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Original poster

Alexa and BBC sounds

26 replies

Sh4rkAttack · 21/01/2023 11:48

Is it just me, or is Alexa shit?
Finally succumbed, and bought an Alexa dot for the kitchen and one for the living room, thinking that, for the first time in years, I would be able to have radio 4 playing in sync in both rooms simultaneously so I could hear it as I moved around the house (you know, like we could in the old days when we used to just turn a radio on in each room).
What I have discovered, however, is that:
5 times out of 6, when I ask Alexa to play radio 4, it doesn't, or it starts and then stops again.
If I want it to play on multiple devices, the only way I can do this is to set up a stereo pair (so I can't just have the same thing out of both speakers and control the volume of each independently).
Once this is set up, Alexa defaults to this, so in order to switch between playing in one room or playing in both rooms is by repeatedly going into the Alexa app and forgetting and then reinstating the pair...
... but even this rarely works smoothly.... sometimes she will only play through one speaker... often the one in whichever room I wasn't in when I asked.
Why is it such rubbish? Or am I missing something?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sh4rkAttack · 21/01/2023 11:51

Oops, didn't mean to include a vote.... it's possible that it's me that's shit when it comes to tech....

OP posts:
Clymene · 21/01/2023 11:55

I don't know how you do multiple devices but I just say 'play radio 4' and it does.

DysgwrCymraeg · 21/01/2023 11:57

I find it really temperamental - sometimes it plays perfectly and other times I get as far as the 'BBC sounds' voice and then it stops. I don't know whether it's Alexa though, or the Sounds app as it seems to play other radio stations without any problems. But then Sounds works perfectly well on my phone so I don't know what's going on there!

Whitwhit · 21/01/2023 11:59

Clymene · 21/01/2023 11:55

I don't know how you do multiple devices but I just say 'play radio 4' and it does.

Yeah, me too. But radio 1!

Original poster
Sh4rkAttack · 21/01/2023 12:35

Whitwhit · 21/01/2023 11:59

Yeah, me too. But radio 1!

Show quote history

This is what I do... and it sometimes just works (on a single device), but as PP said, is very temperamental. Sometimes I try asking Alexa to open BBC sounds first, but this doesn't seem to make a difference.

OP posts:
Neapolitanicecream · 21/01/2023 13:09

The Alexa tells me to register first for bbc sound and will send a link to email but never does I give up

wheeltrims · 21/01/2023 13:13

Mine does the same with the link that never arrives. I gave up too

drivinmecrazy · 21/01/2023 13:24

Our Alexa in the kitchen will only play radio four if I ask her politely, but it must be in the right tone.
Any other station we have no bother.

I literally lose my s**t at least once a day and have to put on my 'bbc' voice and ask her nicely to please play bbc radio four, even then it's hit and miss.
But ONLY radio four, I can ask her to play my mums local Spanish radio programme with no trouble.

OvertiredandConfused · 21/01/2023 14:01

You can’t play BBC stations on multiple devices / multi room. Classic FM, Virgin, Global Player, Spotify, Amazon music etc, etc all do multi room. Stupid call by BBC!

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 21/01/2023 14:06

Put it on on the telly in the living room instead?

Sorry OP, this is why I still have a kitchen radio! It never works for me.

MEgirl · 21/01/2023 14:23

I use my phone and carry it around with me. If I'm wearing clothes with no pocket I put the phone in a walking belt.

EdHelpPls · 21/01/2023 14:35

Have you tried setting up multiroom? I have multiple set up "downstairs" "everywhere" etc and so just ask "Alexa play X in downstairs zone". If later I say "play X" it'll just play on the one I'm closest to

EdHelpPls · 21/01/2023 14:40

Ah sorry, as PP says BBC won't allow it. Can do multiroom with other stuff.

Original poster
Sh4rkAttack · 21/01/2023 15:06

Thanks for all the replies... reassuring I guess to know that I am not the only one with this issue. As others have said, spotify works so smoothly with Alexa, but not Sounds... though I have just started hearing them promoting the compatibility of the Sounds app with smart speakers, so perhaps they'll get their act together...
I have also never successfully managed to use my voice to select a particular speaker or speaker group, so will try the phrasing suggested by the pp. And practice my best BBC voice for when I want to listen to radio 4.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sh4rkAttack · 21/01/2023 15:10

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 21/01/2023 14:06

Put it on on the telly in the living room instead?

Sorry OP, this is why I still have a kitchen radio! It never works for me.

Problem with this is that it's never quite in sync with other devices, so you can't actually listen if you are moving around. Old fashioned radios don't have this problem, but I no longer own a radio, and last time I tried to listen to one reception here was basically non-existent (no chance with digital, though that might have changed now... but I'm guessing multiple digital radios won't be completely in sync either..?)

OP posts:
Original poster
Sh4rkAttack · 21/01/2023 15:13

MEgirl · 21/01/2023 14:23

I use my phone and carry it around with me. If I'm wearing clothes with no pocket I put the phone in a walking belt.

I've been doing this for years, and was hoping I wouldn't have to any more .... Phone has shit speakers and it sounds really tinny and quiet.

OP posts:
uhtredbebbanburg · 21/01/2023 15:16

If I tell Alexa to play radio 2, she always plays a random German station. I have to say “BBC radio 2”. I miss old fashion radios too…

Whitwhit · 21/01/2023 21:20

Yeah, to clarify. I say “Alexa, play bbc radio 1”
as an experiment tomorrow I may go rogue, and just say ‘play radio 1’ and see what happens

Sleepwalkingintothewall · 21/01/2023 21:23

This is why I just play it through my phone and have unplugged all the Alexa's

ThreeFeetTall · 21/01/2023 21:27

We had 2 x Sonos players for this, controlled via phone app. Worked ok, nice to have continuous same thing in 2 rooms.

TheFrozenCanal · 21/01/2023 21:32

Interested in what pp said about the Spanish station. I can't get alexa to understand any request for anything foreign. She's quite xenophobic. She also doesn't like if I ask for a specific song, example,
-alexa please play the wheels on the bus
-playing specific songs is only available on amazon music. Here is something you might like:

Then she either a) plays an explicit version of something by someone like slipknot, (despite the explicit filter) or b) plays the wheels on the bus. Whatever she fancies.

I've cancelled the prime subscription now, I got so fed up.

OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea · 21/01/2023 21:33

We have sonos (mix of original and the chair ikea ones) and it works brilliantly to play either the same thing on multiple devices or different things on each of them. We've got 5 of them now as the dc have them in their rooms.

Sleepwalkingintothewall · 21/01/2023 21:35

TheFrozenCanal · 21/01/2023 21:32

Interested in what pp said about the Spanish station. I can't get alexa to understand any request for anything foreign. She's quite xenophobic. She also doesn't like if I ask for a specific song, example,
-alexa please play the wheels on the bus
-playing specific songs is only available on amazon music. Here is something you might like:

Then she either a) plays an explicit version of something by someone like slipknot, (despite the explicit filter) or b) plays the wheels on the bus. Whatever she fancies.

I've cancelled the prime subscription now, I got so fed up.

We had this too with playing inappropriate songs when asking for kids songs. I almost felt it might be a developer having a laugh with the coding behind it all.

Whitwhit · 22/01/2023 14:28

Just tried “Alexa, play radio 1” rather than the usual “play bbc radio 1” and it worked ok

MoBrad · 07/07/2023 06:55

To listen on multiple alexa's you need to set up an 'Everywhere Group' on alexa via the app. You can Google How To do this. You then ask alexa to play (chosen radio) on Everywhere.
I had taken to shouting at Alexa trying to play Virgin upstairs and downstairs simultaneously before my daughter told me what to do. She has a 3 storey house, 3 boys and multiple alexas'. They have so many commands for Alexa it's like the film Back to the Future 😀
Hope this helps.