Apple to Buy Radio App Swell for $30 Million

Apple, a tech giant known for its high-profile purchases, was noted for acquiring the radio application Swell, a platform often likened to ‘Pandora-for-talk-radio’. This information was corroborated by several seasoned insiders.

The acquisition, standing at an imposing $30 million, is in line with Apple’s ongoing trend of procuring content-centric applications. The list of such acquisitions includes Beats, that had a hefty valuation of $3 billion, and BookLamp, a service offering book recommendations, among others.

Swell successfully garnered an investment figure of $7.2 million from distinguished firms like DFJ, Google Ventures, and InterWest Partners. The platform offered an iOS application that amalgamated numerous podcasts and shows into customized streams for its user base.

Though Swell boasted a user-friendly design ideal for in-car listening and boasted a core of dedicated users, it faced challenges in establishing and preserving a widespread audience. As per the conditions of the deal, the Swell application was set to discontinue operations within the week.

Apple’s own podcast application remained relatively unpopular, with its rating in the App Store standing at a mere 1.5 out of 5. Contrastingly, Swell was in the process of beta-testing an Android application but it was never released to the public.

As a condition of the agreement, a portion of Swell’s personnel, including CEO Ram Ramkumar, formerly of the image-recognition startup SnapTell that Amazon acquired, are to join Apple’s team. As of late, commentary from both Apple and Ramkumar has been absent, with neither responding to requests for comment.

This article was updated in 2025 to reflect current trends and insights.