Radio Stream Not Playing? 10 Fixes That Usually Work
Last updated: 19 September 2026
When a station will not play, keeps stopping or sounds choppy, the cause is usually simple. Work through the checks below in order — they go from the quickest and most common to the less likely.
1. Give it a moment, then press Play again
Streams can take a few seconds to connect, and stations occasionally restart their servers or switch programmes. Wait ten seconds, press Pause, then press Play again. Many temporary hiccups clear up on their own.
2. Check that the station is actually online
Small stations, in particular, sometimes go offline for maintenance or when a volunteer is unavailable. Try a different station from the same country. If others play but one does not, the problem is almost certainly with that station, not your device. Come back later, or visit the station's own website (linked on its page) to see whether it has announced anything.
3. Test your internet connection
Open another website or video to confirm your connection is working. If you are on mobile data with a weak signal, move to a stronger spot or switch to Wi-Fi.
4. Reload the page and check your volume
Refresh the page and try again. Then check the basics: the volume slider on the station page, your device volume, whether the browser tab is muted (a speaker icon on the tab), and whether the right audio output — speakers, headphones or Bluetooth — is selected.
5. Try a different browser
Browsers support audio formats slightly differently. In particular, streams delivered as HLS
(a playlist ending in .m3u8) are played natively by some browsers but not others.
If a station will not start in one browser, try another — an up-to-date Chrome, Edge or Safari
is a good second choice.
6. Turn off ad blockers and privacy extensions temporarily
Some extensions block requests to unfamiliar servers, and a radio stream is exactly that: a connection to the broadcaster's own server. Pause the extension for this site and reload. If the station starts, add an exception for our site.
7. Check whether a VPN or proxy is involved
Because of music-licensing rules, some stations only stream to listeners in their home country. If you are abroad, or your VPN makes it look like you are, such a station may refuse the connection. Turning the VPN off (or choosing an exit in the station's home country) can help. Conversely, a VPN can also fix a connection problem caused by a restrictive network.
8. Update your browser and restart it
Outdated browsers can lack support for modern audio formats or secure connections. Install the latest update, restart the browser and try again.
9. Consider your network (work, school or public Wi-Fi)
Managed networks sometimes block streaming media or the unusual ports that some stations use. If radio works on your phone's mobile data but not on the office or school network, the network is the cause, and there is little you can do besides asking the administrator or using a different connection.
10. If it keeps buffering or cutting out
Constant stuttering usually means the stream needs more bandwidth than your connection is delivering at that moment. You can:
- choose a station with a lower bitrate (shown on each station's page);
- close other apps or tabs that are streaming or downloading;
- move closer to your Wi-Fi router or use a wired connection;
- see our data usage guide to understand how much bandwidth different bitrates need.
About secure connections. We list only stations that stream over HTTPS. That avoids a common problem on secure websites, where browsers refuse to play audio from a non-secure address. If you use a different radio site and its stations fail to start, this is a frequent reason.
Still stuck?
If a station has been silent for several days, tell us. Email the station name, its country and the page address through our contact page. It helps to mention your browser and device. For background on how streams work, read what internet radio is, or browse the frequently asked questions.