It's been nearly a year since it was reported that the BBC Trust had backed plans to offer radio downloads through BBC iPlayer Radio – and those downloads now are on their way.
The official BBC Radio iPlayer Radio Twitter account has confirmed that the download service is "coming later this year", allowing you to listen to all your favourite radio shows offline.
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It's already possible to download TV shows for offline viewing via the BBC iPlayer app for both iOS and Android, but extending that to radio required BBC Trust and Ofcom approval.
That hurdle was cleared in May 2013, with the BBC revealing it would be making radio show downloads available this year – and that wait now appears to be coming to an end.
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An update to the iPlayer Radio app late last year already allows you to download podcasts for offline listening, including Screen 6... with Edith Bowman and Desert Island Discs.
We expect radio shows to be made available for download in a similar manner to TV programmes, although we'll bring you any further developments as they emerge.
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by Pete Hayman