Radios de Bolivia

The app starts with a list, not a welcome screen

Open the app and you see a grid of radio stations. No tutorial, no intro, no account creation. Just a scrollable list of Bolivian FM and AM stations. The interface is clean but basic. The top bar has a search icon, a heart icon for favorites, and a three-dot menu. The menu contains the sleep timer, dark mode toggle, and recorder. That is the entire app. No splash screen, no loading animation, no onboarding flow. The app assumes you already know what you want. This is a clear design choice: function over form. For users who expect a polished experience, the app feels dated. The grid layout uses small station logos, and the text is readable but not visually striking. The app does not waste time on aesthetics.

Select a station and the player screen appears. The station name shows at the top. A large play button sits in the center. Below it, a progress bar shows the stream duration. The player controls are minimal: play, pause, and a stop button. The app does not display album art or song metadata. It does not show the current program schedule. The player is purely functional. This is a radio app, not a media player. The focus is on delivering the audio stream, not on visual embellishments. The app streams over your internet connection, so a stable Wi-Fi or mobile data connection is required. The app does not cache streams, so every listen starts fresh.

The recorder and sleep timer work together

The recorder feature is tucked inside the three-dot menu. Tap it and a red record button appears. Start recording and the app captures the audio stream directly. The recording saves to your device's internal storage. The app does not ask for storage permissions upfront, but it will prompt you when you first use the recorder. The sleep timer is also in the menu. Set it for 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. The app will stop playback and close the stream after the timer ends. These two features work well together. You can set the sleep timer to record a program that starts later, but the app does not support scheduled recording. You cannot set it to start recording at a specific time. That limitation is a missed opportunity.

Imagine this scenario: you want to record a morning news program that starts at 7 AM. You would need to open the app at 7 AM, start the stream, and hit record manually. The app does not offer an automated solution. This is where the app's simplicity becomes a drawback. For casual listeners, the manual approach is fine. For power users who want to archive programs, it is a frustration. The app also does not support background recording. If you switch to another app, the recording continues, but you cannot use other apps while recording without the stream cutting out intermittently. The app's performance depends on your device's RAM and network stability.

Comparing the app to generic radio players

Generic radio apps like TuneIn or Radio FM offer thousands of stations worldwide. They include features like station discovery, curated playlists, and podcast support. Radios de Bolivia does none of that. It is a narrow, focused app. It only includes Bolivian stations. This is a strength for its target audience. Bolivians living abroad can find their local stations quickly without scrolling through a global list. The app includes major stations like Radio Panamericana, Radio Fides, Radio Disney Bolivia, ATB Digital, Radio Chacaltaya, and Radio Melodía. The station list is curated, not crowdsourced. This means the app is reliable, but it may not include every small community station.

The app also includes in-app purchases. SensorTower reports that the app offers purchases up to $4.49 per item. The exact nature of these purchases is unclear. The app is free to download, but some features may require payment. The Play Store page does not mention any premium features, so the purchases are likely for removing ads or unlocking additional stations. The app is ad-supported, according to AppGoblin, which estimates that 58% of the app's revenue comes from ads and 42% from in-app purchases. This means you will see ads while using the free version. The ads are not intrusive, but they are present.

The dark mode and the 9.9 MB footprint

The dark mode is a simple toggle. Enable it and the background turns black, the text turns white. This is useful for nighttime listening. The dark mode does not affect the player screen, only the station list. The app's size is 9.9 MB, according to APKPure. That is small for a radio app. For comparison, TuneIn is over 30 MB, and Radio FM is around 20 MB. The small size means the app is lightweight and runs well on older devices. The app requires Android 6.0 or higher, which covers devices from 2015 onwards. The app does not consume much storage or memory. It does not run background services when not in use. The app's performance is stable, but some users may experience buffering if their internet connection is slow.

The app's privacy policy is not clearly stated. The Exodus Privacy report for a similar app (com.vbapps.radiosdebolivia) shows five trackers: advertisement, crash reporting, analytics, and location. The specific app in this audit may have similar trackers. The app shares location data and app activity with third parties, according to the Play Store's data safety section. Data is encrypted in transit, but users cannot delete their data. This is a privacy concern for users who value their personal information. The app's developer, Luis Angel Villanueva Reyes, is based in Peru, according to the Play Store listing. The app is not affiliated with any official Bolivian broadcasting organization. It is a third-party app that aggregates publicly available streams.

The changelog is missing, but the updates are minor

The app's version history shows updates in October 2025 and August 2025. The changelog for version 6.0 simply says "Minor bug fixes and improvements." The same generic message appears for version 5.9.3 and 5.8.0.1. The developer does not provide specific details about what changed. This is common for radio apps, but it makes it difficult to know if critical issues have been addressed. The lack of transparency is a drawback. The app's last update was October 6, 2025, which is relatively recent. The app is actively maintained, but the updates are not substantial. The app's core functionality has remained unchanged for years. The station list is updated periodically, but the app itself is static.

The app's permissions are not listed on the Play Store page. However, based on similar apps, the app likely requests internet access, network state, and storage access. The internet permission is required for streaming. The storage permission is needed for recording. The app does not request location permissions, but the data safety section says location data is shared with third parties. This is contradictory. Users should be cautious about the app's data practices. The app does not have a dedicated website or support portal. The developer's email is [email protected], but there is no active support channel. Users who encounter issues have limited recourse.

The 200+ stations and the 50,000 installs

The app has been downloaded over 50,000 times, according to androidrank.org. It has 795 ratings with an average of 3.78 out of 5. This is a moderate rating. The app is not the most popular radio app in Bolivia, but it has a loyal user base. The app's install count suggests it is functional and meets the needs of its users. The app's rating is lower than some competitors, but it is not terrible. The app's strengths are its simplicity and its focus on Bolivian stations. Its weaknesses are its lack of features, its privacy concerns, and its generic updates. The app is a tool, not a destination.

The 50,000 installs and the 3.78 rating

The app has been downloaded over 50,000 times, according to androidrank.org. It has 795 ratings with an average of 3.78 out of 5. This is a moderate rating. The app is not the most popular radio app in Bolivia, but it has a loyal user base. The app's install count suggests it is functional and meets the needs of its users. The app's rating is lower than some competitors, but it is not terrible. The app's strengths are its simplicity and its focus on Bolivian stations. Its weaknesses are its lack of features, its privacy concerns, and its generic updates. The app is a tool, not a destination.