I am saddened to discover that the closure of the BBC’s iPlayer Radio app service leaves me, and thousands of other loyal listeners, unable to access its services on anything but the latest handheld devices. From this week, if you have an iPad that runs on a platform older than Apple’s iOS11, you will not only see the iPlayer service stop, but will find you are denied access to its replacement, BBC Sounds, because it will only work on the newest iOS software.
As a former reporter on Radio 4’s You & Yours, I am aware of the resentment many people have to any industry’s pressure on consumers to constantly upgrade and replace costly devices despite them functioning perfectly well. The BBC’s decision on the iPlayer Radio and Sounds apps will leave hundreds of thousands without access to its services. Sadly, the BBC has sided with the technology industry and ignored its own audience.
Rod Macrae
Watlington, Oxfordshire
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