By AppHub Editorial Team · Updated August 3, 2026

Scanner Radio - Police Scanner

Scanner Radio - Police Scanner

4.7 ★
Downloads: 10,000,000+ Reviews: 487,000 Content Rating: Everyone
Scanner Radio - Police Scanner screenshot 1
Scanner Radio - Police Scanner screenshot 2
Scanner Radio - Police Scanner screenshot 3
Scanner Radio - Police Scanner screenshot 4
Scanner Radio - Police Scanner screenshot 5
Scanner Radio - Police Scanner screenshot 6

Overview

Category

News & Magazines

Developer

GordonEdwards.net LLC

Price

Free

Released On

Apr 25, 2010

Version

8.23.1

Requires Android

10

In-App Purchases

$2.99 - $49.99 per item

Contains Ads

No

Updated At

Apr 11, 2026

Features

Listen to live audio from over 8,000 fire and police scanners, NOAA weather radio stations, ham radio repeaters, air traffic (ATC), and marine radios from around the world. Turn on notifications to receive alerts anytime a scanner has more than 2500 listeners (to find out about major events and breaking news).

FEATURES

●View scanners located near you.
●View the top 50 scanners (those that have the most listeners).
●View scanners added most recently (new scanners are being added all the tim...

Listen to live audio from over 8,000 fire and police scanners, NOAA weather radio stations, ham radio repeaters, air traffic (ATC), and marine radios from around the world. Turn on notifications to receive alerts anytime a scanner has more than 2500 listeners (to find out about major events and breaking news). FEATURES

●View scanners located near you.
●View the top 50 scanners (those that have the most listeners).
●View scanners added most recently (new scanners are being added all the time).
●Add scanners you listen to the most to your Favorites for quick access.
●Browse the directory by location or genre (public safety, aviation, railroad, marine, weather, etc).
●Turn on notifications to be notified when major events are happening (details below).
●Add Scanner Radio widgets and shortcuts to your home screen for quick access. NOTIFICATION FEATURESReceive a notification anytime:
●... any scanner in the directory has more than 2500 listeners (configurable).
●... a scanner near you has more than a certain number of listeners.
●... a specific scanner has more than a certain number of listeners.
●... a Broadcastify alert is posted for one of your favorites.
●... a scanner near you is added to the directory. Using the notifications feature is a great way to find out about breaking news events before they're covered in the media. Below are the benefits of upgrading to Scanner Radio Pro:
●No ads.
●Access to all 7 theme colors.
●Ability to record what you're hearing. The audio you're able to hear is provided by volunteers (and, in many cases, police and fire departments and 911 dispatch centers themselves) for Broadcastify and a few other sites using real police scanners, ham radios, weather radios, aviation radios, and marine radios and is the same as what you'd hear using your own police scanner. Some of the more popular departments that you can listen to using the app include LAPD, Chicago Police, and Detroit Police. During hurricane season it can be useful to listen to ham radio "hurricane net" scanners which contain weather conditions and damage reports when hurricanes and tropical storms are approaching or making landfall as well as NOAA weather radio scanners. Browse the directory to find scanners from far away to hear what citizens in other parts of the country and the world are experiencing. Interested in providing scanner radio audio for your area? If so, you'll need a real scanner radio, a computer, and a cable to get the audio from the scanner to the computer. Once you have that, program the scanner to monitor what you'd like to make available from your area (police dispatch channels, fire departments, 911 centers, ham radio repeaters, a NOAA weather radio station, air traffic control, etc). If someone near you is providing a feed that contains both police and fire you could provide a feed that contains only police, only fire, or one that covers only certain districts/precincts. Next, go to Broadcastify's web site and click on the Broadcast button to sign-up (it's completely free) to provide scanner audio for your area. As a provider you'll have complete access to the audio archives for all of the scanners they host. Scanner Radio has been featured in:
●The "Amazing Android Apps for Dummies" book
●Android Police's "7 best police scanner apps" article
●Android Authority's "5 Best Police Scanner Apps for Android" article
●The Droid Guy's "7 Best Police Scanner Apps for Free on Android" article
●Make Tech Easier's "4 of the Best Police Scanner Apps for Android" articleThe Scanner Radio app is a perfect companion to the Watch Duty, Pulse Point, Mobile Patrol, and Citizen apps as well as weather, hurricane tracker, wildfire, and breaking news apps.

Download Scanner Radio - Police Scanner

Get the official app from the trusted app stores. You will be redirected to the download page.

↓ Download now

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Ratings breakdown

487,000 reviews
5★
86%
4★
8%
3★
3%
2★
1%
1★
2%

Developer contact

Name

GORDONEDWARDS.NET, LLC

Address

1968 S Coast Hwy Laguna Beach, CA 92651-3681 United States

Phone

+1 943-280-2905

Support

android-support@scannerradio.app

Privacy

View policy

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Scanner Radio free?
high

Yes, the app is free to download. It includes in-app purchases ranging from $2.99 to $49.99 per item, and a paid Pro version removes ads, unlocks all 7 theme colors, and enables recording.

Source: app_metadata, app_description

Can I listen to police and fire scanners from my area?
high

Yes. The app provides access to over 8,000 live audio feeds from fire and police scanners worldwide. You can view scanners located near you in the app's directory.

Source: app_description

Are there ads in Scanner Radio?
medium

The free version contains ads. According to recent user reviews (3-star and 1-star reviews from 2019 and 2020), ads can be intrusive, including unskippable full-screen ads that interrupt listening. The paid Pro version removes all ads.

Source: user_reviews, app_description

Can I record scanner audio?
high

Yes, recording is available as a feature in the paid Pro version of Scanner Radio.

Source: app_description

Does Scanner Radio work with Broadcastify?
high

Yes. The app uses audio feeds provided by volunteers through Broadcastify and other sites. You can also sign up as a feed provider on Broadcastify for free.

Source: app_description

How to Use

Listen to live audio from over 8,000 fire and police scanners, weather radios, ham radio repeaters, air traffic control, and marine radios worldwide. (app_description)

Getting Started

Source: app_description

  1. Download and install Scanner Radio from the Google Play Store.
  2. Open the app and allow notifications if you want alerts for breaking news events.
  3. Browse the directory by location or genre (e.g., public safety, aviation, weather).
  4. Tap on any scanner feed to start listening immediately.
  5. Add frequently listened-to scanners to your Favorites for quick access.

Key Features (from app listing)

Source: app_description

  • Listen to over 8,000 live audio feeds worldwide.
  • View scanners near your location.
  • View top 50 most popular scanners and newest additions.
  • Create a Favorites list for quick access.
  • Receive notifications when major events occur (configurable listener threshold).
  • Add widgets and shortcuts to your home screen.
  • Upgrade to Pro for no ads, 7 theme colors, and recording capability.
Pro Tip: If you are experiencing intrusive ads in the free version, consider upgrading to Scanner Radio Pro to remove all ads, unlock theme colors, and enable recording. This addresses verified user complaints about unskippable ads.

Based on two reviews (IDs 2 and 3) complaining about intrusive, unskippable ads. The app description confirms the Pro version removes ads.

How this content was created

Content type: pattern_analysis_of_user_reviews_and_metadata

AI generated: Yes

Data sources:
  • Google Play user reviews (5 (preferred 12-20) per app), July 29, 2019 to May 20, 2022
  • Google Play ratings distribution
  • App Store listing metadata
Limitations:
  • Review samples are not statistically representative of all user sentiment
  • Only one sampling bucket (recent_reviews) was available, limiting cross-bucket validation
  • Claims labeled 'low confidence' are based on single-review observations
  • No real-world app testing was conducted
  • Feature availability may vary by region, device, and app version

Pros & Cons

Based on analysis of Google Play user reviews

Pros

  • Intuitive interface with easy access to favorite channels and location-based search.

    Theme 'Ease of use' identified in recent_review #1 and #5

    Evidence (2)
    “It is intuitive to use, to set favorite channels, search by locations, that's great.”
    Rating: 2★ May 20, 2022 859 likes
    “It's easy to use, comes in loud and clear and even has an equalizer to adjust the sound to your liking.”
    Rating: 5★ September 21, 2019 530 likes
  • Excellent audio quality with features like an equalizer for sound adjustment.

    Theme 'Audio quality' identified in recent_review #5

    Evidence (1)
    “comes in loud and clear and even has an equalizer to adjust the sound to your liking.”
    Rating: 5★ September 21, 2019 530 likes
  • Wide selection of scanner feeds including police, fire, weather, and air traffic.

    Theme 'Feed variety' identified in app description and recent_review #5

    Evidence (1)
    “Listen to live audio from over 8,000 fire and police scanners, NOAA weather radio stations...”
    Rating: 5★ September 21, 2019 530 likes

Cons

  • Frequent disconnections and reconnections cause missed audio during critical moments.

    Theme 'Connection stability' identified in recent_review #1

    Evidence (1)
    “But all it does anymore is cut out and reconnect, frequently and for about 10 seconds each time.”
    Rating: 2★ May 20, 2022 859 likes
  • Intrusive full-screen ads interrupt listening and can be impossible to close.

    Theme 'Intrusive ads' identified in recent_review #2 and #3

    Evidence (2)
    “But they pop up in the middle of listening and that's an annoying as hell interruption!”
    Rating: 3★ July 29, 2019 293 likes
    “When I open the app it frequently begins an endless loop of full screen ads with no way to "x" out.”
    Rating: 1★ October 14, 2020 356 likes
  • App forces ad viewing for a set duration, disrupting the listening experience.

    Theme 'Forced ad viewing' identified in recent_review #2

    Evidence (1)
    “And the fact that you're forced to watch them for a specific amount of time is even more annoying!”
    Rating: 3★ July 29, 2019 293 likes

Recent Reviews

Kate Scarlett

2★

This app used to be great. It is intuitive to use, to set favorite channels, search by locations, that's great. But all it does anymore is cut out and reconnect, frequently and for about 10 seconds each time. It doesn't sound like much, but you're usually listening to a scanner when something is happening, so suddenly you have these pockets of dead "reconnecting" air where you're missing everything being said. Easier to stream directly from the website.

May 20, 2022 859 likes

A Google user

3★

Annoying since you added the ads in it. This app used to be the best scanner. But now you guys put ads in it. The ads would be fine if they didn't interrupt while listening! And the fact that you're forced to watch them for a specific amount of time is even more annoying! If you had the ads play when first opening the app then itd be fine. Or when first clicking a station, and when exiting that station. But they pop up in the middle of listening and that's an annoying as hell interruption!

July 29, 2019 293 likes

Keith Lohr

1★

An otherwise great app, ruined by ads. When I open the app it frequently begins an endless loop of full screen ads with no way to "x" out. A forced stop is the only way to end it, and by the time I get the app working I have missed whatever I wanted to listen to. It makes the app extremely frustrating, plus there is no chance I will buy a product or service from those advertisers. Seems like a lose-lose setup.

October 14, 2020 356 likes

Reynaldo Thurston

5★

It works fine, the ads aren't even that bad. I may get one full screen ad per 24hr period of using the app, which isn't as bad as some make the ad experience out to be. I personally opted for the paid version to support the developers since this is an app I've used the free version of for about five years. If you don't like the ads then pay 2.99 once and you won't see them anymore. Otherwise enjoy your free app and don't complain.

March 18, 2021 733 likes

A Google user

5★

Best scanner app there is. Feed providers aren't always around or can sometimes be unaware of feed problems. They can't monitor their feeds 24 -7, as they have lives too. I just take what I can get when I can, but once those feeds are streaming, there is no other app that compares to this one! It's easy to use, comes in loud and clear and even has an equalizer to adjust the sound to your liking. This is even on an old cheap $39.00 spare peice of junk Android linked to my WiFi.

September 21, 2019 530 likes
Read all reviews →