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Smart Speakers & Voice Assistants

You don't need a radio to listen to Iowa Public Radio. Hear IPR News, IPR Classical and IPR Studio One at home or on the go through the voice assistant on your smart speaker or phone.

You can find our radio streams and podcasts with a growing list of devices. Whether you talk to Siri on your iPhone, iPad or Apple HomePod, chat with Alexa on an Amazon device or use Google Assistant on an enabled speaker or Android device, you can listen to your favorite IPR programs anywhere. Each brand's voice assistant has a different set of options available, so check below for the right commands for your devices. 

NOTE: If a command on one device isn't listed for another device, that device does not have an equivalent listening option.

Voice Commands to Stream Iowa Public Radio

Amazon Alexa:
"Alexa, play Iowa Public Radio News."
OR: "Alexa, play NPR." Then say your city or zip code.
OR: "Alexa, play Iowa Public Radio."

"Alexa, play Iowa Public Radio Classical."
OR: "Alexa, play Iowa Public Radio Classical from NPR."

"Alexa, play Iowa Public Radio Studio One."

"Alexa, play NPR One."

Apple iPhone & HomePod:
"Hey Siri, play Iowa Public Radio News."
"Hey Siri, play Iowa Public Radio Classical."
"Hey Siri, play Iowa Public Radio Studio One."
"Hey Siri, play the station NPR News – IPR News."

Google Assistant:
"OK Google, play WSUI."
"OK Google, play Iowa Public Radio Classical."
"OK Google, play Iowa Public Radio Studio One from TuneIn."
"OK Google, play NPR."

Voice Commands to Listen to IPR Podcasts

iPhone & Apple HomePod:
"Hey Siri, play the latest episode of River to River podcast."
"Hey Siri, play the latest episode of Talk of Iowa podcast."
"Hey Siri, play the latest episode of Here First podcast."
"Hey Siri, play the latest episode of Talk of Iowa Book Club podcast."
"Hey Siri, play the latest episode of Under the Golden Dome podcast."

Amazon Alexa:
"Alexa, play the latest episode of River to River podcast."
"Alexa, play the latest episode of Talk of Iowa podcast."
"Alexa, play the latest episode of Under the Golden Dome podcast."
"Alexa, play the latest episode of Caucus Land podcast."
"Alexa, play Here First on Apple podcasts."

Google Assistant:
"OK Google, play the latest episode of River to River podcast."
"OK Google, play the latest episode of Talk of Iowa podcast."
"OK Google, play the latest episode of Under the Golden Dome podcast."
"OK Google, play the latest episode of Caucus Land podcast."
"OK Google, play the latest episode of Here First podcast."

Frequently Asked Questions About Voice Assistant & Smart Speaker Commands


Why does my phone or smart speaker wake up when it hears someone say Alexa, OK Google, or Hey Siri?
Smart speakers and smartphones are broadly set to listen for and recognize any command of “Alexa, “OK (or Hey) Google” or “Hey Siri.” If your device hears a command from any audio source (other people in your house, an announcer on the TV or radio), that can trigger them to wake up or attempt to follow a command.

Will you offer other skills?
We continue to work to improve our smart speaker skills and offer the most useful option for you to listen. If you have suggestions for improvements, please email us and let us know!

I'm having issues getting your streams to play right through TuneIn using my Alexa devices. What can I do?
We aren't able to directly control your streaming experience using TuneIn and other platforms. If you're listening via your smart speakers using the TuneIn speaker commands and have an issue, we recommend you contact them directly. For best results, we recommend you use our IPR smart speaker commands for Alexa devices, as listed above.