth and play radio from your device.

One workaround is to connect the speak to your phone via Bluetooth and play radio from your handset, but you shouldn’t have to.
Source

Update 11 (April 13, 2023)

09:57 am (IST): Google team confirmed that they are working on solving an issue where Assistant is not playing radio stations. More on that here.

Update 12 (April 14, 2023)

01:35 pm (IST): BBC has said that Google has identified the reason affecting radio on some of their smart speakers. So, a fix is being rolling gradually to all users.

Update 13 (April 19, 2023)

05:15 pm (IST): One of our readers suggested that the Google Assistant commands might have changed. So, now the Assistant answer could depend on how the commands are said.

For example, to play a TuneIn radio station, you can ask it like this:

‘Hey google, play tunein’ – she then plays whatever radio station I last asked her to play

In case you have multiple grouped speakers, the command could be something like this:

‘Hey Google, play tunein on all’….this also works

Thanks for the tip, Deliska Musgrove!

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Dwayne Cubbins
1003 Posts

My fascination with Android phones began the moment I got my hands on one. Since then, I've been on a journey to decode the ever-evolving tech landscape, fueled by a passion for both the "how" and the "why." Since 2018, I've been crafting content that empowers users and demystifies the tech world. From in-depth how-to guides that unlock your phone's potential to breaking news based on original research, I strive to make tech accessible and engaging.

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