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Pocket Casts - Podcast Player
Podcast Media LLC
Pocket Casts is the world's most powerful podcast platform
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Featured on Best 10 Apps for Listening to Podcasts
Pocket Casts is the world's most powerful podcast platform
see more about Pocket Casts - Podcast Player
About Pocket Casts - Podcast Player
Pocket Casts is the world's most powerful podcast platform, an app by listeners, for listeners. Our podcast player provides next-level listening, search and discovery tools. Find your next obsession with our hand curated podcast recommendations for easy discovery, and seamlessly enjoy your favorite shows without the hassle of subscribing.
Here’s what the press has to say:
Android Central: “Pocket Casts is the best podcast app for Android”
The Verge: “The best podcast app for Android”
Named Google Play Top Developer, Google Play Editors’ Choice, and recipient of the Google Material Design Award.
Still not convinced? Allow us to walk you through some of our features:
BEST IN SHOW
Material design: Your podcasts have never looked so beautiful, colors change to complement podcast artwork
Themes: Whether you're a dark or light theme person we've got you covered. We even have you OLED lovers covered with our Extra Dark theme.
Everywhere: Android Auto, Chromecast, Alexa and Sonos. Listen to your podcasts in more places than ever before.
POWERFUL PLAYBACK
Up next: Automatically build a playback queue from your favorite shows. Sign in and have that Up Next queue sync to all your devices.
Trim silence: Cut silences from episodes so you finish them faster, saving hours.
Variable speed: Change the play speed from anywhere between 0.5 to 3x.
Volume boost: Increase the volume of voices, while decreasing background noise.
Stream: Play episodes on the fly.
Chapters: Jump between chapters easily, and enjoy embedded artwork that the author has added (we support MP3 and M4A chapter formats).
Audio & video: Play all of your favorite episodes, toggle video to audio.
Skip playback: Skip episode intros, jump through episodes with custom skip intervals.
Android Wear: Control playback from your wrist.
Sleep timer: We'll pause your episode so you can rest your weary head.
Chromecast: Cast episodes straight to your TV with a single tap.
Sonos: Browse and play your podcast collection directly from the Sonos app.
Android Auto: browse your podcasts and filters to find an interesting episode, then control playback. All without ever touching your phone.
SMART TOOLS
Sync: Subscriptions, Up Next, listening history, playback and filters are all securely stored in the cloud. You can pick up where you left off on another device and even the web.
Refresh: Let our servers check for new episodes, so you can get on with your day.
Notifications: We'll let you know when new episodes arrive, if you like.
Auto download: Automatically download episodes for offline playback.
Filters: Custom filters will organize your episodes.
Storage: All the tools you need to keep your podcasts tamed.
ALL YOUR FAVORITES
Discover: Subscribe to any podcast in iTunes and more. Browse by charts, networks and categories.
Share: Spread the word with podcast and episode sharing.
OPML: Jump on board without any hassle with OPML import. Export your collection at any time.
There are many more powerful, straight-forward features that make Pocket Casts the perfect podcasting app for you. So what are you waiting for?
Visit pocketcasts.com for more info about the web and other platforms supported by Pocket Casts.
Here’s what the press has to say:
Android Central: “Pocket Casts is the best podcast app for Android”
The Verge: “The best podcast app for Android”
Named Google Play Top Developer, Google Play Editors’ Choice, and recipient of the Google Material Design Award.
Still not convinced? Allow us to walk you through some of our features:
BEST IN SHOW
Material design: Your podcasts have never looked so beautiful, colors change to complement podcast artwork
Themes: Whether you're a dark or light theme person we've got you covered. We even have you OLED lovers covered with our Extra Dark theme.
Everywhere: Android Auto, Chromecast, Alexa and Sonos. Listen to your podcasts in more places than ever before.
POWERFUL PLAYBACK
Up next: Automatically build a playback queue from your favorite shows. Sign in and have that Up Next queue sync to all your devices.
Trim silence: Cut silences from episodes so you finish them faster, saving hours.
Variable speed: Change the play speed from anywhere between 0.5 to 3x.
Volume boost: Increase the volume of voices, while decreasing background noise.
Stream: Play episodes on the fly.
Chapters: Jump between chapters easily, and enjoy embedded artwork that the author has added (we support MP3 and M4A chapter formats).
Audio & video: Play all of your favorite episodes, toggle video to audio.
Skip playback: Skip episode intros, jump through episodes with custom skip intervals.
Android Wear: Control playback from your wrist.
Sleep timer: We'll pause your episode so you can rest your weary head.
Chromecast: Cast episodes straight to your TV with a single tap.
Sonos: Browse and play your podcast collection directly from the Sonos app.
Android Auto: browse your podcasts and filters to find an interesting episode, then control playback. All without ever touching your phone.
SMART TOOLS
Sync: Subscriptions, Up Next, listening history, playback and filters are all securely stored in the cloud. You can pick up where you left off on another device and even the web.
Refresh: Let our servers check for new episodes, so you can get on with your day.
Notifications: We'll let you know when new episodes arrive, if you like.
Auto download: Automatically download episodes for offline playback.
Filters: Custom filters will organize your episodes.
Storage: All the tools you need to keep your podcasts tamed.
ALL YOUR FAVORITES
Discover: Subscribe to any podcast in iTunes and more. Browse by charts, networks and categories.
Share: Spread the word with podcast and episode sharing.
OPML: Jump on board without any hassle with OPML import. Export your collection at any time.
There are many more powerful, straight-forward features that make Pocket Casts the perfect podcasting app for you. So what are you waiting for?
Visit pocketcasts.com for more info about the web and other platforms supported by Pocket Casts.
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Oct 24, 2020 I paid for premium quite a few years ago and loved the app. I've been using other podcast apps for a bit but recently came back to Pocket casts. It works well, I can connect easily to my Google Nests / Home with no issues. Pocket Casts has all my favourite podcasts, plus new ones I keep finding, there's also quite a bit of niche podcasts as well. Great app.more -
Look beyond the Apple store average and give Pocket Cast a look...you will not be disappointed!
Dec 13, 2019 I have been an Audible junkie for the past 5 years and just started listening to Podcasts about 6 months ago. I have literally tried most of the podcast apps (The Podcast App, Overcast, Castbox, Podbean, Himalaya, Breaker and Castro) in search of the best podcast app. To be honest, I did not try Pocket Casts because of the low rating on Apple App Store. I downloaded the Pocket Cast app the other day and think they have one of the best (if not the best) user interface of any podcast app I have tried with the best functionality. The interface is smooth, they have very playback effect available (speed control, trim the silence and volume boost), an easy to access notes section that gives you the option to jump to a certain section of the podcast if available, and a nice way to organize the podcasts you subscribe to (although Castbox give the greatest control). In addition, you can stream via Chromecast (not all apps provide this) and a really nice iPad app that syncs nicely with you iPhone app. This is really a great app! Look past the overall score of this app on the Apple store and give this app a look. You will not regret it!more -
I’m sad that I have to switch to another app
May 21, 2020 I’ve been using that app for well over two years. Since then, it’s been my go to for podcasts because it has a great interface and is easy to use. However, I don’t know why but I’ve been having so many problems with it lately. The main one is that podcasts won’t load. I don’t always have space on my phone to download my podcasts since I take a lot of photos and video on a day to day basis, meaning I stream a lot of my content. For some reason, I always have problems with podcasts from this app recently. It’ll load a couple of seconds, then it will refuse to play anything for a while, then all of a sudden it’ll start working again. It’s not like I’m losing internet connection, as it will even happen on WiFi. Sometimes it’ll even do it with downloaded podcasts. Then I have even more problems with CarPlay. If I plug my phone in to use pocket casts, sometimes it’ll just completely freeze everything on my phone until I unplug and restart my phone. It’s only with this app. That all being said, I still enjoyed my time with this app and I loved its simplicity, which is why I’m sad to see it go now that I’m switching to another app that doesn’t give me these problems. I’ll come back eventually if these bugs get fixed. Till then, so long my friend.more -
Oct 20, 2020 This is one of the coolest podcast app that I have come across to date. I can "star" a podcast that I would like to download in the future, and (like any podcast app), I can also search for my favourite podcasts, which are arranged in different subject matter. What I also like about this app, and that is it does not use any third-party app. With so many podcast apps out there, I think this one beats the lot.more -
Oct 21, 2020 Update: glitch was fixed. It was not a battery issue. App is back to working as expected, which is quite well. 🙂 Previous: Was a very servicable podcast player until today. With the newest update, the pod cast randomly stops play after a minute or two. If I pick up up my phone it might start playing again. Glitch??more
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Oct 15, 2020 I'm so sad. I've used (and loved) Pocket Casts for years. But after the recent update, I get constant buffering and lagging even with downloaded episodes. Also, the buffering episodes day they are streaming when they're not supposed to be. It makes me wonder if they actually are downloading or if it's now streaming everything regardless. It's frustrating and I'm getting ready to switch to a different player.more -
Bad update, unprofessional response
Mar 10, 2019 I was glad to find Pocket Casts at first. It was a decent cross-platform app, with a couple weird quirks, but the best option for me. I opted into the beta and wasn’t as fond of it, but decided to give it some time for me to adjust and explore. Some basic, useful features were lacking or implemented strangely and the UI change was a huge step back, considerably less intuitive. Unfortunately, they didn’t really improve on any of these problems for the release despite feedback from users. I know it’s impossible to give every user what they want. Plus, so many users are too entitled and demanding. That doesn’t warrant not listening to them at all, or responding flippantly and condescendingly to feedback. Many of the developer responses have been deleted because it “doesn’t represent who they are” (except ... yes it does, because that’s literally how they’re representing themselves). I’m not surprised to see the drop in their ratings, which they reset recently in hopes of erasing the negative ones, I guess? They already have the money of existing users, so maybe they don’t feel like it’s as important to respect them. But I know I will no longer be recommending Pocket Casts to anyone else. Fortunately, there are cross-platform alternatives I look forward to checking out instead, like Castbox.more -
Oct 17, 2020 I hung with it after the big UI changes, when the development team started to seem really tone-deaf. However, I just swapped my SD card, copying all my files over, and Pocket Casts CAN NO LONGER PLAY the podcasts that are right there in its specified folder. There's apparently some kind of short-sighted cataloging that goes on in the background, so if you have a big backlog and switch phones or even just SD cards, you'll then just have a big ol' folder of randomly named MP3s. Time for a switch.more -
BELIEVE the negative reviews!!!
Oct 19, 2020 You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than these developers. That may seem harsh, but it’s the truth. They love to take your money and give you nothing back for it. “You paid us money for the app when we promised no subscriptions or freemiums? Hah, thanks for the dough, sucker, we’re going free and not even giving you a trial of our now locked behind a paywall features!” Ethical developers have always grandfathered in purchasers of their apps when the go subscription, but these guys failed ethics in college. Just look at how many disgruntled customers they responded to, if you don’t believe me. I.E, NONE of them. Now, as for the app itself, it’s a miracle if it plays the full podcast. If it works on CarPlay, it’s another miracle! If the audio doesn’t constantly cut out, holy cow, call the Pope because this app is only four miracles away from sainthood! Maybe they’ve locked usability behind the paywall, as well. To summarize, don’t use this. Don’t even gaze in its direction. And especially don’t give these shady thieves a dollar of your money. You could spend it much better on a cheeseburger, thumb tacks, an empty cardboard box, or just by burning it and blowing the ashes in the wind.more -
Oct 25, 2020 It's a very well thought out app in some areas. But there are other areas like the download screen where you can't sort your downloaded podcasts, so are just left with a list of hundreds of podcasts to scroll through. Please add more filtering and sorting options to the downloaded podcasts screen.more
- Smart design interface changes colors to complement beautiful podcast artwork
- Go mobile or listen at home! Full compatibility with Android Wear and Chromecast
- “Pocket Casts is the best podcast app for Android.” - AndroidCentral
Reviewed by Kaylin on March 7, 2018
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Oct 24, 2020 I paid for premium quite a few years ago and loved the app. I've been using other podcast apps for a bit but recently came back to Pocket casts. It works well, I can connect easily to my Google Nests / Home with no issues. Pocket Casts has all my favourite podcasts, plus new ones I keep finding, there's also quite a bit of niche podcasts as well. Great app.more -
Look beyond the Apple store average and give Pocket Cast a look...you will not be disappointed!
Dec 13, 2019 I have been an Audible junkie for the past 5 years and just started listening to Podcasts about 6 months ago. I have literally tried most of the podcast apps (The Podcast App, Overcast, Castbox, Podbean, Himalaya, Breaker and Castro) in search of the best podcast app. To be honest, I did not try Pocket Casts because of the low rating on Apple App Store. I downloaded the Pocket Cast app the other day and think they have one of the best (if not the best) user interface of any podcast app I have tried with the best functionality. The interface is smooth, they have very playback effect available (speed control, trim the silence and volume boost), an easy to access notes section that gives you the option to jump to a certain section of the podcast if available, and a nice way to organize the podcasts you subscribe to (although Castbox give the greatest control). In addition, you can stream via Chromecast (not all apps provide this) and a really nice iPad app that syncs nicely with you iPhone app. This is really a great app! Look past the overall score of this app on the Apple store and give this app a look. You will not regret it!more -
Oct 20, 2020 This is one of the coolest podcast app that I have come across to date. I can "star" a podcast that I would like to download in the future, and (like any podcast app), I can also search for my favourite podcasts, which are arranged in different subject matter. What I also like about this app, and that is it does not use any third-party app. With so many podcast apps out there, I think this one beats the lot.more -
Oct 21, 2020 Update: glitch was fixed. It was not a battery issue. App is back to working as expected, which is quite well. 🙂 Previous: Was a very servicable podcast player until today. With the newest update, the pod cast randomly stops play after a minute or two. If I pick up up my phone it might start playing again. Glitch??more -
Great update
Oct 6, 2020 Awesome app. So glad development is continuing!! However, Goldilocks still wants ability to filter per podcast instead of in the filtering menu. There’s only 3 out of 7 podcasts that I listen to regularly that put out duplicate or occasional unwanted content. The “filtering” additions are neat, it just doesn’t help in my situation. Podcast A puts out a 40 minute “best of” that I would rather not download, let alone add to up next. Podcast B and C release 20-40 minute podcasts that I do want to listen to. Occasionally they release 3-10 minute episodes that I would rather not download. In this case the one size fits all filter doesn’t help. And there is the wasted auto download of unwanted episodes that limit legitimate episodes from staying on my phone. The filtering is a cool feature, but it would work much better if you could apply filtering within each podcast’s settings -which would limit auto downloading - rather than an external filter for queuing episodes. I hope my explanation of how I use your app helps guide future development. This app is already hands down the best podcast app. P.S. Please allow a setting to control Apple watch’s playback controls. I specifically want to permanently remove playback speed. I can think of no instance where someone would need to consistently alter the speed at which someone is talking. Thanks for your time and further development!!more
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Excellent Podcast App for the Non-Power User
Mar 10, 2019 If you are like me and just want a cross platform podcast application to listen to your five or so podcasts on a weekly basis, then Pocket Casts is a great option. I understand that there are a number of complaints about the most recent update which speak to legitimate regressions in functionality for power users, however, this is a legitimately good podcast application that works for my particular needs which include Google Cast support, and the ability to operate it with my voice without having to unlock my phone (like while I am driving). That being said, I still face one issue where Google Cast support can get a bit wonky requiring me to force quit the app, reopen it and reconnect. If the team can squash that bug then this app is perfect for my needs.more -
Oct 16, 2020 Can you please add an extra filter for starred episodes to sort them by 'recently added'? Also, please introduce the playlist option where we can add our starred episodes categorically and keep them organized. Current layout allows maximum 4 subscriptions in a row (talking about 2nd filter in layout). Can you add another filter in layout which allow more than 4 subscriptions in a row so that we have more icons in one page and a little small size of icons?more -
New user on the new version
Jun 8, 2019 I didn’t have any particular attachment to the old way the app worked so I can review it with a fresh slate, and I have to say I like it. - I love being able to fine-tune the tidying up of my subscription feeds with unplayed / in progress / archived / played. Having played episodes handled differently from episodes I wasn’t interested in at the time makes it easy to go back through the archives later when I’m looking to comb through the backlog. - The synched “Next Up” list travels with me between my phone, home, and office computers. - The swiping gestures to parse episodes is a lot smoother than having to tap on every episode to add to queue as a three press operation. - Discoverability is fine but angled more towards the major podcasts you’ve probably already heard of. - The filters fill the role of playlists nicely with a little extra power behind them. - Occasionally has some issues with streaming an episode but that has happened maybe twice in the time since the major update. - You do have to pay for the app in multiple places if you want to use the phone / desktop / web apps, but it is reasonably priced for a well developed app.more -
Random playlist, PLEASE.
Mar 5, 2020 I’ve been using the app for some time and really enjoy it. My only request, since I subscribe to far too many podcasts to be able to hear every episode of any of them, is for an option for a randomly-selected playlist. i.e. For podcast A, I want to hear episodes from oldest to newest; For podcast B, I want to hear them from newest to oldest; For podcast C, I don’t have a preference for the order. Why can’t I find a player that will randomly pick a podcast to which I am subscribed and play me the next episode from the above-described criteria? Am I the only person who doesn’t listen to every episode of every podcast to which they subscribe???more -
Decent app
Aug 20, 2019 I listen to over 300 podcasts on this app and the organization is great. There’s a few things I wish it could do. When searching for podcasts it only shows a limited list of podcasts in each category and not all of them. Obscure podcasts can be very hard to find if you don’t remember the exact name of the podcast. It would be super helpful if the podcast itself could be archived and not only individual episodes. I keep podcasts I’ve finished because I’ll accidentally restart podcasts if I unsubscribe from them when I’m done. Being able archive a podcast would clean up my main page a lot!more
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I’m sad that I have to switch to another app
May 21, 2020 I’ve been using that app for well over two years. Since then, it’s been my go to for podcasts because it has a great interface and is easy to use. However, I don’t know why but I’ve been having so many problems with it lately. The main one is that podcasts won’t load. I don’t always have space on my phone to download my podcasts since I take a lot of photos and video on a day to day basis, meaning I stream a lot of my content. For some reason, I always have problems with podcasts from this app recently. It’ll load a couple of seconds, then it will refuse to play anything for a while, then all of a sudden it’ll start working again. It’s not like I’m losing internet connection, as it will even happen on WiFi. Sometimes it’ll even do it with downloaded podcasts. Then I have even more problems with CarPlay. If I plug my phone in to use pocket casts, sometimes it’ll just completely freeze everything on my phone until I unplug and restart my phone. It’s only with this app. That all being said, I still enjoyed my time with this app and I loved its simplicity, which is why I’m sad to see it go now that I’m switching to another app that doesn’t give me these problems. I’ll come back eventually if these bugs get fixed. Till then, so long my friend.more -
Syncing is still really bad if you listen on two devices.
Jul 18, 2019 There are many good things about PocketCast (Video Support, Playback Effects, background downloading, notifications, etc.). But there are three things that bother me. 1) If you listen on an iPad and and iPhone regularly your syncing will be messed up all the time. For instance, open iPad app and watch a video show. Then open on your phone later an audio show and stop. Perhaps that evening you open your iPad again to resume the video you were watching that morning. It will sync the iPad back to your iPhone the play position of your audio podcast from that morning, not where you left off on your iPhone later in the day. I’m constantly opening Pocket Casts on my phone to find that my listening position was reverted back 20-30 minutes earlier than I left off. 2) I think the playback screen has an unnecessary bar at the bottom with the tools. Remove that bar and just put the icons for playback effects and others without it. 3) The cover art for the podcast is not centered properly on the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max iPhone. That’s just poor design. Please Russell and Co. fix these problems.more -
Oct 18, 2020 I finally updated to the new UI after nearly two years of staying on 6.4.15 and overall I like it. There is some significant lag though compared to the old version. When casting, the pause/play button will sometimes freak out and get out of sync. Was glad that it didn't take long to get the multiselect support that I was used to. I only had to wait from 7.11 to 7.12more -
Oct 23, 2020 I love having the ability to have my podcast list synced across my devices, but your app only works on some of my devices and it just stops play at time which kills the experience. Update 9/10 The app has started just stopping no reason why, but it's annoying 9/14 went through the battery optimization and still crashed. Just sent the debug log, please let me know. 10/23/20 still having the issue where the app just stops.more -
Oct 17, 2020 I love this app, but since the update I've been having trouble with it "losing" my downloaded podcasts. A reboot of the phone sorts it, but it's cumbersome to have to do that every time.more
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Oct 15, 2020 I'm so sad. I've used (and loved) Pocket Casts for years. But after the recent update, I get constant buffering and lagging even with downloaded episodes. Also, the buffering episodes day they are streaming when they're not supposed to be. It makes me wonder if they actually are downloading or if it's now streaming everything regardless. It's frustrating and I'm getting ready to switch to a different player.more -
Bad update, unprofessional response
Mar 10, 2019 I was glad to find Pocket Casts at first. It was a decent cross-platform app, with a couple weird quirks, but the best option for me. I opted into the beta and wasn’t as fond of it, but decided to give it some time for me to adjust and explore. Some basic, useful features were lacking or implemented strangely and the UI change was a huge step back, considerably less intuitive. Unfortunately, they didn’t really improve on any of these problems for the release despite feedback from users. I know it’s impossible to give every user what they want. Plus, so many users are too entitled and demanding. That doesn’t warrant not listening to them at all, or responding flippantly and condescendingly to feedback. Many of the developer responses have been deleted because it “doesn’t represent who they are” (except ... yes it does, because that’s literally how they’re representing themselves). I’m not surprised to see the drop in their ratings, which they reset recently in hopes of erasing the negative ones, I guess? They already have the money of existing users, so maybe they don’t feel like it’s as important to respect them. But I know I will no longer be recommending Pocket Casts to anyone else. Fortunately, there are cross-platform alternatives I look forward to checking out instead, like Castbox.more -
Oct 17, 2020 I hung with it after the big UI changes, when the development team started to seem really tone-deaf. However, I just swapped my SD card, copying all my files over, and Pocket Casts CAN NO LONGER PLAY the podcasts that are right there in its specified folder. There's apparently some kind of short-sighted cataloging that goes on in the background, so if you have a big backlog and switch phones or even just SD cards, you'll then just have a big ol' folder of randomly named MP3s. Time for a switch.more -
Oct 25, 2020 It's a very well thought out app in some areas. But there are other areas like the download screen where you can't sort your downloaded podcasts, so are just left with a list of hundreds of podcasts to scroll through. Please add more filtering and sorting options to the downloaded podcasts screen.more -
Oct 16, 2020 I'm on Android 11 and the app was working fine, however with this latest update, it seems to no longer play anything over Bluetooth in my car. My device is fine as phone calls, and other apps like Spotify work over Bluetooth it's just Pocket Casts right now that seems to be the issuemore
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BELIEVE the negative reviews!!!
Oct 19, 2020 You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than these developers. That may seem harsh, but it’s the truth. They love to take your money and give you nothing back for it. “You paid us money for the app when we promised no subscriptions or freemiums? Hah, thanks for the dough, sucker, we’re going free and not even giving you a trial of our now locked behind a paywall features!” Ethical developers have always grandfathered in purchasers of their apps when the go subscription, but these guys failed ethics in college. Just look at how many disgruntled customers they responded to, if you don’t believe me. I.E, NONE of them. Now, as for the app itself, it’s a miracle if it plays the full podcast. If it works on CarPlay, it’s another miracle! If the audio doesn’t constantly cut out, holy cow, call the Pope because this app is only four miracles away from sainthood! Maybe they’ve locked usability behind the paywall, as well. To summarize, don’t use this. Don’t even gaze in its direction. And especially don’t give these shady thieves a dollar of your money. You could spend it much better on a cheeseburger, thumb tacks, an empty cardboard box, or just by burning it and blowing the ashes in the wind.more -
AVOID! Bought app before subscription, +30GB DATA ABUSE!
Apr 22, 2020 30GB of data... Not the first time it has happened, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. Especially since I originally paid for the app before they decided to change to a subscription service, and receive none of the features I paid for. I have turned off every “Download” or “files” feature, so it is not user error. I uncheck the “In progress” and “played” options in storage and data usage as well, only to see them turned back on immediately after exiting. If this is a bug it is a hell of an costly one on my end. After getting ripped off after buying the app already on multiple devices that was then switched to a subscription service, it’s nice to add the 30+GB of monthly data on top of that. I just hope that the same hasn’t happened to the people I recommended this app too not long ago. As for now, just another company totally fine with ripping paying customers off with a blatant money grab! DO NOT DOWNLOAD!more -
Bad Update Took Away Favourite Feature!
Sep 20, 2019 This app was my favourite cross-platform for the last few years and I rated it highly due to the control and customisation of podcast management. Then they removed my favourite feature: ‘Auto Cleanup’ in the recent v7 update. I travel a lot and can be without internet on planes, underground and in dead spot areas, and the Auto Cleanup settings allowed me to keep only the newest / relevant 1 to 5 episodes of my news, entertainment and information podcasts. Bring back pre-v7 ASAP, totally wrong decision to overhaul it by far for the worse. So I’ve left this app behind, and they even ‘reset’ their ratings, it went from the top rated podcast app to worst with one update to v7, hundreds of 1 star reviews have been removed, don’t waste your money! UPDATE: so now it’s ‘gone free’ to subscription payment mode - the money I did pay for it is now worthless, just like this app. Successfully destroyed the app from version 6 to now. Goodbye!more -
Why am I surprised they charge for Apple Watch support?
Jul 21, 2020 The shift from great podcast player to nickel and diming developers has been extremely irritating over the last year. They released a badly thought out redesign. They updated it a bit but also implemented a subscription feature that no one asked for and provided almost no value whatsoever. And now recently to top it all off, they finally introduced syncing support with Apple Watch but it’s behind their premium subscription. I am all for supporting developers who work hard and make great apps, but I get angry every time I open the app and hit a paywall screen for some of the most basic iOS functionality. I highly recommend (and will be going myself) to Overcast. They figured out the correct way to charge for optional ads for ongoing support and include watch functionality for free. Don’t waste your time with PocketCast.more -
Oy... I wished this worked the way I wanted it to.
May 2, 2019 When I decided to purchase and download this app, I was optimistic that it was going to be way better than Apple’s Podcast app. I was compelled by the emphasis on syncing between devices with an account and downloading. Use of it with CarPlay and Apple Watch along side the app on my phone was another key indication that I’d like this app. However, I often workout or do things without intentional access to my phone and I’d like to listen to Pocket Casts via my Watch and AirPods without access to a data network, cellular or WiFi. I’ve downloaded podcasts and looked for settings in iOS (and web version) that would support being able to do what I have outlined above. However, I am unable to get my watch with pocket casts on it to work independently of a network or being alongside my phone. This is a dealbreaker and now I find this app to be useless.more
What’s Groovy
It’s now a better tool for episode cherry-pickers. The ability to sort by Downloaded status brings the 5 you’ve pulled down from a list of 500 to the fore. It’s strange that you cannot now, by default, tell a downloaded episode from an undownloaded one, but there’s a setting to fix that.
I also appreciate the new option to delay the deletion of a completed episode for 24 hours. Combined with a new End Of Episode setting for the sleep timer, this removes the stress of falling asleep to an episode you might run off the end of.
For my uses, the only downside, and a minor one at that, is reduced information density in the episode list. You can’t see as many on a screen anymore, and the new, omnipresent Search field (rarely useful) takes up additional vertical space, making a very small knothole indeed when combined with the miniplayer and bottom toolbar. I’d suggest making Search show only when pulling from the very top of the list, as is a convention in many other apps, or just let me scroll it off the page as the episode list scrolls.
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What’s Subpar
Functional, but random changes make no sense. "Add to Up Next" used to add to the end of the queue, but now it adds to front and effs up the order I had chosen. I don't want all episodes I download to auto-add to Up Next, which is the place there's a setting for 'add to end'. Can't rate podcasts to help out the ones I like. Probly time to find a new app.
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I paid for premium quite a few years ago and loved the app. I've been using other podcast apps for a bit but recently came back to Pocket casts. It works well, I can connect easily to my Google Nests / Home with no issues. Pocket Casts has all my favourite podcasts, plus new ones I keep finding, there's also quite a bit of niche podcasts as well. Great app.
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Look beyond the Apple store average and give Pocket Cast a look...you will not be disappointed!
I have been an Audible junkie for the past 5 years and just started listening to Podcasts about 6 months ago. I have literally tried most of the podcast apps (The Podcast App, Overcast, Castbox, Podbean, Himalaya, Breaker and Castro) in search of the best podcast app. To be honest, I did not try Pocket Casts because of the low rating on Apple App Store. I downloaded the Pocket Cast app the other day and think they have one of the best (if not the best) user interface of any podcast app I have tried with the best functionality. The interface is smooth, they have very playback effect available (speed control, trim the silence and volume boost), an easy to access notes section that gives you the option to jump to a certain section of the podcast if available, and a nice way to organize the podcasts you subscribe to (although Castbox give the greatest control). In addition, you can stream via Chromecast (not all apps provide this) and a really nice iPad app that syncs nicely with you iPhone app. This is really a great app! Look past the overall score of this app on the Apple store and give this app a look. You will not regret it! -
I’m sad that I have to switch to another app
I’ve been using that app for well over two years. Since then, it’s been my go to for podcasts because it has a great interface and is easy to use. However, I don’t know why but I’ve been having so many problems with it lately. The main one is that podcasts won’t load. I don’t always have space on my phone to download my podcasts since I take a lot of photos and video on a day to day basis, meaning I stream a lot of my content. For some reason, I always have problems with podcasts from this app recently. It’ll load a couple of seconds, then it will refuse to play anything for a while, then all of a sudden it’ll start working again. It’s not like I’m losing internet connection, as it will even happen on WiFi. Sometimes it’ll even do it with downloaded podcasts. Then I have even more problems with CarPlay. If I plug my phone in to use pocket casts, sometimes it’ll just completely freeze everything on my phone until I unplug and restart my phone. It’s only with this app. That all being said, I still enjoyed my time with this app and I loved its simplicity, which is why I’m sad to see it go now that I’m switching to another app that doesn’t give me these problems. I’ll come back eventually if these bugs get fixed. Till then, so long my friend. -
This is one of the coolest podcast app that I have come across to date. I can "star" a podcast that I would like to download in the future, and (like any podcast app), I can also search for my favourite podcasts, which are arranged in different subject matter. What I also like about this app, and that is it does not use any third-party app. With so many podcast apps out there, I think this one beats the lot.
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Update: glitch was fixed. It was not a battery issue. App is back to working as expected, which is quite well. 🙂 Previous: Was a very servicable podcast player until today. With the newest update, the pod cast randomly stops play after a minute or two. If I pick up up my phone it might start playing again. Glitch??
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Syncing is still really bad if you listen on two devices.
There are many good things about PocketCast (Video Support, Playback Effects, background downloading, notifications, etc.). But there are three things that bother me. 1) If you listen on an iPad and and iPhone regularly your syncing will be messed up all the time. For instance, open iPad app and watch a video show. Then open on your phone later an audio show and stop. Perhaps that evening you open your iPad again to resume the video you were watching that morning. It will sync the iPad back to your iPhone the play position of your audio podcast from that morning, not where you left off on your iPhone later in the day. I’m constantly opening Pocket Casts on my phone to find that my listening position was reverted back 20-30 minutes earlier than I left off. 2) I think the playback screen has an unnecessary bar at the bottom with the tools. Remove that bar and just put the icons for playback effects and others without it. 3) The cover art for the podcast is not centered properly on the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max iPhone. That’s just poor design. Please Russell and Co. fix these problems. -
Excellent Podcast App for the Non-Power User
If you are like me and just want a cross platform podcast application to listen to your five or so podcasts on a weekly basis, then Pocket Casts is a great option. I understand that there are a number of complaints about the most recent update which speak to legitimate regressions in functionality for power users, however, this is a legitimately good podcast application that works for my particular needs which include Google Cast support, and the ability to operate it with my voice without having to unlock my phone (like while I am driving). That being said, I still face one issue where Google Cast support can get a bit wonky requiring me to force quit the app, reopen it and reconnect. If the team can squash that bug then this app is perfect for my needs. -
I finally updated to the new UI after nearly two years of staying on 6.4.15 and overall I like it. There is some significant lag though compared to the old version. When casting, the pause/play button will sometimes freak out and get out of sync. Was glad that it didn't take long to get the multiselect support that I was used to. I only had to wait from 7.11 to 7.12
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I love having the ability to have my podcast list synced across my devices, but your app only works on some of my devices and it just stops play at time which kills the experience. Update 9/10 The app has started just stopping no reason why, but it's annoying 9/14 went through the battery optimization and still crashed. Just sent the debug log, please let me know. 10/23/20 still having the issue where the app just stops.
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Great update
Awesome app. So glad development is continuing!! However, Goldilocks still wants ability to filter per podcast instead of in the filtering menu. There’s only 3 out of 7 podcasts that I listen to regularly that put out duplicate or occasional unwanted content. The “filtering” additions are neat, it just doesn’t help in my situation. Podcast A puts out a 40 minute “best of” that I would rather not download, let alone add to up next. Podcast B and C release 20-40 minute podcasts that I do want to listen to. Occasionally they release 3-10 minute episodes that I would rather not download. In this case the one size fits all filter doesn’t help. And there is the wasted auto download of unwanted episodes that limit legitimate episodes from staying on my phone. The filtering is a cool feature, but it would work much better if you could apply filtering within each podcast’s settings -which would limit auto downloading - rather than an external filter for queuing episodes. I hope my explanation of how I use your app helps guide future development. This app is already hands down the best podcast app. P.S. Please allow a setting to control Apple watch’s playback controls. I specifically want to permanently remove playback speed. I can think of no instance where someone would need to consistently alter the speed at which someone is talking. Thanks for your time and further development!!
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Doesn't seem to keep track of your progress through an episode when moving between the regular app and Alexa integration, or even the Android auto interface on the same phone. Always starts over from the beginning of the episode. The interface and other features are nice, but this is basic functionality here that doesn't work.
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latest update totally messed everything up. "Up Next" was cleared out, then after i added episodes back I finished an episode and instead of it playing what was in "Up Next" it chose a seemingly random episode from the same podcast as the previous episode that wasnt even in the "Up Next" playlist
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No longer broken!
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Best. If you are fed up with your podcast app, you've come to the right place. Install and be free of your previous frustrations. This app is podcast nirvana.
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The update 7.0 is really bad :( It takes away some features, and makes regular actions more difficult.
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The new v7 update sucks... The whole app looks pretty bad. Don't know why the devs thought that they had to change the old interface. For example getting new episodes is a filter now. You have to go to three to four steps more to do just a simple thing. I am really disappointed. I used to love this app. Will change the review if they bring back the older interface or atleast scrap this one and make a more intuitive interface. Or else I just have to look for an alternative now.
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I've been using this app for what seems like forever. Seems like every app on my phone has added podcast features but I'm never leaving Pocket casts!! It's just the best
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Love it, especially the queuing feature. I subscribe to the podcasts I want, new episodes show up in new releases, and I swipe right to add them to my queue and drag and drop them for the order I want them in. I love it, and it wasn't this easy when I used Spotify, Stitcher, Google, Podcast Addict, or Pandora.
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Amazing podcast app. Love the tile overview.
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No support for galaxy watch
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I paid for premium quite a few years ago and loved the app. I've been using other podcast apps for a bit but recently came back to Pocket casts. It works well, I can connect easily to my Google Nests / Home with no issues. Pocket Casts has all my favourite podcasts, plus new ones I keep finding, there's also quite a bit of niche podcasts as well. Great app.
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Look beyond the Apple store average and give Pocket Cast a look...you will not be disappointed!
I have been an Audible junkie for the past 5 years and just started listening to Podcasts about 6 months ago. I have literally tried most of the podcast apps (The Podcast App, Overcast, Castbox, Podbean, Himalaya, Breaker and Castro) in search of the best podcast app. To be honest, I did not try Pocket Casts because of the low rating on Apple App Store. I downloaded the Pocket Cast app the other day and think they have one of the best (if not the best) user interface of any podcast app I have tried with the best functionality. The interface is smooth, they have very playback effect available (speed control, trim the silence and volume boost), an easy to access notes section that gives you the option to jump to a certain section of the podcast if available, and a nice way to organize the podcasts you subscribe to (although Castbox give the greatest control). In addition, you can stream via Chromecast (not all apps provide this) and a really nice iPad app that syncs nicely with you iPhone app. This is really a great app! Look past the overall score of this app on the Apple store and give this app a look. You will not regret it! -
This is one of the coolest podcast app that I have come across to date. I can "star" a podcast that I would like to download in the future, and (like any podcast app), I can also search for my favourite podcasts, which are arranged in different subject matter. What I also like about this app, and that is it does not use any third-party app. With so many podcast apps out there, I think this one beats the lot.
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Update: glitch was fixed. It was not a battery issue. App is back to working as expected, which is quite well. 🙂 Previous: Was a very servicable podcast player until today. With the newest update, the pod cast randomly stops play after a minute or two. If I pick up up my phone it might start playing again. Glitch??
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Great update
Awesome app. So glad development is continuing!! However, Goldilocks still wants ability to filter per podcast instead of in the filtering menu. There’s only 3 out of 7 podcasts that I listen to regularly that put out duplicate or occasional unwanted content. The “filtering” additions are neat, it just doesn’t help in my situation. Podcast A puts out a 40 minute “best of” that I would rather not download, let alone add to up next. Podcast B and C release 20-40 minute podcasts that I do want to listen to. Occasionally they release 3-10 minute episodes that I would rather not download. In this case the one size fits all filter doesn’t help. And there is the wasted auto download of unwanted episodes that limit legitimate episodes from staying on my phone. The filtering is a cool feature, but it would work much better if you could apply filtering within each podcast’s settings -which would limit auto downloading - rather than an external filter for queuing episodes. I hope my explanation of how I use your app helps guide future development. This app is already hands down the best podcast app. P.S. Please allow a setting to control Apple watch’s playback controls. I specifically want to permanently remove playback speed. I can think of no instance where someone would need to consistently alter the speed at which someone is talking. Thanks for your time and further development!! -
Better than Default Podcast App Especially on Apple Watch
I listen to 20+ podcasts and have used Pocket Casts for years. It is so much better than the default Apple Podcasts app at handling lots of podcasts and episodes. Now with the latest update that includes Apple Watch sync and cellular streaming without your iPhone nearby I can finally leave my iPhone behind while working out. Pocket Casts seamlessly remembers where I am mid-podcast when I switch from phone to watch. My Apple Watch had been in a drawer the last few months until today because the default Podcasts app is an organizational mess, rarely remembers playback position between devices, and has a really bad implementation of a queue. You have to pay for the Pocket Casts Plus tier but it’s well worth the $1 per month if you have an Apple Watch and listen to more than 1 or 2 podcasts regularly. -
My Podcast Home
I never liked Apple’s Podcasts app but I tried other apps, even gave some a second chance, but always had to come back to Apple’s for some of their features. After trying Pocket Casts for over a year now, I am so so happy I’ve found a podcast app that I love. Appreciate how customizable the skip and go back times are, the look and ease-of-use of the podcast list, where episode notes appear, managing episode queuing, it’s all great. After reading some other reviews, I gotta say the features behind the paywall are NOT a problem to me. If I ever needed the cloud storage or Watch version, I’d pay the small yearly subscription to devs who keep working on an app I’m really happy to have. It’d be nice to switch filters more easily (like one tap to go from filtering new releases to filtering downloads), but that’s the tiniest wish. Happily using this app every day! -
Much better than Apple Podcasts (I used to have an iphone) or Stitcher or Podbean. More intuitive. More options. Better organization. Finally. Plus a fun optional kitty kat app icon. Not perfect, but better than the others.
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Fantastic
I was looking for a way to cast podcasts from my iPhone or iPad to my Google Home and some online suggestions pointed me toward this app. At first I was wary to pay for the app but I don’t regret it. Others complain about the UI and I find it pretty simple and nice to use. Everything is organized in a way that I can manage the podcasts I’m subscribed to. Another great thing is the cross platform support. While the desktop app costs an additional $10, it isn’t that bad considering it’s a one-off fee. Instead of paying per-month or per-year, I think it’s better to just pay one time and be done. I can easily start a podcast in the car and later in the day continue it in the same spot (give or take a few seconds) on my computer or iPad. -
My favorite features are variable speed playback and easy-to-use Up Next Q. They support all but rather obscure podcasts. recent updates are making improvements all the time. Technical support is very responsive.
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Excellent Podcast App for the Non-Power User
If you are like me and just want a cross platform podcast application to listen to your five or so podcasts on a weekly basis, then Pocket Casts is a great option. I understand that there are a number of complaints about the most recent update which speak to legitimate regressions in functionality for power users, however, this is a legitimately good podcast application that works for my particular needs which include Google Cast support, and the ability to operate it with my voice without having to unlock my phone (like while I am driving). That being said, I still face one issue where Google Cast support can get a bit wonky requiring me to force quit the app, reopen it and reconnect. If the team can squash that bug then this app is perfect for my needs. -
Can you please add an extra filter for starred episodes to sort them by 'recently added'? Also, please introduce the playlist option where we can add our starred episodes categorically and keep them organized. Current layout allows maximum 4 subscriptions in a row (talking about 2nd filter in layout). Can you add another filter in layout which allow more than 4 subscriptions in a row so that we have more icons in one page and a little small size of icons?
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New user on the new version
I didn’t have any particular attachment to the old way the app worked so I can review it with a fresh slate, and I have to say I like it. - I love being able to fine-tune the tidying up of my subscription feeds with unplayed / in progress / archived / played. Having played episodes handled differently from episodes I wasn’t interested in at the time makes it easy to go back through the archives later when I’m looking to comb through the backlog. - The synched “Next Up” list travels with me between my phone, home, and office computers. - The swiping gestures to parse episodes is a lot smoother than having to tap on every episode to add to queue as a three press operation. - Discoverability is fine but angled more towards the major podcasts you’ve probably already heard of. - The filters fill the role of playlists nicely with a little extra power behind them. - Occasionally has some issues with streaming an episode but that has happened maybe twice in the time since the major update. - You do have to pay for the app in multiple places if you want to use the phone / desktop / web apps, but it is reasonably priced for a well developed app. -
Random playlist, PLEASE.
I’ve been using the app for some time and really enjoy it. My only request, since I subscribe to far too many podcasts to be able to hear every episode of any of them, is for an option for a randomly-selected playlist. i.e. For podcast A, I want to hear episodes from oldest to newest; For podcast B, I want to hear them from newest to oldest; For podcast C, I don’t have a preference for the order. Why can’t I find a player that will randomly pick a podcast to which I am subscribed and play me the next episode from the above-described criteria? Am I the only person who doesn’t listen to every episode of every podcast to which they subscribe??? -
Decent app
I listen to over 300 podcasts on this app and the organization is great. There’s a few things I wish it could do. When searching for podcasts it only shows a limited list of podcasts in each category and not all of them. Obscure podcasts can be very hard to find if you don’t remember the exact name of the podcast. It would be super helpful if the podcast itself could be archived and not only individual episodes. I keep podcasts I’ve finished because I’ll accidentally restart podcasts if I unsubscribe from them when I’m done. Being able archive a podcast would clean up my main page a lot! -
I used to love this player
Don't get me wrong. This is still a great podcast app. It's still customizable, can display a large number of podcasts in a digestible list and has a working import / export function. The big astrix here is that the old version did those things with a far more intuitive intuitive ui and layout. I've prayed for most of the top tier podcast players and I still prefer this one for managing 100+ podcast subscriptions and I'm holding out hope that the designers of this app will continue to work and refine this new UI and quell the many grumbles of it's user base in time. I recommend it but hope for better. -
By Far My Favorite Podcast App (& I’ve Tried Many)
This is my favorite and only podcast app. I’ve tried *many* other promising apps, and while good, this one’s the most complete in desired features. It’s certainly worth the price, as I’m generally not one who gets paid apps. The UI/UX is easy, clean, and organized. Very happy with this purchase! Thank you much to all involved in building this app. ONE suggestion (reason for 4 stars): Adding a Mark All as Unplayed/Played option! This is a huge help to larger podcasts and seemingly a popularly desired/asked for feature. -
Thanks for the much needed improvements
The last major update to Pocket Casts introduced some of the functionality that I was originally disappointed the app lacked after buying it. It seemed crazy to me to have to subscribe to a podcast to listen to an episode, and that is no longer an issue. The search within a podcast for a specific episodes is also really useful. Thanks for the improvements, I’m now happy to have bought this app a while ago.
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I’m sad that I have to switch to another app
I’ve been using that app for well over two years. Since then, it’s been my go to for podcasts because it has a great interface and is easy to use. However, I don’t know why but I’ve been having so many problems with it lately. The main one is that podcasts won’t load. I don’t always have space on my phone to download my podcasts since I take a lot of photos and video on a day to day basis, meaning I stream a lot of my content. For some reason, I always have problems with podcasts from this app recently. It’ll load a couple of seconds, then it will refuse to play anything for a while, then all of a sudden it’ll start working again. It’s not like I’m losing internet connection, as it will even happen on WiFi. Sometimes it’ll even do it with downloaded podcasts. Then I have even more problems with CarPlay. If I plug my phone in to use pocket casts, sometimes it’ll just completely freeze everything on my phone until I unplug and restart my phone. It’s only with this app. That all being said, I still enjoyed my time with this app and I loved its simplicity, which is why I’m sad to see it go now that I’m switching to another app that doesn’t give me these problems. I’ll come back eventually if these bugs get fixed. Till then, so long my friend. -
Syncing is still really bad if you listen on two devices.
There are many good things about PocketCast (Video Support, Playback Effects, background downloading, notifications, etc.). But there are three things that bother me. 1) If you listen on an iPad and and iPhone regularly your syncing will be messed up all the time. For instance, open iPad app and watch a video show. Then open on your phone later an audio show and stop. Perhaps that evening you open your iPad again to resume the video you were watching that morning. It will sync the iPad back to your iPhone the play position of your audio podcast from that morning, not where you left off on your iPhone later in the day. I’m constantly opening Pocket Casts on my phone to find that my listening position was reverted back 20-30 minutes earlier than I left off. 2) I think the playback screen has an unnecessary bar at the bottom with the tools. Remove that bar and just put the icons for playback effects and others without it. 3) The cover art for the podcast is not centered properly on the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max iPhone. That’s just poor design. Please Russell and Co. fix these problems. -
I finally updated to the new UI after nearly two years of staying on 6.4.15 and overall I like it. There is some significant lag though compared to the old version. When casting, the pause/play button will sometimes freak out and get out of sync. Was glad that it didn't take long to get the multiselect support that I was used to. I only had to wait from 7.11 to 7.12
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I love having the ability to have my podcast list synced across my devices, but your app only works on some of my devices and it just stops play at time which kills the experience. Update 9/10 The app has started just stopping no reason why, but it's annoying 9/14 went through the battery optimization and still crashed. Just sent the debug log, please let me know. 10/23/20 still having the issue where the app just stops.
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I love this app, but since the update I've been having trouble with it "losing" my downloaded podcasts. A reboot of the phone sorts it, but it's cumbersome to have to do that every time.
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CarPlay support is buggy
The app on the phone is fine. But I primarily listen to podcasts in the car, using CarPlay. Ever since the last major update, the apps CarPlay support is barely functional. Three out of four times I open pocket casts on CarPlay, I get the spinning loading circle and it eventually says it can’t communicate with pocket casts. When it does load, the podcasts list doesn’t match what is on the phone. Podcasts will just randomly not show up on the list. So I have to grab my phone to load it out of the app. Even the “playing” icon in the upper right of the CarPlay screen shows that audio is playing, when no audio is playing. Tl;dr: if you want a podcast player for CarPlay, this might not be the one for you. At least until they fix the recent bugs. -
Carplay issue with archives
Like the app but one of the recent updates has crippled the app on Apple Carplay. Perhaps I'm missing a setting but only downloaded episodes appear in the Carplay interface now unlike previous versions that showed episodes that were and were not downloaded. So if you use the archiving feature to keep your downloads storage down but run out of downloads for a particular podcast, you're out of luck in Carplay. You have to wait until you can grab your phone to start streaming an episode which seems to defeat the purpose and safety benefits of Carplay, or not listen. This is the case even when Show Archives is enabled. Please fix, the car is where I and imagine others enjoy the majority of podcasts. -
Still no support for private feeds
The claim that Pocket Casts is "the world's most powerful podcast platform" is absurd, given that it doesn't have a feature as basic (and as easy to implement) as support for password-protected feeds. On the upside, several annoying problems, bugs and glitches have been fixed, in particular the one where every time you resumed a podcast, the first few milliseconds of the episode would play, as well where a downloaded episode wouldn't resume because it was perpetually "buffering", making a force quit necessary. Also, it's nice to be able to listen to a podcast episode without subscribing to it, which didn't used to be possible. It's a start... -
This used to be a great app
I have enjoyed this app for several years but now I see it is time to find a new app. Each update (much like my experience with Apple iTunes Player) takes away functionality that made the app an enjoyable experience. The filter function used to be meaningful, flexible and helpful. Now it is useless. I use this app in 2 instances: driving and walking the dog. In the Chevy, it is a struggle to get this app to play through the Bluetooth or USB cord (I would take either if it worked reliably but they constantly drop and has been getting progressively worse in the last year - I reboot the phone, tried different cords, etc etc). In the Ford it is slightly better with Sync but still problematic. When walking the dog, I will say that the iWatch app works (and has gotten better over time), I can easily pause and rewind when my neighbor starts talking to me. I gave it 3 stars because if you are new to this app, it might work well for you. If you have used this app for a while, it is disappointing to see how it has changed over time. -
Why can’t we download easily?
I have loved Pocketcasts for years now. I paid for the full version, no regrets. Yeah there’s some syncing issues and some playback issues occasionally - but the UX is great and that makes up for it imo. Except when it comes to downloading to listen offline. Sometimes I just want to download one random episode to listen offline (while I walk my dogs for example), and I just don’t want to do a bunch of steps to get there with filters. If there was a simple quick one off episode download feature, like maybe in the same menu to share the episode, this app would be 5 stars EASY. Still worth it and best one around though, thanks!
Filter Reviews
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I'm so sad. I've used (and loved) Pocket Casts for years. But after the recent update, I get constant buffering and lagging even with downloaded episodes. Also, the buffering episodes day they are streaming when they're not supposed to be. It makes me wonder if they actually are downloading or if it's now streaming everything regardless. It's frustrating and I'm getting ready to switch to a different player.
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Bad update, unprofessional response
I was glad to find Pocket Casts at first. It was a decent cross-platform app, with a couple weird quirks, but the best option for me. I opted into the beta and wasn’t as fond of it, but decided to give it some time for me to adjust and explore. Some basic, useful features were lacking or implemented strangely and the UI change was a huge step back, considerably less intuitive. Unfortunately, they didn’t really improve on any of these problems for the release despite feedback from users. I know it’s impossible to give every user what they want. Plus, so many users are too entitled and demanding. That doesn’t warrant not listening to them at all, or responding flippantly and condescendingly to feedback. Many of the developer responses have been deleted because it “doesn’t represent who they are” (except ... yes it does, because that’s literally how they’re representing themselves). I’m not surprised to see the drop in their ratings, which they reset recently in hopes of erasing the negative ones, I guess? They already have the money of existing users, so maybe they don’t feel like it’s as important to respect them. But I know I will no longer be recommending Pocket Casts to anyone else. Fortunately, there are cross-platform alternatives I look forward to checking out instead, like Castbox. -
I hung with it after the big UI changes, when the development team started to seem really tone-deaf. However, I just swapped my SD card, copying all my files over, and Pocket Casts CAN NO LONGER PLAY the podcasts that are right there in its specified folder. There's apparently some kind of short-sighted cataloging that goes on in the background, so if you have a big backlog and switch phones or even just SD cards, you'll then just have a big ol' folder of randomly named MP3s. Time for a switch.
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BELIEVE the negative reviews!!!
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than these developers. That may seem harsh, but it’s the truth. They love to take your money and give you nothing back for it. “You paid us money for the app when we promised no subscriptions or freemiums? Hah, thanks for the dough, sucker, we’re going free and not even giving you a trial of our now locked behind a paywall features!” Ethical developers have always grandfathered in purchasers of their apps when the go subscription, but these guys failed ethics in college. Just look at how many disgruntled customers they responded to, if you don’t believe me. I.E, NONE of them. Now, as for the app itself, it’s a miracle if it plays the full podcast. If it works on CarPlay, it’s another miracle! If the audio doesn’t constantly cut out, holy cow, call the Pope because this app is only four miracles away from sainthood! Maybe they’ve locked usability behind the paywall, as well. To summarize, don’t use this. Don’t even gaze in its direction. And especially don’t give these shady thieves a dollar of your money. You could spend it much better on a cheeseburger, thumb tacks, an empty cardboard box, or just by burning it and blowing the ashes in the wind. -
It's a very well thought out app in some areas. But there are other areas like the download screen where you can't sort your downloaded podcasts, so are just left with a list of hundreds of podcasts to scroll through. Please add more filtering and sorting options to the downloaded podcasts screen.
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I'm on Android 11 and the app was working fine, however with this latest update, it seems to no longer play anything over Bluetooth in my car. My device is fine as phone calls, and other apps like Spotify work over Bluetooth it's just Pocket Casts right now that seems to be the issue
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Features Are Great, But Won’t Stop Crashing
I got this app because I wanted the automatic downloading and queuing features, and I’ve found those incredibly valuable. I can have my favorite podcasts automatically play next as soon as episodes are available and maintain a queue more easily than I can in the Apple Podcasts app. Also, the more flexible playback rates and Trim Silence features are fantastic. I would give this app 5 stars if it didn’t randomly crash all the time. It was whenever the most recent significant aesthetic update happened (the old version worked well), but now it will crash while I’m listening to a podcast and have my phone in my pocket or connected to my car. I literally do nothing to provoke it. The interface also freezes sometimes and forces me to quit it and restart, which is frustrating since the mechanics of playing back from an RSS feed don’t seem to be the most complicated part of this app. -
AVOID! Bought app before subscription, +30GB DATA ABUSE!
30GB of data... Not the first time it has happened, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. Especially since I originally paid for the app before they decided to change to a subscription service, and receive none of the features I paid for. I have turned off every “Download” or “files” feature, so it is not user error. I uncheck the “In progress” and “played” options in storage and data usage as well, only to see them turned back on immediately after exiting. If this is a bug it is a hell of an costly one on my end. After getting ripped off after buying the app already on multiple devices that was then switched to a subscription service, it’s nice to add the 30+GB of monthly data on top of that. I just hope that the same hasn’t happened to the people I recommended this app too not long ago. As for now, just another company totally fine with ripping paying customers off with a blatant money grab! DO NOT DOWNLOAD! -
I'm going to leave pocket casts of it doesn't improve its synching with Alexa. When I leave the phone, my alexa should pick up my place. The Alexa skill needs commands, like 'skip back 2 minutes'. Or it's useless.
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Bad Update Took Away Favourite Feature!
This app was my favourite cross-platform for the last few years and I rated it highly due to the control and customisation of podcast management. Then they removed my favourite feature: ‘Auto Cleanup’ in the recent v7 update. I travel a lot and can be without internet on planes, underground and in dead spot areas, and the Auto Cleanup settings allowed me to keep only the newest / relevant 1 to 5 episodes of my news, entertainment and information podcasts. Bring back pre-v7 ASAP, totally wrong decision to overhaul it by far for the worse. So I’ve left this app behind, and they even ‘reset’ their ratings, it went from the top rated podcast app to worst with one update to v7, hundreds of 1 star reviews have been removed, don’t waste your money! UPDATE: so now it’s ‘gone free’ to subscription payment mode - the money I did pay for it is now worthless, just like this app. Successfully destroyed the app from version 6 to now. Goodbye!
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Why do updates wipe out my settings?
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No benefit to having paid for the app before the new update, and now it just levels out with other apps that also have subscription fees. Originally I came to this Pocket Cast because of the one time fee instead of the competition who offered subscription fees. Looks like it time to migrate to another application again.
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I paid the full version years ago and now I can't use the app because now they want me to pay a monthly subscription. I paid for the full version back then. Why do I have to pay again. This used to be the best podcast app. Not anymore. Don't bother downloading it.
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Update (10/26/2020): I have not reached a resolution with my previous issue. Fortunately, I've recently reached out to the devs via Email (with debug info attached), so hopefully the issue is on their radar. I know dev work like this takes time, so I'll be patience, but I hope it gets retified sooner rather than later. Till then, my rating still stands. Though I love this app, I may have to consider switching to a new one, if no resolution is put in a future update.
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Hi Jo ki u hi Jo Jo o up Jo ki ok Jo ki r hi Jo Jo Jo y
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It's a very well thought out app in some areas. But there are other areas like the download screen where you can't sort your downloaded podcasts, so are just left with a list of hundreds of podcasts to scroll through. Please add more filtering and sorting options to the downloaded podcasts screen.
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The new ui seems to make simple things harder. Other than that some of the new features are nice. I went from 5 stars to 2 and now down to 1 and now back to 2. There is just too much wrong with this release to give any recommendation. Hopefully in the future they correct all the problems and I will be back. Till then I will find something else to use.
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Severe battery drain!
Newest update! 100% drained battery in 5 hours on XS Max. Today using Apple Podcast app. After 5 hours, 78% battery remaining. Pocket Cast App is broken and kills my battery. Help. Was my favorite. -
Can’t Dowload podcasts
They just sit there -
Do not buy for Carplay
I paid for the app 4 years ago and am now a paid user. I’ve gotten great value for money over the years but the app is not what it used to be. They keep adding new features everywhere but keep near app breaking bugs with Chromecast and Carplay. I know how hard developing software is but i would strongly recommend a hardening release/sprint before any new features are developed
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I'm so sad. I've used (and loved) Pocket Casts for years. But after the recent update, I get constant buffering and lagging even with downloaded episodes. Also, the buffering episodes day they are streaming when they're not supposed to be. It makes me wonder if they actually are downloading or if it's now streaming everything regardless. It's frustrating and I'm getting ready to switch to a different player.
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Bad update, unprofessional response
I was glad to find Pocket Casts at first. It was a decent cross-platform app, with a couple weird quirks, but the best option for me. I opted into the beta and wasn’t as fond of it, but decided to give it some time for me to adjust and explore. Some basic, useful features were lacking or implemented strangely and the UI change was a huge step back, considerably less intuitive. Unfortunately, they didn’t really improve on any of these problems for the release despite feedback from users. I know it’s impossible to give every user what they want. Plus, so many users are too entitled and demanding. That doesn’t warrant not listening to them at all, or responding flippantly and condescendingly to feedback. Many of the developer responses have been deleted because it “doesn’t represent who they are” (except ... yes it does, because that’s literally how they’re representing themselves). I’m not surprised to see the drop in their ratings, which they reset recently in hopes of erasing the negative ones, I guess? They already have the money of existing users, so maybe they don’t feel like it’s as important to respect them. But I know I will no longer be recommending Pocket Casts to anyone else. Fortunately, there are cross-platform alternatives I look forward to checking out instead, like Castbox. -
I hung with it after the big UI changes, when the development team started to seem really tone-deaf. However, I just swapped my SD card, copying all my files over, and Pocket Casts CAN NO LONGER PLAY the podcasts that are right there in its specified folder. There's apparently some kind of short-sighted cataloging that goes on in the background, so if you have a big backlog and switch phones or even just SD cards, you'll then just have a big ol' folder of randomly named MP3s. Time for a switch.
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It's a very well thought out app in some areas. But there are other areas like the download screen where you can't sort your downloaded podcasts, so are just left with a list of hundreds of podcasts to scroll through. Please add more filtering and sorting options to the downloaded podcasts screen.
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I'm on Android 11 and the app was working fine, however with this latest update, it seems to no longer play anything over Bluetooth in my car. My device is fine as phone calls, and other apps like Spotify work over Bluetooth it's just Pocket Casts right now that seems to be the issue
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Features Are Great, But Won’t Stop Crashing
I got this app because I wanted the automatic downloading and queuing features, and I’ve found those incredibly valuable. I can have my favorite podcasts automatically play next as soon as episodes are available and maintain a queue more easily than I can in the Apple Podcasts app. Also, the more flexible playback rates and Trim Silence features are fantastic. I would give this app 5 stars if it didn’t randomly crash all the time. It was whenever the most recent significant aesthetic update happened (the old version worked well), but now it will crash while I’m listening to a podcast and have my phone in my pocket or connected to my car. I literally do nothing to provoke it. The interface also freezes sometimes and forces me to quit it and restart, which is frustrating since the mechanics of playing back from an RSS feed don’t seem to be the most complicated part of this app. -
I'm going to leave pocket casts of it doesn't improve its synching with Alexa. When I leave the phone, my alexa should pick up my place. The Alexa skill needs commands, like 'skip back 2 minutes'. Or it's useless.
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Used to be good
I really liked this app, as it did everything i needed for the 10-12 programs I liked. The recent upgrade improved the UI quite a bit. I liked that it automatically downloaded my favorites and put them in the queue. But then it started deleting shows from the queue, so I would expect to hear a show and it would be gone, and I’d have to find it and stick it back in. That was annoying enough but I could deal with it. But the final straw was that it would end a cast about 3 minutes before the cast actually ended, and then I’d have to dig around in the archive (because now the podcast was deleted from my queue and archived) and then stream the last few minutes. After doing this about half a dozen times I decided it was simply too much effort and have found another app. It really was a shame but the problems were too frustrating to deal with. -
Some fixes to the awful Nov 2018 updates but bugs continue
Pocket Casts really messed up a great app with their total revision back in Nov ‘18. Since then it’s become a little easier to group, sort, and (sort of) create playlists. But still a step down from the old version, where those functions were easy and intuitive. Recent update has introduced new bugs. The most irritating of which is the random tendency to clip the last 2-3 minutes of a podcast. At first I thought this was due to editing errors by the podcast producers, but today, after it happened to two casts, I went back and relistened, scrubbing to near the end, and heard the last few minutes that Pocket Cast had dropped. This is a bug in the app. Blah. Fix this, please. Better yet, give users the option of returning to the old pre-Nov 2018 version of the app. You could call it “Back Pocket Casts”. -
Unfortunate newer version
I used to love this app but one of the more recent updates completely changed the interface of the app. The most frustrating for me is swiping left now archives the episode instead of delete, not even sure how to delete episodes anymore. Second most annoying change is instead of the download button being next to the episode title I have to open the show notes, then download from there. There are more issues with the new interface but those are the two big ones for me. It feels like the user experience was not even considered with the new version. Another issue is when I'm using Pocket Casts and Google maps simultaneously the podcast will rewind 10-15 seconds when Google maps pauses the podcast to give directions. I've stopped using Pocket Casts and am currently looking for a new app to use.
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BELIEVE the negative reviews!!!
You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than these developers. That may seem harsh, but it’s the truth. They love to take your money and give you nothing back for it. “You paid us money for the app when we promised no subscriptions or freemiums? Hah, thanks for the dough, sucker, we’re going free and not even giving you a trial of our now locked behind a paywall features!” Ethical developers have always grandfathered in purchasers of their apps when the go subscription, but these guys failed ethics in college. Just look at how many disgruntled customers they responded to, if you don’t believe me. I.E, NONE of them. Now, as for the app itself, it’s a miracle if it plays the full podcast. If it works on CarPlay, it’s another miracle! If the audio doesn’t constantly cut out, holy cow, call the Pope because this app is only four miracles away from sainthood! Maybe they’ve locked usability behind the paywall, as well. To summarize, don’t use this. Don’t even gaze in its direction. And especially don’t give these shady thieves a dollar of your money. You could spend it much better on a cheeseburger, thumb tacks, an empty cardboard box, or just by burning it and blowing the ashes in the wind. -
AVOID! Bought app before subscription, +30GB DATA ABUSE!
30GB of data... Not the first time it has happened, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. Especially since I originally paid for the app before they decided to change to a subscription service, and receive none of the features I paid for. I have turned off every “Download” or “files” feature, so it is not user error. I uncheck the “In progress” and “played” options in storage and data usage as well, only to see them turned back on immediately after exiting. If this is a bug it is a hell of an costly one on my end. After getting ripped off after buying the app already on multiple devices that was then switched to a subscription service, it’s nice to add the 30+GB of monthly data on top of that. I just hope that the same hasn’t happened to the people I recommended this app too not long ago. As for now, just another company totally fine with ripping paying customers off with a blatant money grab! DO NOT DOWNLOAD! -
Bad Update Took Away Favourite Feature!
This app was my favourite cross-platform for the last few years and I rated it highly due to the control and customisation of podcast management. Then they removed my favourite feature: ‘Auto Cleanup’ in the recent v7 update. I travel a lot and can be without internet on planes, underground and in dead spot areas, and the Auto Cleanup settings allowed me to keep only the newest / relevant 1 to 5 episodes of my news, entertainment and information podcasts. Bring back pre-v7 ASAP, totally wrong decision to overhaul it by far for the worse. So I’ve left this app behind, and they even ‘reset’ their ratings, it went from the top rated podcast app to worst with one update to v7, hundreds of 1 star reviews have been removed, don’t waste your money! UPDATE: so now it’s ‘gone free’ to subscription payment mode - the money I did pay for it is now worthless, just like this app. Successfully destroyed the app from version 6 to now. Goodbye! -
Why am I surprised they charge for Apple Watch support?
The shift from great podcast player to nickel and diming developers has been extremely irritating over the last year. They released a badly thought out redesign. They updated it a bit but also implemented a subscription feature that no one asked for and provided almost no value whatsoever. And now recently to top it all off, they finally introduced syncing support with Apple Watch but it’s behind their premium subscription. I am all for supporting developers who work hard and make great apps, but I get angry every time I open the app and hit a paywall screen for some of the most basic iOS functionality. I highly recommend (and will be going myself) to Overcast. They figured out the correct way to charge for optional ads for ongoing support and include watch functionality for free. Don’t waste your time with PocketCast. -
Oy... I wished this worked the way I wanted it to.
When I decided to purchase and download this app, I was optimistic that it was going to be way better than Apple’s Podcast app. I was compelled by the emphasis on syncing between devices with an account and downloading. Use of it with CarPlay and Apple Watch along side the app on my phone was another key indication that I’d like this app. However, I often workout or do things without intentional access to my phone and I’d like to listen to Pocket Casts via my Watch and AirPods without access to a data network, cellular or WiFi. I’ve downloaded podcasts and looked for settings in iOS (and web version) that would support being able to do what I have outlined above. However, I am unable to get my watch with pocket casts on it to work independently of a network or being alongside my phone. This is a dealbreaker and now I find this app to be useless. -
V7 Update Kills “Most Powerful Podcast Player”
The features that made this app the powerhouse for podcast users have been removed. This version is perfect for people that like to discover podcasts and listen to the newest episodes. If you like to organize your episodes into a backlog or create playlists, this app is no longer for you. There is no way to mass mark old episodes as unplayed so that you can listen through an entire podcast backlog. You will need to manually mark each episode as unplayed. Upon updating you will also loose your entire “Up Next” queue. So, if you have a big one, beware. The developer claims that creating custom playlists is not a feature they plan on adding. This update increases the size of everything on the screen. Instead of everything being on one page where you can easily access your filters, it’s been divided into tabs at the bottom. Your filters, where all the episodes you have spent time filling into tidy categories are no the default page to load. You will need to navigate to the filters tab click a filter and then individually add episodes to your up next queue. Bring back these features please: Mark All Unplayed Custom Playlists -
Look elsewhere
My original review got deleted. Since I paid money for this app, I believe I should at least be allowed to state my opinion, so here we go again. This app is not what I originally paid for. While it was great at the beginning, with latest major update every single feature I loved this app for was either eliminated, or obfuscated to a point when it is no longer convenient to use. I waited for quite some time to see if owners would listen to user feedback, but they seems to be looking to expand their user base, and do not care about the people who already bought their product. Personally, I’m finally deleting this app, and I do not recommend it to anyone. New application flow is inferior in every way, and has no advantages over popular offers from competitors. -
Needs Customizable Folders/ Filters doesn’t cut it
If you keep your eye on more than 15-20 podcasts of different types (which happens quickly) and like to browse around your many podcast channels and just listen to the occasional episodes that appeals, you need some way of easily grouping your subscriptions at the podcast channel level not at the episode level (as the filters feature does), otherwise you are swimming in long lists of episodes and less frequent podcast channels get buried deep in the frequent episodes list. They need to give a way to create groups of your podcast channels similar to how they group podcast channel types in their search function by genre except allow users to create their own grouping names or categories / folders / tags. -
A shell of the once-great app
NPR assured users that nothing would change after acquiring shiftyjelly. Web app users were promised "No monthly subscriptions or premium hoo-hah. We'll ask you for $9, just once." We paid up front for a premium app and web player, but the company has gone back on every promise. The app is now free (and will surely generate money either through ads or by selling user info), and the web player has switched to a subscription model. Customer service is sending extremely rude messages to users questioning why they've gone back on their promises to paid users, and it's let enough of a bad taste in my mouth to push me over to Overcast. Marco cars a great deal about his product and users, and I'm happy to see what's next for that app, as this one is dead in my eyes. -
More complicated less user friendly
I used to love this app. When they revamped the app it became much less user friendly. I just want to see the downloaded podcasts when I open the app, but must navigate the interface and find where they put the downloaded episodes. Recently I had an issue with a podcast not downloading, receiving an error msg. I contacted their support email, but never received a response. I think the app is now style over substance. I have never been able to get the sync feature between devices to work. I accepted this as the other features outweighed this minor annoyance. But with change in interface and Pocketcasts now going to a subscription model for some of its products I have beed forced to look at the Apple product and others
- Smart design interface changes colors to complement beautiful podcast artwork
- Go mobile or listen at home! Full compatibility with Android Wear and Chromecast
- “Pocket Casts is the best podcast app for Android.” - AndroidCentral
Reviewed by Kaylin on March 7, 2018
Release Notes
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