MacdioGuides
How to use Macdio, one feature at a time, and short practical answers to the questions internet radio listeners ask, written by the developer of Macdio. Each guide names the devices it applies to and ends with the questions people search for.
Get started
Macdio on iPhone and iPadFind your way around Macdio on iPhone and iPad: the tabs and Settings, the mini and full player, Clock Mode and its alarm, widgets, the Lock Screen and CarPlay.
Macdio on the MacHow Macdio works on a Mac: the main window, the player panel, the compact player, the menu bar player, the Dock menu, keyboard shortcuts and Settings.
Macdio on Apple TVHow Macdio works on Apple TV: tabs, the Siri Remote, Now Playing and the ambient screen, Top Shelf rows, synced transcripts and adding stations from a computer.
Your stations
How to add your own station by stream URLAdd any internet radio stream to Macdio by its address on iPhone, iPad or Mac, test it, give it a logo, then edit or delete it. Apple TV uses a browser.
Edit your stations from a computer browserEdit on Computer opens your own Macdio stations in a browser on the same Wi-Fi, from iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Add, edit, import and export JSON, CSV or M3U.
Favorites, lists and iCloud syncHow favorites, My Stations and your own lists work in Macdio, how to set their order, and what iCloud syncs between your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.
Song ID, recording and sleep
Song ID and Auto Shazam in MacdioHow Song ID and Auto Shazam name the song a station is playing in Macdio on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch, and where those songs go next.
How to record radio in MacdioRecord any station in Macdio on iPhone, iPad and Mac: start and stop, one file or one file per song, length and disk limits, and where your recordings are kept.
Sleep timer and Clock ModeSet a sleep timer in Macdio on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch, bring it back with Repeat Timer, and use Clock Mode on iPhone as a bedside alarm.
Podcasts
Follow, queue and download podcastsFollow podcasts by search, chart, feed URL or OPML, queue episodes and live radio together in Up Next, download for offline, and set speed on each device.
Transcripts, chapters and HighlightsMacdio writes podcast transcripts on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Search inside episodes, mark a sentence by tap or Siri, and send it to Notes, Notion or Readwise.
Controls and settings
Shortcuts actions and automationsAll nine Macdio actions in Apple's Shortcuts app, what each one does, and automations that start a station at 7:00 or play the newest podcast episode.
AirPods and headphone controlsWhat a single, double and triple press on AirPods or headphones does in Macdio, for live radio and for podcasts, plus Live Pause and the Mac media keys.
Use a game controllerPlay, pause, switch stations and browse your radio and podcasts in Macdio with a DualSense, Xbox or Backbone controller, and remap every button on iPhone.
Settings worth changingThe Macdio settings worth changing on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV: dark mode, app icon, tab bar, Library sections, Live Pause, the Dock and the menu bar.
Radio on every device
How to listen to internet radio on a MacBrowser, VLC, the Music app or a menu bar player: every route, with honest trade-offs. Read this one first if you are new to radio on the desktop.
Radio on Apple Watch without an iPhoneStreaming on the wrist with no iPhone nearby: what standalone really means, what you need, and honest battery numbers.
Internet radio on CarPlayPresets like a classic car stereo, worldwide stations instead of local FM, and what a long drive costs in mobile data.
Play radio with SiriEvery voice phrase Macdio understands, in 14 languages, and how a station name spoken in the car turns into the right stream.
Radio features
How to record internet radioTurn a live show into named, individual tracks on Mac and iPhone, and where the law of personal recording actually stands.
What song is playing on the radio?Three ways to identify a radio song, including one that reads the stream itself and never asks for the microphone.
How to find a station's stream URLFour ways to get the direct address, what you may do with it, and how to add a station of your own.
Does the iPhone have FM radio?The honest answer about the missing chip, receiver against transmitter, the emergency argument, and what to do instead.
Buying and comparing
Best internet radio apps comparedSeven players for Mac, iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple TV, with prices, station counts and what each one leaves out.
The app behind the guides
Macdio is a native internet radio and podcast player for iPhone, Mac, Apple TV, iPad and Apple Watch. 60,000+ stations, recording, live lyrics and microphone-free song identification, in one purchase with no subscription.