How can we help?
Answers to the common questions are below. If yours isn’t here, write in and a person will reply, usually within two business days.
Contact us
It helps to include your device, its iOS, iPadOS, or macOS version, and the station you were listening to.
Getting started
What do I need to use Sputnik?
An Apple Music subscription, and an iPhone or iPad with iOS 26.1 or later, or a Mac with macOS 26.1 or later. Sputnik plays every song from Apple Music, so without a subscription it can show you what’s on but can’t play it.
I don’t have Apple Music. What happens when I pick a station?
Sputnik shows Apple’s own subscription sheet, with whatever offer Apple is running for your account. If you subscribe, the station starts as soon as the sheet closes.
Sputnik says it needs access to Apple Music.
Every song and every album cover in Sputnik comes from Apple Music, so it asks for access when you first open it. If you chose Don’t Allow, tap Open Settings on Sputnik’s screen, or go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Media & Apple Music and turn on Sputnik. Your stations appear as soon as you come back.
Do I need a satellite radio subscription?
No. Sputnik never streams a radio broadcast. It reads which songs each station has played and plays those songs from Apple Music.
Playback
Why did the song start in the middle?
Tuning in joins the station’s current song where the station is, like turning on a radio. If the song is nearly over, you join with about a minute left. After that, every song plays from the top.
Prefer to always hear songs from the beginning? Open Settings (the gear on the Favorites or Stations tab) and turn on Always start songs from the beginning.
Is Sputnik exactly in sync with the station?
Close, but a little behind on purpose. Station playlists are published a short time after each song airs, and Sputnik always lets a song finish rather than cutting it off when the station moves on. So it typically runs a minute or two behind the broadcast. If it ever falls more than a couple of songs behind, it skips ahead to stay close.
What plays during DJ breaks and ads?
When the station has nothing new yet, Sputnik plays a song the station aired in the last couple of hours that you haven’t heard this session. When the station’s next song comes in, Sputnik picks it up after the current one ends.
A song was skipped, or the station seems to have jumped ahead.
Occasionally a station plays something that isn’t in Apple Music, or isn’t available in your country. Sputnik skips it and moves on to the station’s next song.
How do I hear a song again?
On Now Playing, scroll up to see the station’s recent plays and tap any of them. You can also drag the scrubber back. Either way you’ve stepped off the live station. Skip forward, or let the song end, to rejoin it.
The Recent tab keeps every song you’ve heard in Sputnik, across all your stations. Tap one to play it.
I can’t find a station.
Use the Search tab to look up a station by name, genre, or channel number. Comedy and talk stations don’t appear, because they have no songs for Sputnik to play. A station you’ve starred is never hidden.
Favorites and likes
How do I add a station to Favorites?
Tap the star next to the station’s name on Now Playing. Starred stations appear in the Favorites tab, in the order you starred them, and at the top of the Stations list.
Where do liked songs go?
Tap the heart on a playing song. It appears in the Liked tab and in a playlist called Sputnik Liked Songs in your Apple Music library.
The playlist mirrors the Liked tab, so add and remove songs from Sputnik. Changes you make to the playlist in the Music app are replaced the next time your likes change. If you delete the playlist, Sputnik makes a fresh one.
My favorites and likes aren’t showing up on my other devices.
They sync through iCloud. Check that each device is signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud turned on, then give it a minute.
On a Mac, likes sync to your other devices but the Mac doesn’t update the Apple Music playlist itself. Your iPhone or iPad does that the next time your likes change there.
CarPlay and Siri
How do I use Sputnik in the car?
Connect your iPhone to CarPlay and open Sputnik on the car’s display. The Stations tab shows your last station, your favorites as album art, and every category of the dial. Sputnik never starts playing on its own when you connect.
What can I say to Siri?
“Hey Siri, play Sputnik” resumes your last station. To start a particular one, say its name: “Hey Siri, play station name on Sputnik.” Sputnik asks for Siri permission the first time you play a station. To change it later, go to Settings → Apps → Sputnik → Siri.
About Sputnik
Is Sputnik affiliated with SiriusXM?
No. Sputnik Radio is an independent app. It isn’t affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Sirius XM Radio Inc. Station names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Where does the now-playing information come from?
From XMPlaylist, an independent service that publishes what each station has played. Album art comes from Apple Music.
Does Sputnik collect my data?
No. There’s no account, no ads, and no tracking. See the privacy policy for the details.