Start with the Quick Listen Link shown in Overview in your VosCast account. Open it, press Play, and confirm that you hear your station. You can share this public listening page with your audience without sharing your account login or Broadcast password.
Listen in a browser
- Open the station's Quick Listen Link or website player page.
- Press Play. Opening a page does not necessarily start audio because browsers restrict automatic sound.
- Check the player volume, device volume and selected speakers or headphones.
- If playback fails, compare with the same station on a second device or another connection.
On a phone or tablet, follow our mobile listening guide for Safari, Chrome, Bluetooth and background-playback checks. A separate radio app is not required to use a working browser player.
Choose the correct listening address
These addresses serve different purposes:
- Quick Listen Link or website player page: a web page where listeners can press Play.
- Direct stream URL: the address delivering the station's audio, used by an embedded audio player or compatible media app.
- Playlist link: a small file containing a listening address; it may download or open a media player.
- Server status page: information about the server or stream. Its page address is not necessarily a playable audio URL.
If you run the station, use the Copy Stream URL control in your account's Overview where offered, then test the copied address. If it opens a status page rather than audio, ask support for the direct listener URL for your server. Keep the working address's port, path and any query parameters intact. Do not substitute the host and source port from Live broadcasting: those fields are for your encoder.
Share only public listening links. A listener does not need your Broadcast password, administrator password or VosCast login.
Put a player on your website
Use our HTML5 radio player guide for a player with the browser's audio controls. If your site uses WordPress, follow the WordPress player guide.
An HTTPS website needs a working HTTPS stream endpoint. Do not create one by changing http to https on an arbitrary stream URL: the hostname, server and port must support TLS. Use the supplied HTTPS listener address where available, or ask support which address is suitable for your account.
Keep a separate listening link beside your embedded player, then check the published page. If the direct stream plays but the website player does not, check its configured URL, HTTPS and supported audio format.
Use a desktop media player
A media player that supports your station's stream format can open its direct listener URL. Use the player's network-stream or URL-opening control and paste the complete address. A supported playlist file can also open the stream in a player associated with that file type.
If a link downloads a playlist instead of starting audio in the browser, open it in a compatible media player or return to the Quick Listen page. Downloading a playlist does not download the live programme.
About older Flash players
Older versions of this guide described Flash players, including Flash-based JW Player embeds. Adobe ended Flash support in 2020 and blocked Flash content in 2021. Replace an old Flash embed with the HTML5 player instructions above; installing Flash is not a current listening method.
If listeners still cannot hear the station
Check that hosted Auto DJ or your live encoder is actually on air. Then compare the Quick Listen page and direct stream on a second device. If the problem affects only one player, investigate that player's URL and format support; if it affects everyone, check the programme source and server connection.
Our buffering, dropout and silence guide follows these checks in more detail. When asking support for help, include the public listening URL, device, browser or player, and exact error. Keep passwords out of screenshots and logs.