CBC Listen is where Live Radio shows, CBC Podcasts and CBC Music Playlists live - all in one place. The CBC Listen app is available in the Google Play Store and App Store.
- Open the Google Play Store on your Android device.
- Select the search icon, the magnifying glass found at the top of the screen.
- Enter “CBC Listen” in the search bar and select “CBC Listen” when it appears below the search bar.
- Select "Install".
- Find more info HERE
Or use the following QR code from your Android phone or tablet to go directly to the Listen app in the Google Play Store
- Open the App Store on your iOS/iPadOS device.
- Select the search icon, the magnifying glass found at the top of the screen.
- Enter “CBC Listen” in the search bar and select “CBC Listen” when it appears below the search bar.
- Select "Get".
- Find more info HERE
Or use the following QR code from your iPhone/iPad to go directly to the Listen app in the app store
- From the home screen on your Apple TV, select the App Store icon.
- Select the search icon, the magnifying glass found in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Enter “CBC Listen” in the search bar.
- Select the CBC Listen icon.
- Select the download icon, the cloud with a downward-facing arrow.
- Find more info HERE
You can view the following video for detailed instructions on how to find specific content on the CBC Listen App:
We've listed some features and benefits as well as some FAQs for you in this article.
CBC Listen App Features and Benefits
LIVE STREAMS
- Easy access to Radio One and CBC Music live streams.
- Select from Live Streams wherever you are from across Canada.
- Learn more about radio shows and listen to recently-aired episodes of popular Radio One and CBC Music content.
- Quick access to previously-aired Radio One segments and Canada's most trusted news source, The World This Hour.
* Try the 'Hide' feature on this block to access what's up next on either Radio One or CBC Music
ON DEMAND
- Listen to recently-aired episodes and segments from your favourite talk and music shows.
- Catch editor’s picks of current events and hot topics.
- Search the On Demand section by your favourite show titles and host names.
- Listen to CBC Music Live Sessions and Concerts.
CBC PODCASTS
- Download or stream our award-winning original CBC Podcasts.
- View CBC Podcasts in order of most recent to most popular, listen to serials or episode-specific content.
- Use the Bookmark feature to note content you'd like to come back to and access these in your User Settings.
CBC MUSIC PLAYLISTS
- Browse & listen to hundreds of curated playlists created by CBC producers.
- Countless genres suited for any mood and activity.
- Search by musical genre.
ADVANCED USER SETTINGS & FEATURES
- Use the Favourite feature so you can jump to your favourite Radio Shows, Podcasts and Playlists.
- Use the Download feature to listen to CBC Podcasts when you are offline.
- Try the Bookmark features to tag content you’ll get to another time.
- The Play Status and Recently Played features allow you to revisit and review your listening activity, in case you want to pick up where you left off.
- Set the Sleep Timer so you can fall asleep to your favourite Radio Shows, Podcasts and Playlists.
- Control whether or not you wish to use data when downloading CBC Podcasts.
- Want to know the name of the song you heard on a CBC Music show? Access Playlogs in the CBC Listen app to learn the song title, artist and album names.
- iOS users can now use AirPlay to send CBC Listen content to their preferred and connected receivers.
- Android users can use Chromecast to send CBC Listen content to their preferred and connected receivers.
- Listen to Bookmarked and Downloaded content continuously, without interruption from within your User Settings.
- Use the Frequency Finder to search for your local or favourite Radio and CBC Music radio frequencies across the country.
- The CBC Listen app is Dark Mode compatible on most devices.
FAQs
What mobile operating systems work best with the CBC Listen app?
App download success may also depend on your device's operating system.
What will happen to the CBC Radio and CBC Music apps?
What other features are coming?
How many tracks can I skip when listening to CBC Music Playlists?
Can I access CBC Listen content outside of Canada?
Why does CBC Listen request access to my device's files?
Will CBC Listen web and CBC Listen apps be synced (like my other streaming accounts)?
How do I enable CBC Listen to detect my location so that I can hear programming from my region?
Does the Bookmark feature mean I can listen to content when I am offline?
As a CBC Radio app user, will the content I saved in the My Radio view be ported over to CBC Listen?
What is the streaming rate of the CBC Listen app?
What mobile operating systems work best with Listen?
Listen apps work best on:
- iOS 12 and up
- Android 7.0 and up
App download success may also depend on your device’s operating system.
If you’re unable to access the Listen app, please check the operating system. Should an install still fail, please send the device type and operating system to our support team via cbclisten@cbc.ca
What happened to the CBC Radio and CBC Music apps?
The CBC Radio app has become CBC Listen. This means that the next time a CBC Radio user updates their app – boom! You’ll have CBC Listen on your mobile device.
CBC Music has been discontinued and is no longer supported for updates. No need for two apps when you have everything (and more!) all in one app.
When did CBC Listen launch?
The CBC Listen app launched in September 2019. It is available in Google Play and the App Store.
What other features are coming?
We will be working on:
- refined search (currently, you can search for content by section)
- recommendations
- improved conversational interfaces
How many tracks can I skip when listening to CBC Music Playlists?
CBC Music Playlists enables continuous play of curated music with up to 6 skips per hour. If you skip 6 tracks in an hour, rest-assured that the skip counter automatically resets when you reach the next hour.
Can I access CBC Listen content outside of Canada?
You will always be able to access Live Streams and our CBC Podcasts - wherever you are. Selected On Demand and all CBC Music Playlists are subject to geo-fencing due to rights management and can only be enjoyed in Canada. Most of your favourite previously-aired Radio One programs will be available for streaming.
Why does the CBC Listen app request access to my location? Will the app not work if I do not enable my device’s location detection?
Some CBC Listen content is accessible without sharing location. Notably, sharing location will allow CBC to auto-detect your region so that if you are in Canada, you can enjoy the free the Live Streams. If you choose to not share your location, you will see the default live Radio 1 (Ottawa) and CBC Music (Eastern) radio streams. If you would like to change your location, use the Region Selector.
We would like to assure you that we don't carry or hold granular location data. We receive city-level location data to deliver radio streams and recently aired shows in your area. We also have country-specific, rights restrictions on some content. If you would like to learn more, please visit: Personal Information and Privacy Act.
Why does CBC Listen request access to my device's files?
The purpose of the app asking for this permission is to enable the app to send downloadable podcasts to your device. Consider this a one-way action: CBC Listen can only send downloaded content to your device by your choosing; it cannot retrieve contacts, files or other content from your device. If you would like to learn more, please visit: Personal Information and Privacy Act.
Will CBC Listen web and CBC Listen apps be synced (like my other streaming accounts)?
At this time, the web and apps experience are independent of one another. We are working on ways to merge the experiences.
Where will I find Playlogs?
While you’re listening to a CBC Music show, simply tap the player so it displays the full screen view. Scroll down in the full screen player. You’ll see a playlogs selection in the view, tap this and you’ll be taken to the respective playlogs page in the app.
If you’re looking for a playlog for a previously-aired show, search for the show in the Live or On Demand sections. Tap on the show and browse the available playlogs by airdate. Once in the playlog, search for the respective time to land on the track you are looking for.
You can view the following video for detailed instructions on how to find CBC Music playlogs:
When I want to hear what’s live on the air in another Canadian region, how do I change the location in CBC Listen?
We want our listeners to be able to access Canadian content from anywhere across the country. There are two ways to do so:
Option 1 - Region Selector
-
When you are in the Live Radio section of CBC Listen, tap on the location displayed the Radio One or CBC Music program currently on the air
Hint: There a downward facing triangle to the right of the location name - Once tapped, you will be shown a new view of available stations
- Tap on the location or region of your choice
Option 2
- When you are in the Live Radio section of CBC Listen and have selected either Radio One or CBC Music, simply scroll down below the show currently airing
- Here you’ll see an ‘On Air’ section with a switch that you can tap to access ‘All Locations’
- Once switched on, you can scroll horizontally to see what’s playing across all of our regions
How do I enable CBC Listen to detect my location so that I can hear programming from my region?
The CBC Listen app relies on your device’s permission settings to access your location.
For Android Devices:
1. Go to Settings > Apps > CBC Listen > Permissions > Location > Allow only while using the app
For iOS Devices:
1. Go to Settings > CBC Listen > Location > While Using the App
Please note: Sometimes, the app assumes there is a "last pinged location" attached to the Location Service. So if your device has not been pinged for location (or enough time has passed since the last time) there would be no location logged into your device. Try using your maps app to locate you - then go back in the Listen app, the app then may pick up a location.
You can view the following video for detailed instructions on how to enable the CBC Listen App to detect your location:
Is the new Listen app streaming only? Or can I download shows onto my phone, like with the old Radio app?
The good news is CBC Podcasts are available for download and offline listening. Simply select a podcast episode and tap on the Download (downward arrow icon). To access, downloaded CBC Podcasts, tap on the profile icon (user silhouette) at the top right corner of the app. Here you will find any content you've Favourited, Bookmarked or Downloaded.
On Demand content will be available for download in the coming months in a forthcoming app update. Our team of designers and developers are already hard at work to bring this functionality to you very soon.
You can view the following video for detailed instructions on how to download CBC Podcasts:
Does the Bookmark feature mean I can listen to content when I am offline?
The Bookmark feature is intended to be used as a reminder for content you’d like to listen to at another time. Use the Download feature to listen to CBC Podcasts when you are not connected to a wifi or cellular network.
As a CBC Radio app user, will the content I saved in the My Radio view be ported over to CBC Listen?
Unfortunately, with the update, your saved items are no longer available. They were stored only in the app and are not recoverable. If you find a large data cache, we recommend deleting and reinstalling the app. This should clear the space taken by these files.
What is the streaming rate of the CBC Listen app?