SiriusXM app review: an audio streaming service with something for everyone

SiriusXM app: Two-minute review

Mention SiriusXM and most people think of the service that uses satellites to beam hundreds of music, talk, comedy, news, and sports radio stations to automobiles. That service has become popular for several reasons. First, traditional (i.e., terrestrial AM/FM) radio isn’t what it used to be. Second, for many in rural areas, the ability to receive terrestrial station signals can be limited.

However, there is a SiriusXM internet-based mobile app that delivers virtually all of the content found on the satellite service. While that typically requires a line of site between the automobile and the satellite to work, like the best music streaming services, the SiriusXM app only requires a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. It will work on your iOS or Android-based phone or tablet and is also supported by many of the best TVs, the best streaming devices, and the best wireless speakers from brands such as Sonos and Bose. The app’s content can also be accessed on a computer web browser. SiriusXM’s app has you covered whether you are home, outside exercising, in your car, or anywhere else where you can access the internet.

The SiriusXM app’s All Access” $9.99 per month subscription plan includes an astonishing amount of content that is sure to provide something for everyone. It features over 425 streaming stations and thousands of podcasts courtesy of Pandora, which is owned by SiriusXM. As discussed below, there’s also exclusive content, the crowning jewel of which is The Howard Stern Show and its related programming.

Unlike streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Qobuz, and Tidal, the SiriusXM app does not support the playback of specific music tracks or the creation of track-specific music playlists. (Users can train the app through thumbs up and down icons to play the type of music that they like, however.) Also, some of the music channels can get a bit repetitive and the sound quality won’t satisfy those using expensive, audiophile playback gear. Still, with the enormous amount of content available on the app, all of which is served up via a slick interface, we think the only problem will be deciding what to listen to and watch.

SiriusXM app review: Pricing and subscription

• $9.99 per month
• Three-month free trial 
• No free ad-based tier

A SiriusXM app All Access subscription plan costs $9.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. It provides access to over 425 channels of ad-free music, news, talk, comedy, and sports. Also included are the Howard Stern channels, video, sports talk, live sports coverage, artist stations, Pandora podcasts, and exclusive in-studio content.

If you want also to receive SiriusXM satellite radio for your car, numerous plans start at $16.98 per month. Details about those plans are available on SiriusXM’s website.

As with competitors like Apple Music, there's no free ad-based tier for any SiriusXM subscription plan. Nor is there a comprehensive family plan, although there is a discount for each additional subscription within the family. Students can get the All Access plan for $4 per month. Also, a three-month free trial for All Access will let you determine if it is right for you.

SiriusXM app review: Specs

SiriusXM app review: Content

• Over 425 diverse audio channels, plus video
• Includes ad-free music and live-action sports
• Pandora podcasts

The content library available with the SiriusXM app’s All Access subscription plan is, to say the least, extremely vast. For example, if you’ve come to the SiriusXM app for music, there are plenty of ad-free music stations ranging from SiriusXM Hits 1 (pop hits from Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, etc.) to Oldies Party (The Supremes, Elvis Presley, etc.) and Miles Davis Radio (24/7 Miles Davis music).

Though the tracks on some of the app’s music stations can sometimes be repetitive, there’s always another interesting station or special event to tune in to. For example, SiriusXM’s Billy Joel Channel is currently broadcasting that artist’s final show from his ten-year Madison Square Garden residency.

Speaking of concerts, one fun thing about the SiriusXM app is the weekly giveaways. Some of the giveaways are tickets to see an artist at a venue near the entrant’s home. Others throw in an all-expenses paid trip to see an artist at a venue far away, such as Taylor Swift performing in Miami, Florida during her Eras tour.

For talk and entertainment fans, the elephant in the room is SiriusXM’s exclusive arrangement with talk host Howard Stern, who has two channels on the platform. Howard 100 broadcasts his show live and then repeats them until the next live show airs, while Howard 101 broadcasts a supplemental “wrap-up show,” archived Stern content, special features, and video clips recorded in Stern’s SiriusXM studio. Other interesting talk and entertainment channels include Business Radio (business, money, and life) and Crime Junkie Radio (24/7 true crime).

If you like sports, there is not only talk and analysis, but extensive play-by-play game coverage. ESPN Radio (sports talk and big games), SiriusXM College Sports Radio, and SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio (live tour coverage and talk) are just a few available stations. And there are also sports giveaway contests, such as VIP tickets to see the New York Jets play at their training camp.

Those seeking comedy on the SiriusXM app will want to check out Comedy Central Radio, Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Radio, Raw Comedy (uncensored), Pure Comedy (comedy for the entire family), and Comedy Classics. Yet another recent SiriusXM giveaway contest: an all-expense-paid trip to see Kevin Hart in Los Angeles. News junkies, meanwhile, will appreciate stations from the BBC, CNN, NPR, Fox News, and C-Span, among many others.

There are also several off-the-beaten-path channels on the app. These include Mental Health Radio (by NYU’s Langone Health), Road Dog Trucking (all things relating to the trucking industry), and Rural Radio (agricultural and other issues affecting rural America and Canada).

There’s also plenty of exclusive content to check out beyond Howard Stern such as music stations DJ’d by artists and celebrities and audio and video clips of interviews and musical performances recorded in SiriusXM’s studios. Recent videos that the app suggested for me included interviews of actor Matt Damon, comedian Will Arnet, musician Nelly Furtado, and actress Jamie Lee Curtis. Also recommended were musical performances by Upsahl and Common and Pete Rock, as well as several comedy clips by Jeff Lewis.

If all of the above were already not enough, the All Access plan also includes the full library of Pandora’s podcast stations.

SiriusXM app review: Apps and compatibility

• Slick and attractive design
• Smart channel surfing and playback features
• No specific track playback, but app learns what you like

I very much enjoyed using the SiriusXM app, which is continually updated and improved and is available for iOS and Android devices, smart TVs, and streaming devices from Apple, Roku, Amazon, and Google. It looks great, is user-friendly, and works well.

The app has three main tabs. Discover is broken down by content type and is where user-specific recommended content, including daily “morning picks” are displayed. The Discover tab is also where frequently and recently listened to channels are located.

Search allows for app-wide content searches and also displays trending and popular searches. Library is where you will find your designated favorite channels (including artist channels) and downloaded content. (You can locally download content that does not contain music.) Another Library tab feature is the ability for sports fans to add favorite teams so they can quickly access team-related information, programming, and contests.

The app does not allow users to search for and play a specific music track or create track-specific playlists as you can with Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and other services, though there is the ability to create what SiriusXM calls “artist-based” stations. To find such a station, just search for an artist in the app and a relevant station will typically appear in the search results. You can then train the app to better play more of what you like by selecting a thumbs-up or thumbs-down icon for each track played on that station.

A channel may play live and/or recorded content. Under one of the app’s default settings, “TuneStart,” music starts at the beginning of a track. This feature, which can also be disabled, facilitates channel surfing since you won’t call up a channel only to hear the end of the track.

The SiriusXM app generally lets users “skip” up to six times per hour for preprogrammed music and comedy channels. Outside of these channel types, skipping is not permitted on some channels and is unlimited on others.

SiriusXM app review: Sound and Video Quality

• Sound quality gets the job done
• No high-resolution or spatial audio
• Video looks great

The SiriusXM app offers Normal, High, and Maximum streaming quality settings for both audio and video. No technical specifications for compression format, bit rate, etc. are given for these classifications. Indeed, sample streams on Tidal and Qobuz, and Apple Music’s ALAC (lossless) files typically sounded better than streams over SiriusXM when I made listening comparisons. There are also no options for high-resolution audio or Atmos/spatial audio.

For video, moving from the app’s Normal to Maximum settings on my iPhone 14 Pro Max didn’t appreciably improve picture quality, even in full-screen mode – sharpness and color accuracy were great at all settings. It’s possible, however, that the Normal setting will be the best option for a stable stream if your cellular reception is poor.

Bottom line: For most people, the quality of the SiriusXM app’s audio and video streams will be more than adequate.

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