1090 AM WBAL Radio 4+

I’ve used this app for years and for the most part it gets the job done. I’ve noticed over that last week for whatever reason the app now plays an intro clip when connecting to the stream which sometimes overlaps with the stream and causes it to stop. Also, now whenever I try to mute the app temporarily using the app’s mute button, or turn down your volume all the way the stream disconnects. I don’t know if this was part of a recent update but it is frustrating.

The WBAL app is one of the mainstays of streaming local radio. It’s been around for years, and has gone through a couple of complete overhauls in that time. Unfortunately, those overhauls have bern mostly cosmetic and maintenance in nature, and little has been added as far as post-2010 features short of adaptations for changing screen sizes and most recently, push notifications.

Sorely missing is CarPlay integration. How can an app from a station with the pedigree of WBAL go so long blatantly missing such a feature? The app developer, who has published apps for other stations, has integrated this feature (and others) into the other stations’ apps, yet WBAL’s iteration has gone without for years. I can only surmise that the reason is that WBAL has opted to not fund such an enhancement, which I credit has a huge oversight and crippling decision against the app’s potential.

Here’s hoping things change for the better and folks aren’t reading this review 3 years from now without seeing CarPlay and other enhancements to this deserving app.

Once again, the latest update causes the app to crash. Developers really need to test their updates better before they release them. Otherwise, when it's working it's great.