Reports of iTunes Radio Working in the U.K. After iPhone Restore

Over the past several months, iTunes users in the U.K. and several other countries have noticed the availability of the welcome screen of iTunes Radio on their devices, hinting at an upcoming release.

As of today, MacRumors has had a few reports from U.K. and Australian users that have been able to access and listen to iTunes Radio on their iPhones. While some MacRumors forum members in the U.K. have been able to access the service, others say that it is not yet available for them. Similar reports are coming in on Reddit and Twitter.

It appears that most of the users that are able to access and use iTunes Radio had recently wiped and restored their devices, which suggests that iTunes Radio may be accessible after an iPhone reactivates. MacRumors is not, however, recommending that users restore their devices, and it's not clear if this is a temporary glitch as Apple prepares for the U.K. launch.

itunesradiouk
Image courtesy of @Marcus1090

iTunes Radio, which was first announced in June at the Worldwide Developer's Conference and later became available in September alongside the launch of iOS 7, has thus far been limited to listeners in the United States.

In October, Bloomberg suggested Apple would expand the service to Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand by early 2014, but the service has remained limited to the U.S. throughout January. While some U.K. users receiving access after a restore could indicate an imminent release, a similar situation arose back in October with some users in Canada and the U.K. temporarily able to access the service.

According to Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services Eddy Cue, launching iTunes Radio worldwide is a top priority for the company, with Apple ultimately aiming to have the service "in more than 100 countries."

(Thanks, @Marcus1090!)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

iPhone 17 Pro: 5 Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 1, 2025 4:35 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series this month, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming to...
xiaomi apple ad india

Apple and Samsung Push Back Against Xiaomi's Bold India Ads

Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging." Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
iOS 18 on iPhone Arrow Down

Apple Preparing iOS 18.7 for iPhones as iOS 26 Release Date Nears

Sunday August 31, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs. We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else. iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...

Top Rated Comments

OLDCODGER Avatar
152 months ago
Judging by the image, it's not worth the bother.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
152 months ago
nada in Germany either. but im not surprised with our lovely GEMA. oh well back to my US Account.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
schappim Avatar
152 months ago
Unable to replicate

I'm in Sydney, Australia and have been unable to replicate this on my iPhone 5S running iOS 7 nor my iPad Mini also running iOS 7.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StuddedLeather Avatar
152 months ago
Nice!

Also +1 for Gaga ;)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mike MA Avatar
151 months ago
nada in Germany either. but im not surprised with our lovely GEMA. oh well back to my US Account.

Like iTunes movies in the cloud, TV shows in the cloud, two step verification, a lot of Apple TV content and so on...either we get it late like iTunes Match or never :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
springsup Avatar
152 months ago
nada in Germany either. but im not surprised with our lovely GEMA. oh well back to my US Account.
Thank you for nothing GEMA.
GEMA are awful, it's agreed.

----------

I don't know anyone that has even heard of iTunes radio here in the UK let alone iTunes match.

Apple really are behind in streaming.

Especially since Spotify on Mobile in now free (shuffled playlists not on-demand) so that effectively replicates iTunes Radio.

Aside from the iTunes vouchers i get for christmas presents i can't remember the last time i spent money on the iTunes store.
...maybe because iTunes Radio doesn't exist in the UK yet?

When it launches, iTR will be a hit. People who listen to lots of music went to Spotify a long time ago, but the Mums&Dads who only listen occasionally are a big part of the market and are up for grabs.

To that end, having a streaming service built right in to the Music app is going to help them massively. Those people will just tap 'Music', type in some music they like, and stuff will start playing. That's a huge win for Apple over Spotify. Apple are lucky they don't have a monopoly in the smartphone space, or this wouldn't be possible (in the same way Microsoft bundling IE with Windows was deemed anticompetitive).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)