Is it just me or is the bbc sounds app a bit shit?

[museumum]

So BBC’s radio app is going and we must switch to sounds. Hmmm ok.
But it’s crap. I can never find what I want, downloading is almost impossible (still haven’t found a programme with a download symbol) and why can’t I find the podcasts I follow? I’m going back to my apple podcast app.
Anyone else?
What am I missing? BBC should know what they’re doing with app design really.

Mine is still working. Some functions aren’t (can’t choose between latest and most popular) but everything else is. Hoping against hoping I may be in a little wormhole if availability and I plan not to tell anyone . . Oh

I tried to download Sounds but my iPad is too old to support the app sad so I'm going to have to take my phone to bed with me, which is something I've always tried to avoid.

One of the Sounds developers was on You and Yours today Wordsmith and somebody raised that very point. He replied that anybody who couldn’t get BBC Sounds would still be able to listen via the website.

Agree with other posters that it’s harder to search on Sounds and I have found that occasionally it won’t work where there is no wifi, even when I have downloaded programmes.

The thing I don't like about Sounds it that you can't see a synopsis of up and coming programmes when you look at the schedule. You can only see the title. Programmes that have already played you can click on and see a description but If they have not been broadcast yet you can't click. I find it really frustrating as I want to know if the next programme coming up is something I want to listen to.

The iplayer radio app has now gone. I've had the Sounds app on my phone for a while but I hate it and had kept going back to the original.

I am tech savvy but the Sounds app just doesn't do what I want. I used to add programmes to Listen Later and could easily see when they were about to expire. I listen to a lot of programmes this way, mostly drama and books. On the Sounds app, my Bookmarks are all jumbled up. You can't order by when they are going to expire. The Subscription doesn't help. Searching by category brings up hundreds of programmes I've already listened to. I am furious.

I hate it. It just makes it harder for me to find shows to listen to.

RIP radio iplayer. Yesterday the advert for sounds had disappeared and I just used it completely as normal and I fervently was hoping it had been saved. Bigger. Really upset. Have been using sounds app for a few weeks desperately trying to get used it it’s horrible limitations. This is not good.

Bigger was supposed to be ‘bugger’ and it was meant.

It is rubbish. Tonight, I had to find the Counterpoint quiz by googling it-it was impossible to find on Sounds.

I only wonder why they didn't go the whole hog and call it Soundz!

too find the app disappointing. I've taken to voicing my gripes to them directly, and have been told my feedback will be passed on to the app designers, FWIW.

I particularly hate how often the episodes are not numbered, making it difficult to figure out which one is the right one to start with; how old and new stuff is mixed up; how all episodes of a single thing are no longer bunched together. My biggest bugbear at the moment is the fact that deleting a download, something which could previously be achieved by a simple swipe, now takes five separate tap actions!

I have, however, discovered some good stuff on 4e and some podcasts I would probably never have come across otherwise.

I rarely listen live, so I'm stuck with Sounds by the look of it, but it is indeed pretty rubbish for audiences like me.

I hate Sounds, was disappointed when my iPlayer radio app stopped mud-afternoon the other day.
The "my Sounds" is arranged chronologically by episode rather than by series, and the incessant whiteness is irksome.
When I finally locate a programme I was after, it's tricky finding the first episode, then the auto play may or may not play the other episodes in order, or may go on to a totally different show for no reason.
I listened to what I thought was a new democracy programme, it was only when they referred to Farage's UKIP party I realised it was from 2015!

I agree OP. I was used to using the radio iplayer app and that was so much easier to use than the Sounds app.

I was moaning to myself about this yesterday! As with pp my iPad is too old to support the App so I have to go to the website.

I love R4 R4ex and R3 for drama, books and some documentaries. I can think for myself and don't need spoon feeding suggestions, I use reviews and talk to friends for that.

I suppose I will get used to it, though I am grateful to another pp for those suggestions and intend to have a proper look at alternatives later.

I agree. It seems to be designed to highlight podcasts and everything else is so hard to find.

I use the radio app to browse for docos to listen to when I'm running or doing the ironing. It find it so difficult to do this on BBC sounds unless I know what I'm looking for.

I am listening to Brief Lives the Manchester legal drama.
I missed the last few minutes of Episode one
How do I fast forward? I can't seem to work it out!

Sorted
I opened it in Chrome.
It's a PITA

It’s not just a bit shit. It’s totally carp. It takes many more clicks to get where I want to be. It doesn’t remember where I was.

It’s just shit.

I think if you use it to listen to anything but podcasts, it’s shite. So annoying not being able to easily track series, or sort by genre category

Yes and the “Autoplay” function is pretty hit and miss. You also can’t keep it Play one thing while you bring up the screen which gives you detayof all episodes.

We should ALL contact the BC to complain. Not that it’ll make any difference.

I’m beginning to think that comedy series W1 was actually a documentary.

I like it! Works much better for me than old app which could never load old programmes properly.

I came on to start a thread about this. Can’t fast forward/rewind. Can’t find what I want to listen to (drama). Jumping from episode to episode when I am coming in and out of the app.

its shit!

The scrolling is really odd too. It's either strangely slow or starts going sideways when I want to go down. It's not my phone as that is new and has plenty of power.

love R4 R4ex and R3 for drama, books and some documentaries. I can think for myself and don't need spoon feeding suggestions, I use reviews and talk to friends for that

This is one of my irritations. I don't want an algorithm giving me every narrower selections a la Spotify and just about every other recommendation engine.

I've been forced onto Sounds now and as far as I can see the only improvements are reverse engineering features of the old app onto the new one.

Autoplay continues to be unusable.

I'm neutral on the white UI rather than black.

Not a success from my PoV

I complained about several issues with the app that weren't issues in the old one and have received feedback. My main concerns is that you can't easily organise the things you want to listen to and make sure you catch them before they expire. They haven't really got an answer for it and don't seem to have plans to sort it. They are possibly sorting the issue around finding the next episode in dramas, which I think is related to the autoplay problem. Basically, I get the feeling it's going to be a long time until it has the features I want and PP is right about reverse engineering to make it more like the old app.

It’s rubbish. Pain in the arse to find anything and visually it’s a mess? I use it to listen to R4 comedy on the way to and it is not enhancing my mornings!

Hate it. Can’t download it on my iPad unless I upgrade. Managed to listen to The Archers but nothing else.