Is there a way to make Siri play BBC radio stations?

Solution 1:

Long story short I don't think there is an official way at the moment.

Third-party developers like the BBC can add support for Siri to their apps now, but that is only allowed for certain use cases, and streaming radio stations doesn't seem to fit into any of them. The closest option is the CarPlay option, but that would only be useful to you while you were in the car and if your car supported CarPlay. People have asked the BBC in the past whether they plan to support CarPlay, but the BBC didn't respond.

List of allowed use cases for SiriKit from Apple's Developer site:

• VoIP Calling - Initiate calls and search the user's call history.
• Messaging - Send messages and search the user's received messages.
• Payments - Send payments between users or pay bills.
• Lists and Notes - Create and manage notes and to-do list items.
• Visual Codes - Convey contact and payment information using Quick Response (QR) codes.
• Photos - Search for and display photos.
• Workouts - Start, end, and manage fitness routines.
• Ride Booking - Book rides and report their status.
• Car Commands - Manage vehicle door locks and get the vehicle's status.
• CarPlay - Interact with a vehicle's CarPlay system.
• Restaurant Reservations - Create and manage restaurant reservations with help from the Maps app.

Solution 2:

https://9to5mac.com/2017/10/17/bbc-iplayer-radio-carplay/

bbc announces CAR PLAY integration but only UK now

Solution 3:

Using the URLs on this page, it is possible to create a Siri Shortcut that opens an m3u url directly, passes it to Safari, and starts playing!

• Copy the mp3 URL that you want using the link mentioned.

  BBC Radio 1 http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_one.m3u8

  BBC Radio 1Xtra http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_1xtra.m3u8

  BBC Radio 2 http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_two.m3u8

  BBC Radio 3 http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_three.m3u8

  BBC Radio 4 http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_fourfm.m3u8

  BBC Radio 4LW http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_fourlw.m3u8

  BBC Radio 4 Extra http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_four_extra.m3u8

  BBC Radio 5 Live http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_five_live.m3u8

  BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_radio_five_live_sports_extra.m3u8

  BBC Radio 6 Music http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_6music.m3u8

  BBC Asian Network http://a.files.bbci.co.uk/media/live/manifesto/audio/simulcast/hls/uk/sbr_high/ak/bbc_asian_network.m3u8

• Open the Shortcuts app in iOS 12

• Create a new shortcut

• Add a URL action

  

• Paste the URL into the space below the action

• Add 'Open URLs" action

  

• Tap the little settings icon in the top right, then tap Add to Siri

  

• Record a Siri command, e.g. "Radio 4"

  

• Tap Done