Firsthand — Support

Firsthand lets you hear radio broadcasts from around the world live, through receivers run by volunteers, and read them in your language. If something isn't working, or you have an idea, write to philipkohn@gmail.com. A person reads every message.

Common questions

Why can't I hear a station that's listed as on the air? Shortwave reception changes with the time of day, the season and the sun, so a station can be faint or silent on one receiver and clear on another. Tap one of the distance buttons between the station and the receiver to try another receiver. Schedules can also change at short notice.

A receiver says it is busy, needs a password, or doesn't allow apps. Each receiver belongs to its operator, who decides how many listeners it takes and whether apps may use it. Firsthand respects those choices and offers the next receiver instead.

Transcription or translation isn't working. In the Translate tab, tap the first button (it says Off) and choose the spoken language, or Auto-detect. If the app says the language is not loaded on this device, tap Load; a translation language may need Load too, and iOS then asks before it downloads. If iOS asks for speech recognition, allow it; if you said no earlier, turn it back on in iOS Settings under Privacy & Security, then Speech Recognition. Transcription works only for languages your device can recognise on its own, and translation only for languages iOS has downloaded. Radio audio can be noisy, and noise can turn into odd text, so treat the words as a guide.

Does Firsthand use my microphone or my location? No. It never uses the microphone or your location, and the developer collects no data. See the privacy policy below.

How do I delete my data? Everything Firsthand stores is on your device; deleting the app removes it. The developer holds no data about you.

I run a web receiver and would rather Firsthand didn't use it. Turn off app access in your receiver's settings; Firsthand respects that setting. Or write to the address above and it will be excluded in the next update.

Links