27 Comments

Stream XM and Sirius To Your iPhone and iPod Touch – With a Little Help

January 7, 2008 by in Apple,Cool,Geeky with 27 Comments

Miffed that you can’t listen to online radio on your iPhone or iPod Touch? Well, with a little help from a Windows box you can listen to all the online radio you could ever want. Mind you – this can only happen on a Windows machine.

What you will need is:

You will first need to download and install the Orb server. During the install process you will need to create an Orb account.

Now, one the Orb install is done, download an install uXM (to the PC). Click on uXM’s or uSirius’a settings button and enter your email address (or username) and password you use to stream the satellite radio. Now click Start.

Once you have uXM/uSirius and Orb running on your PC – log into Orb.com on the PC you just install all the software on.

In the Orb website:

  • Click Open Application
  • Click Audio
  • Click Favorite Channels under Internet Radio
  • Click the ‘Add Custom’ link that is on the top of the new Internet Radio page.
  • Type in the XM/Sirius channel name – you want to listen to
  • Double click the uXM/uSirius logo in your PC’s system tray (next to the clock) and click the URLS button
  • Choose the satellite channel you want to stream from the pull down menu
  • Click the clipboard button
  • Return to the orb website and paste the URL in the URL field
  • Click save (Repeat as many times as you want for your favorite stations)

Now on your iPhone or iPod touch and go to Orb.com in mobile Safari and sign in.

  • Click Audio
  • Click Internet Radio Favorites
  • Click the channel icon for the channel you just saved
  • Click Play
  • Click the small play arrow in the lower right corner of the QT screen

Your stream should start. Kinda a neat hack if you have an extra Windows box kicking around. Thanks Kurt for the tip!


  • Rob D

    I have Sirius…I just listen to the stream off Sirius’s website on either a Windows or MacOS machine.

  • Kimbakat

    FOR MAC USERS!!!
    Why not use Parallels (windows emulator) on the Mac to do the same thing????

  • Kay

    Has anyone heard about FlyTunes? I read online that it gives you Internet radio on your iPhone & iPod Touch.

  • blastedontape

    you all are idiots with the exception of “KAY”. hes not talking about macs, hes talking about the IPOD TOUCH. yes we know who makes it, but its still a different OS dummy.

  • Frank Nappi

    I can only play about 5 seconds of any XM or Sirius station on my Ipod touch, it starts playing and cuts off. Any suggestions? Thanks.

  • JF Gilbert

    I do have the same problem !!! 2-5 seconds and bye bye, it’s gone. Arggghh

  • daed46

    i can only listen to my iphone for about 5 seconds

  • Adam

    The have the same problem as well…..about 2 to 5 sec

  • Drew2215

    Try changing the Speed setting on ORB on the iTouch to 130 KB/s I had the same problem and that worked for me.

  • jackritter

    you’re teasing me! 5 seconds and thats it? WTF?

  • jackritter

    I found the solution. Go to Orb settings on your touch and reduce the speed setting way down 135 kbs worked for me.

  • agnibharathi

    check this url http://forums.orb.com/viewtopic.php?t=9462 – Disconnecting frequently between PC with Orb & Iphone

    Hope this helps

  • Nick DeVivo

    FlyTunes is awesome if you do not have a Sirius Subscription. It works like a charm!

  • DAVID

    I read your comment on the few seconds of play on the internet stream of audio like xm radio, did u ever come up with a solution??

  • Drew2215

    This will help with the problem of it only playing for a few seconds.

    Try changing the Speed setting on ORB on the iTouch to 130 KB/s I had the same problem and that worked for me.

    If you have any problems I will try and give more details.

  • http://www.bordenca.com chris

    DREW2215 – Thanks! Changing the speed to 130KB/s worked! Howard is now streaming on my iPhone.

  • Scott

    I keep getting ‘this movie could not be played’, when trying to click on a stream from my iPod Touch? What am I doing wrong?

  • chris

    I am having the same problem as Scott. My Itouch says “loading movie” and then errors with “this movie could not be played”

    Settings on Itouch 130kbs

    Any suggestions for us?

    Thanks for your help in advance!

  • Clark

    I solved the problem I was having with the URL field. It is labled “Path”. After I pasted my selected satellite channel in the box labled Path, all worked beautifully!

    Thank you again for your detailed instructions for streaming XM satellite radio
    to my itouch!

    Clark
    rclarkdavis@att.net

  • Kyle

    I’ve done all the above changing speeds in both “speed” setting and “More” and i still only get between 10 secs to about 4 mins of streaming my sirius then it just quits. I’ve logged out or orb and logged back in same problem, anyone have any other tips?

  • nancie

    I stream Sirius radio from my Windows XP PC to my stereo receiver using AirFoil & AirFoil Speakers, an Airport Express with AirTunes, and an optical audio cable.

    Else we stream iTunes via the same wireless hardware above and control play with our iPhone and iPod Touch with the webapp “Remote” which is free from Apple.

    Easy Peasy.

  • rayshooks

    nicely done. i am streaming w/ little problem all my fav sirius stations on my iphone. i love this device!

  • Brian

    YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!

  • Eojgnib

    Make sure you use the mms url and not the http path. I was stupid and tried the http and got the movie could not be played error.

  • pmgreen

    I get a weird symbol, a triangle with a slash through it. Any ideas?

  • jack

    This is gold, god bless. Not that I beleive in god….anyway thanks.

  • matt

    I am trying to do this but i get a quicktime icon on the bottom of the radio icon when i click on the station. Can someone help me with this.

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