iHeartRadio App Adds Lyrics Could Replace Your Car Radio

iHeartRadio has unveiled a fresh new look for its mobile app—the most significant update since its launch in 2011. The revamped interface draws inspiration from popular car radio features, such as preset stations, a scan option, and even a live radio “dial.” A unique addition to this digital platform is a lyrics display for live radio—a first in the realm of digital radio apps, according to iHeartRadio.

The company indicated that the redesign began rolling out on December 12 and will reach all users on both Android and iOS devices by December 17.

Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, stated in a press release, “Our audience has expressed a desire for a streaming audio platform that is user-friendly and recognizable, mirroring the straightforwardness of a car radio while leveraging the full power of streaming technology. The redesigned iHeartRadio app achieves this by combining the best features of traditional radios with those of modern mobile apps.”

In the past, the iHeartRadio app primarily featured three key areas: radio, podcasts, and playlists. Users navigated through content suggestions, genre selections, and a search tool to discover desired content.

While maintaining these core elements, the new design introduces several exciting features at the top of the home screen:

Presets: Similar to a car radio, this feature allows you to save up to 15 of your favorite radio stations, playlists, podcasts, and artist stations.

Scan button: This lets you quickly explore nationwide radio stations or filter by city or genre.

Live radio dial: Swipe left or right to easily browse and access national radio stations categorized by genre and location.

Trending rankers: Discover what’s currently popular among iHeartRadio users with highlights from Top Podcasts, Top Playlists, and Top Artist Radio stations, including trending features on the platform.

Lyrics display: View the lyrics for the song you’re currently listening to on live radio, along with a karaoke-style display for songs on artist radio and playlists.

The iHeartRadio app boasts over 167 million registered users and is supported on more than 500 platforms and over 2,000 connected devices. To date, it has been downloaded approximately 3 billion times.