Stuck somewhere? Probably here.
Short answers to the things people ask most. If your question isn't on this page, see Contact.
Getting started
How do I install PoRaBar?
Open the Mac App Store, search for "PoRaBar", click Get. Or use the Download button on the homepage — it goes straight to the Mac App Store listing. Requires macOS 13 or newer.
Where does the icon appear after install?
In your menu bar, top-right of the screen, next to your battery and Wi-Fi icons. PoRaBar has no Dock icon by design (LSUIElement = true) — it's menu-bar-only.
The 60-day trial — is it really 60 days?
Yes. The full app, no nags. After 60 days playback is limited to 5 minutes per session until you unlock with the one-time $2.99 in-app purchase. Free updates within the major version after that.
The website demo
The demo plays radio — why do I need the Mac app then?
The browser demo is missing things only a native app can do: ICY in-stream metadata (real song titles for live radio), unlimited stations from radio-browser.info (the demo only includes 4 popular ones plus search), background playback when your browser is closed, media-key support, system Now Playing integration, and persistent favourites across reloads.
I clicked a station in search and got an "app only" toast.
That station only streams over HTTP. Browsers block mixed-content audio (HTTPS page playing HTTP audio), so it can't play here. The Mac app has no such restriction.
The "Top podcasts" section is empty for my country.
Only 6 countries are wired up in the demo (UK, US, NL, DE, FR, JP). The Mac app supports all 175 countries Apple lists.
Using the app
Where are my favourites and history stored?
In ~/Library/Application Support/PoRaBar. Nothing is ever uploaded to a PoRaBar server (there is no PoRaBar server). See Privacy for the full story.
How do I move my data to another Mac?
Copy the folder above to the same path on the new Mac before launching the app for the first time. Or use Migration Assistant — it does this automatically.
A radio stream stopped working.
Streams come and go. If a station is dead long-term, swap it out via Discovery — there are 50,000+ alternatives. If it's a station you added by URL, broadcasters sometimes change their stream endpoints.
Can I use PoRaBar without an internet connection?
Not really. Both internet radio and podcast episodes need the network. Downloaded episodes for offline listening aren't supported (yet).