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Pocket Casts - Podcast Player
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Pocket Casts is the world's most powerful podcast platform
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
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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.
Write a Review
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Differences from 6.x to 7.3
May 16, 2019 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.more -
Jan 2, 2021 (premium user) Last update did nothing to help the app and makes it far more frustrating. The "up next" panel is far more buggy now. To play something in the middle of your queue now requires multiple clicks. Everything that made the previous version simple and intuitive is now the opposite. Podcasts I can find on other apps, I can't find on this one. Dunno what you did, but I wish you hadn't. I'll go find a new app now.more -
Best podcast app with a few quirks
Oct 31, 2020 I want to just echo what most other reviewers are saying, in that Pocket Casts is the best podcast player out there. The UI in my opinion should used as an example in exemplary design in UI/UX programs or schools. I’ve tried others like Overcast or Google Podcasts, but I keep coming back to Pocket Casts. They’ve really put a ton of effort in refining their app over the years, often including entirely new features for free. They’re also one of the few companies that includes a quality web player so you keep up with your podcasts while your on your computer. As someone who relies on this app daily, it’s only natural that some issues might arise from time to time. One feature I use heavily is the ability to Cast podcast episodes to our Google Home or Nest speakers. Most of the time it works fine, but lately it seems like there’s some communication or latency issues between the server and the app. There is a long standing issue where if you finish a podcast episode while Chromecasting and your phone’s screen locked, then when you unlock your phone and go back to the app, the episode you just finished will still show it’s progress as being where it was prior to the screen being locked. Overall, this app is a must have. None of the other podcast apps, including the overly praised Overcast, come close to matching the ease of use and simple pleasure of using Pocket Casts!more -
Jan 9, 2021 Very Good App, Deceptive Sale Practices! I bought Pocket Casts several years ago as I chose to support the developers. Then, all of a sudden, the app became free for everybody. Now, a new paid option called "Plus" has been introduced that requires a monthly or yearly fee. So, you took my money for the lifetime upgrade license, then you converted my account to a free one, and now you want money again? These are truly deceptive practices, and I am not sure why Google allows them!more -
What I’ve been looking for... FINALLY!
Dec 3, 2020 I honestly don’t understand some of the negative reviews. Some are overly harsh for such minor inconveniences. I don’t know if the gripes are legitimate or just people expecting absolute 100% perfection from an app, and a developer with a stellar, bug-free track record. I had been using the Apple Podcast app for years but finally ditched it because of syncing issues between multiple devices (no matter how I tweaked the settings). I then tried at least ten others before landing on Pocket Casts. The other podcast apps were usable and each had its pros and cons, but Pocket Casts is the only app yet that syncs the way I need it to. I can listen on my iPhone, then log into my Mac (web interface) and pick right up where I left off. I haven’t tried the Mac app yet. I’m perfectly content with the other web page for listening. I also like the listening stats on the app and how it shows how much time I’ve saved with skipping, speed, trimming and so on. The layout is great and looks sleek and natural on the iPhone. As one user mentioned in a review, having folders of some sort would be nice. This way all of my podcasts aren’t lumped together, but can be separated by Sports, Science, etc... Other than this, I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. I subscribed for the year because I really don’t see anything else out there being better. I’ve looked again and again and haven’t found it until now. Thanks!more
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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 -
Dec 20, 2020 This app worked alright for me for about 6 months. But after a recent update, it no longer recognizes when I am on WiFi so it doesn't download anything. It often won't even let me download them manually. I waited out a few updates to see if this would get fixed because I'd rather not have to use a new app, repopulate my favourite shows, and try to remember which episodes I have listened to and which I haven't, but I see no other choice. I've tried all the fixes on different forums, to no avail.more -
BELIEVE the negative reviews!
Nov 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 -
Jan 8, 2021 I cannot overstate how great of a design this app has on Android Auto but equally fails on execution if you have more than a dozen podcasts in your library. I wish other developers would learn from the visual presentation approach of Pocket Cast & presenting recent episodes. It is by far, the best of any podcasts on AA. My issue, though, and the reason for the 1-star is that it only displays the first 19 podcasts of the 33 in my library. Sometimes it will display the full library but then suddenly remove some. It is as though the app is not allocation enough memory to your podcast library and wants to reload the library every few minutes. Thus, for a 40 minute commute, I will rarely get to the bottom half of my podcasts. Developer was of little help. Basically, 'can't find an issue on our side.' I even sent a video of its performance. If you use AA, begin your search for an alternative or use on bluetooth. The phone version of app has no issues.more -
So much good but one fatal flaw
Nov 19, 2020 I like so much about this app, and if you subscribe to a small number of pods you might enjoy it. But I subscribe to a lot. And there is no way to group them- if you subscribe to 100 podcasts they are just all listed on one big page. Now, there are filters but they are for episodes. So you can say, give me all I played episodes, or all episodes longer than an hour, and it mixes them all into a playlist. But if you just want to group your news shows, your fiction stories, your true crime, etc- no way to do that. I quit using this app after the fastest way for me to find the show I was looking for became too try and subscribe to it again and that would jump me to the page to play the next episode. And this isn’t a flaw- they want people to use filters and not folders. I don’t know why, and this is a long-standing complaint. I’ll occasionally check back to see if anything changed, but until then it’s just become unusable for me.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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Best podcast app with a few quirks
Oct 31, 2020 I want to just echo what most other reviewers are saying, in that Pocket Casts is the best podcast player out there. The UI in my opinion should used as an example in exemplary design in UI/UX programs or schools. I’ve tried others like Overcast or Google Podcasts, but I keep coming back to Pocket Casts. They’ve really put a ton of effort in refining their app over the years, often including entirely new features for free. They’re also one of the few companies that includes a quality web player so you keep up with your podcasts while your on your computer. As someone who relies on this app daily, it’s only natural that some issues might arise from time to time. One feature I use heavily is the ability to Cast podcast episodes to our Google Home or Nest speakers. Most of the time it works fine, but lately it seems like there’s some communication or latency issues between the server and the app. There is a long standing issue where if you finish a podcast episode while Chromecasting and your phone’s screen locked, then when you unlock your phone and go back to the app, the episode you just finished will still show it’s progress as being where it was prior to the screen being locked. Overall, this app is a must have. None of the other podcast apps, including the overly praised Overcast, come close to matching the ease of use and simple pleasure of using Pocket Casts!more -
What I’ve been looking for... FINALLY!
Dec 3, 2020 I honestly don’t understand some of the negative reviews. Some are overly harsh for such minor inconveniences. I don’t know if the gripes are legitimate or just people expecting absolute 100% perfection from an app, and a developer with a stellar, bug-free track record. I had been using the Apple Podcast app for years but finally ditched it because of syncing issues between multiple devices (no matter how I tweaked the settings). I then tried at least ten others before landing on Pocket Casts. The other podcast apps were usable and each had its pros and cons, but Pocket Casts is the only app yet that syncs the way I need it to. I can listen on my iPhone, then log into my Mac (web interface) and pick right up where I left off. I haven’t tried the Mac app yet. I’m perfectly content with the other web page for listening. I also like the listening stats on the app and how it shows how much time I’ve saved with skipping, speed, trimming and so on. The layout is great and looks sleek and natural on the iPhone. As one user mentioned in a review, having folders of some sort would be nice. This way all of my podcasts aren’t lumped together, but can be separated by Sports, Science, etc... Other than this, I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. I subscribed for the year because I really don’t see anything else out there being better. I’ve looked again and again and haven’t found it until now. Thanks!more -
Dec 31, 2020 After several updates the interface is now nearly as good as it was in 2018, but there are still strange broken features; when a podcast download fails there is no easy way to get the app to try and download it again. Instead it just tries to stream, which is no use to me when i want to download for later listening on the train, is it?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 -
Jan 5, 2021 Best Podcast App! Purchased this app years ago well before it was subscription based. It has come along way since then. When they changed it to subscription based they gave me a few years free since I already paid. So I started checking out other podcasts apps but this was by far my favorite. I recently looked to see how much free time I had left only to realize they made me a lifetime member. Makes me like the app even more. And now that the PC sync actually works I have zero complaints.more
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Differences from 6.x to 7.3
May 16, 2019 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.more -
Dec 15, 2020 Honestly a really great android podcast app. It's been my go-to for years now and there's really no reason for me to ever switch. That said it's not perfect but nothing is. Their search algorithm is a bit of a mess. You have to type what you're looking for perfectly for it to show. Second issue is if you're at the end of a podcast and hit skip 15 seconds ahead it won't just end the podcast. It'll keep going to the same 7 or 8 seconds left part over and over.more -
Search function and autoplay
Jan 8, 2021 The only gripe I have with this app is that the search function isn't particularly helpful. General search will only yield words within a podcast’s whole title (rather than the title or description of the episode). Only within that podcast’s listing can you sift through the episodes themselves using the search function. This means that finding individual podcasts on any particular subject is quite hard, and is only really possible if the entire podcast is dedicated to said subject. I re-downloaded apple’s podcasting app just to do searches. I also don’t know if other users love the auto play function, but all it does for me is cycle through the last thirty seconds of ads for every podcast I haven’t quite finished. Other than that, the app is quite nifty.more -
Jan 7, 2021 EDIT: They replied. And yes turning off the dns works. Looks like a global issue so no workaround. More tracers yayyyyy.............. All of a sudden I'm unable to play episodes Keep getting a "streaming failed try downloading podcast" I tried uninsalling and wiping its storage yet when I reinstalled nothing changed and I'm still stuck with this error. I don't know how it's still keeping my data.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
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Jan 2, 2021 (premium user) Last update did nothing to help the app and makes it far more frustrating. The "up next" panel is far more buggy now. To play something in the middle of your queue now requires multiple clicks. Everything that made the previous version simple and intuitive is now the opposite. Podcasts I can find on other apps, I can't find on this one. Dunno what you did, but I wish you hadn't. I'll go find a new app now.more -
Jan 9, 2021 Very Good App, Deceptive Sale Practices! I bought Pocket Casts several years ago as I chose to support the developers. Then, all of a sudden, the app became free for everybody. Now, a new paid option called "Plus" has been introduced that requires a monthly or yearly fee. So, you took my money for the lifetime upgrade license, then you converted my account to a free one, and now you want money again? These are truly deceptive practices, and I am not sure why Google allows them!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 -
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 -
Jan 6, 2021 Worst state I've seen the app in. I've had it for many years across many devices and this is by far the worst it has been. All of a sudden it won't let me pause, play or skip from the pull down notification bar. I have certain podcasts set to download, while I have download turned off on others, but it will just download everything, making that feature completely pointless. Really frustrating, since I use to love this app and the customization it had.more
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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 -
Dec 20, 2020 This app worked alright for me for about 6 months. But after a recent update, it no longer recognizes when I am on WiFi so it doesn't download anything. It often won't even let me download them manually. I waited out a few updates to see if this would get fixed because I'd rather not have to use a new app, repopulate my favourite shows, and try to remember which episodes I have listened to and which I haven't, but I see no other choice. I've tried all the fixes on different forums, to no avail.more -
So much good but one fatal flaw
Nov 19, 2020 I like so much about this app, and if you subscribe to a small number of pods you might enjoy it. But I subscribe to a lot. And there is no way to group them- if you subscribe to 100 podcasts they are just all listed on one big page. Now, there are filters but they are for episodes. So you can say, give me all I played episodes, or all episodes longer than an hour, and it mixes them all into a playlist. But if you just want to group your news shows, your fiction stories, your true crime, etc- no way to do that. I quit using this app after the fastest way for me to find the show I was looking for became too try and subscribe to it again and that would jump me to the page to play the next episode. And this isn’t a flaw- they want people to use filters and not folders. I don’t know why, and this is a long-standing complaint. I’ll occasionally check back to see if anything changed, but until then it’s just become unusable for me.more -
Features Are Great, But Won’t Stop Crashing
May 26, 2019 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.more -
Used to be good
Apr 2, 2019 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.more
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BELIEVE the negative reviews!
Nov 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 -
Jan 8, 2021 I cannot overstate how great of a design this app has on Android Auto but equally fails on execution if you have more than a dozen podcasts in your library. I wish other developers would learn from the visual presentation approach of Pocket Cast & presenting recent episodes. It is by far, the best of any podcasts on AA. My issue, though, and the reason for the 1-star is that it only displays the first 19 podcasts of the 33 in my library. Sometimes it will display the full library but then suddenly remove some. It is as though the app is not allocation enough memory to your podcast library and wants to reload the library every few minutes. Thus, for a 40 minute commute, I will rarely get to the bottom half of my podcasts. Developer was of little help. Basically, 'can't find an issue on our side.' I even sent a video of its performance. If you use AA, begin your search for an alternative or use on bluetooth. The phone version of app has no issues.more -
Dec 28, 2020 Playback is paused when opening a new app with pocket casts playing in the background. Once i navigate back to pocket casts the playback resumes. Constant seconds-long interruptions during playback. All on a stable wifi, Gig connection for tracks already downloaded to the device. Update: I sent you an in-app report as requested. The email i received said that a reply should not be expected. And if the problem persists to reach out again in January. I did my part. Hopefully, you'll do yours.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 -
Dec 16, 2020 Minor issue: Chose to use the dark themed icon, but any time the app is updated it turns right back, which is removing it from my home page on my phone. Major issues: I'm hearing 3x more ads playing during the podcasts I'm listening to; other issue is the fact that it won't play the next queued episode and instead soft closes the app, removing the banner from my drop down. Actively looking for a new app, this one has gone downhill since the change to the subscription pro format.more
What’s Groovy
Made the switch to Pocket Casts several months ago. So glad I made the change. They have more work to do on web version. If I pause on web version, will not return to play, need to remove from playlist and add back again. Decent syncing between mobile and web. Ok, using web browser (Chrome, Firefox) pausing on web, to restart, need to remove from queue and then restart. I've gotten used to it, but should be fixed. Try it, it's not hard to find. Don't know if it's an easy fix. Also web/phone sync
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What’s Subpar
Pocket Casts has been my go too podcasting app on Android for several years. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Lately, for some unknown reason, whenever I try starting the app from Android Auto it freezes up and causes Android Auto in my car to crash. The only way to get it working again is to reboot my phone AND restart my car (thus resetting my head unit and preventing Pocket Casts from auto-crashing). Google search reveals this issue has been ongoing without the dev caring.
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Filter Reviews
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Differences from 6.x to 7.3
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. -
(premium user) Last update did nothing to help the app and makes it far more frustrating. The "up next" panel is far more buggy now. To play something in the middle of your queue now requires multiple clicks. Everything that made the previous version simple and intuitive is now the opposite. Podcasts I can find on other apps, I can't find on this one. Dunno what you did, but I wish you hadn't. I'll go find a new app now.
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Best podcast app with a few quirks
I want to just echo what most other reviewers are saying, in that Pocket Casts is the best podcast player out there. The UI in my opinion should used as an example in exemplary design in UI/UX programs or schools. I’ve tried others like Overcast or Google Podcasts, but I keep coming back to Pocket Casts. They’ve really put a ton of effort in refining their app over the years, often including entirely new features for free. They’re also one of the few companies that includes a quality web player so you keep up with your podcasts while your on your computer. As someone who relies on this app daily, it’s only natural that some issues might arise from time to time. One feature I use heavily is the ability to Cast podcast episodes to our Google Home or Nest speakers. Most of the time it works fine, but lately it seems like there’s some communication or latency issues between the server and the app. There is a long standing issue where if you finish a podcast episode while Chromecasting and your phone’s screen locked, then when you unlock your phone and go back to the app, the episode you just finished will still show it’s progress as being where it was prior to the screen being locked. Overall, this app is a must have. None of the other podcast apps, including the overly praised Overcast, come close to matching the ease of use and simple pleasure of using Pocket Casts! -
Very Good App, Deceptive Sale Practices! I bought Pocket Casts several years ago as I chose to support the developers. Then, all of a sudden, the app became free for everybody. Now, a new paid option called "Plus" has been introduced that requires a monthly or yearly fee. So, you took my money for the lifetime upgrade license, then you converted my account to a free one, and now you want money again? These are truly deceptive practices, and I am not sure why Google allows them!
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What I’ve been looking for... FINALLY!
I honestly don’t understand some of the negative reviews. Some are overly harsh for such minor inconveniences. I don’t know if the gripes are legitimate or just people expecting absolute 100% perfection from an app, and a developer with a stellar, bug-free track record. I had been using the Apple Podcast app for years but finally ditched it because of syncing issues between multiple devices (no matter how I tweaked the settings). I then tried at least ten others before landing on Pocket Casts. The other podcast apps were usable and each had its pros and cons, but Pocket Casts is the only app yet that syncs the way I need it to. I can listen on my iPhone, then log into my Mac (web interface) and pick right up where I left off. I haven’t tried the Mac app yet. I’m perfectly content with the other web page for listening. I also like the listening stats on the app and how it shows how much time I’ve saved with skipping, speed, trimming and so on. The layout is great and looks sleek and natural on the iPhone. As one user mentioned in a review, having folders of some sort would be nice. This way all of my podcasts aren’t lumped together, but can be separated by Sports, Science, etc... Other than this, I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. I subscribed for the year because I really don’t see anything else out there being better. I’ve looked again and again and haven’t found it until now. Thanks! -
After several updates the interface is now nearly as good as it was in 2018, but there are still strange broken features; when a podcast download fails there is no easy way to get the app to try and download it again. Instead it just tries to stream, which is no use to me when i want to download for later listening on the train, is it?
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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. -
Best Podcast App! Purchased this app years ago well before it was subscription based. It has come along way since then. When they changed it to subscription based they gave me a few years free since I already paid. So I started checking out other podcasts apps but this was by far my favorite. I recently looked to see how much free time I had left only to realize they made me a lifetime member. Makes me like the app even more. And now that the PC sync actually works I have zero complaints.
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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.
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No longer casts to any of my Google devices
Beyond this issue, I do love the app. Can this bug get some attention? Let me know if there's any info I can provide. -
Great podcast app
This app does not deserve its low rating. It’s ability to organize my podcast library across any device is unmatched by other apps. The features are fantastic and the only place I think this app needs work is the discovery page on the iPad app. Keep up the good work and thank you 🙏 -
Search function and autoplay
The only gripe I have with this app is that the search function isn't particularly helpful. General search will only yield words within a podcast’s whole title (rather than the title or description of the episode). Only within that podcast’s listing can you sift through the episodes themselves using the search function. This means that finding individual podcasts on any particular subject is quite hard, and is only really possible if the entire podcast is dedicated to said subject. I re-downloaded apple’s podcasting app just to do searches. I also don’t know if other users love the auto play function, but all it does for me is cycle through the last thirty seconds of ads for every podcast I haven’t quite finished. Other than that, the app is quite nifty. -
Great Player!
Pocket Casts doesn't deserve it's low rating at all. I loved it on Android & it's equally great on iOS. I hope more people give it a go. -
Pretty good
Overall best podcast app for iOS I’ve seen. Well implemented proper dark mode. I wish the player bar had a better color scheme and some of the ui elements had less cartoonish colors. Also the ui elements could use a redesign to make it look more streamlined and put together -
Easy to use but glitchy
This app has a decent interface and is easy to use. I opted for this podcatcher because it can cast to chromecasts, which many cannot. Unfortunately this function doesn’t always work seamlessly. My biggest complaint is that podcasts take awhile to load and are not quick to playback. -
Pretty good
All in all pretty good. Although I do have a hard time finding features because they are not put where I would expect them. For example, feedback is under the gear icon in the upper right corner which is accessed by the profile icon on the bottom right of the screen. -
My favorite podcast app!
After using both Stitcher and the Apple / iOS Podcast app for many years, I discovered this app and have never wanted to look back. The interface and feature set are head and shoulders above! -
I tried so hard to like it
So, the icon rules and you can invert the black and red, which I love. It’s very reasonably priced and does all the basic things you’d expect. Except...in a weird way. The UI/UX still looks like an unholy mess to me and I’ve been using it for more than three years. Nothing that should be simple to do ever seems like it is. It’s like an alien designed the app and it all works and sounds good, but he’s an alien so he had no idea how to make it intuitive in the way many mac/ios apps are. I like apps that focus on a single thing, like podcasts, and do them so well they feel like they should be built into the next version of the operating system. Pocket Casts is definitely nothing like that, lol. Plus, maybe I’m lame but podcasts I find in the wild always want to open in Apple’s default player or some older but questionable choices like Stitcher, SoundCloud, or Overcast. I don’t like any of those apps *for podcasts* and I keep thinking there must be a way to set Pocket Casts as my default podcast filetype handler. I guess Apple hasn’t gotten round to enabling default apps for common file types yet? 🙄 For everything I like about Apple there’s something I really dislike. Anyway, Pocket Casts seems like a killer app under the hood; problem is I never felt like I understood it well enough to get at the things it could do. Maybe a total interface redesign or at least a really friendly, thorough tutorial and help section would be just the ticket! Til then, I’m afraid I can’t give it more than 3/5. Thanks. -
Almost great
A really great app that I’ve been using for 2 years, BUT I really need to be able to create and manage custom lists of podcasts. There’s some list functionality, but it’s limited and there’s no way to create a list of specific podcasts which is becoming a deal breaker for me. Please add this!
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Best podcast app with a few quirks
I want to just echo what most other reviewers are saying, in that Pocket Casts is the best podcast player out there. The UI in my opinion should used as an example in exemplary design in UI/UX programs or schools. I’ve tried others like Overcast or Google Podcasts, but I keep coming back to Pocket Casts. They’ve really put a ton of effort in refining their app over the years, often including entirely new features for free. They’re also one of the few companies that includes a quality web player so you keep up with your podcasts while your on your computer. As someone who relies on this app daily, it’s only natural that some issues might arise from time to time. One feature I use heavily is the ability to Cast podcast episodes to our Google Home or Nest speakers. Most of the time it works fine, but lately it seems like there’s some communication or latency issues between the server and the app. There is a long standing issue where if you finish a podcast episode while Chromecasting and your phone’s screen locked, then when you unlock your phone and go back to the app, the episode you just finished will still show it’s progress as being where it was prior to the screen being locked. Overall, this app is a must have. None of the other podcast apps, including the overly praised Overcast, come close to matching the ease of use and simple pleasure of using Pocket Casts! -
What I’ve been looking for... FINALLY!
I honestly don’t understand some of the negative reviews. Some are overly harsh for such minor inconveniences. I don’t know if the gripes are legitimate or just people expecting absolute 100% perfection from an app, and a developer with a stellar, bug-free track record. I had been using the Apple Podcast app for years but finally ditched it because of syncing issues between multiple devices (no matter how I tweaked the settings). I then tried at least ten others before landing on Pocket Casts. The other podcast apps were usable and each had its pros and cons, but Pocket Casts is the only app yet that syncs the way I need it to. I can listen on my iPhone, then log into my Mac (web interface) and pick right up where I left off. I haven’t tried the Mac app yet. I’m perfectly content with the other web page for listening. I also like the listening stats on the app and how it shows how much time I’ve saved with skipping, speed, trimming and so on. The layout is great and looks sleek and natural on the iPhone. As one user mentioned in a review, having folders of some sort would be nice. This way all of my podcasts aren’t lumped together, but can be separated by Sports, Science, etc... Other than this, I’m really liking what I’m seeing so far. I subscribed for the year because I really don’t see anything else out there being better. I’ve looked again and again and haven’t found it until now. Thanks! -
After several updates the interface is now nearly as good as it was in 2018, but there are still strange broken features; when a podcast download fails there is no easy way to get the app to try and download it again. Instead it just tries to stream, which is no use to me when i want to download for later listening on the train, is it?
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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! -
Best Podcast App! Purchased this app years ago well before it was subscription based. It has come along way since then. When they changed it to subscription based they gave me a few years free since I already paid. So I started checking out other podcasts apps but this was by far my favorite. I recently looked to see how much free time I had left only to realize they made me a lifetime member. Makes me like the app even more. And now that the PC sync actually works I have zero complaints.
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Love this app! Used it for years and it's taken me on many great journeys. Really well designed and reliable. Only one bug it's never had for me in 3 + years of use: Since the last update 10.0.1 the player controls on the lock screen are no longer responsive. Not sure what caused this - maybe something in the Android operating system update? In any case I'm sure the good people at pocket cast will have a fix for this soon.
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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! -
Updated: I had reviewed this with a poor rating. Since my other devices were working on my wifi, I thought the app was failing. I do believe it was the wifi connection/phone service not playing well together. I am back to loving my app! Really annoyed! Downloads take forever. Try to subscribe to new podcasts & it times out. Tried on wifi, data, on charger, nothing works. Tried to get help, won't connect. Really disappointed because this USED to be a good app. No looking for a replacement.
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Differences from 6.x to 7.3
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. -
Honestly a really great android podcast app. It's been my go-to for years now and there's really no reason for me to ever switch. That said it's not perfect but nothing is. Their search algorithm is a bit of a mess. You have to type what you're looking for perfectly for it to show. Second issue is if you're at the end of a podcast and hit skip 15 seconds ahead it won't just end the podcast. It'll keep going to the same 7 or 8 seconds left part over and over.
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Search function and autoplay
The only gripe I have with this app is that the search function isn't particularly helpful. General search will only yield words within a podcast’s whole title (rather than the title or description of the episode). Only within that podcast’s listing can you sift through the episodes themselves using the search function. This means that finding individual podcasts on any particular subject is quite hard, and is only really possible if the entire podcast is dedicated to said subject. I re-downloaded apple’s podcasting app just to do searches. I also don’t know if other users love the auto play function, but all it does for me is cycle through the last thirty seconds of ads for every podcast I haven’t quite finished. Other than that, the app is quite nifty. -
EDIT: They replied. And yes turning off the dns works. Looks like a global issue so no workaround. More tracers yayyyyy.............. All of a sudden I'm unable to play episodes Keep getting a "streaming failed try downloading podcast" I tried uninsalling and wiping its storage yet when I reinstalled nothing changed and I'm still stuck with this error. I don't know how it's still keeping my data.
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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. -
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. -
Great for podcasts - multiple devices useless
I’ve been using PocketCasts for a couple of years. I use it because I am comfortable with it and am able to manage my queue of 250 podcasts of which some are casual listening and some are daily. Here’s the rub and what makes me look around for something else now. You can spend lots of time creating rules for each podcast (auto queue it, prune to the last x episodes, etc) but guess what.... those rules you just customized for weeks on end, they only live on the device you set them up on. They do not sync to any other device. Using your iPad today? Forget it, you need to grab your phone where you customized everything... Makes no sense given lots of other things do sync, like your up next queue, or what episodes you starred, or you subscriptions. If you pay for the subscription so you can get the web version, yes you guessed it- nothing syncs to it, no rules can be created and the only thing you get is the what’s new view and what’s next. Why pay? Really like it still but unless they fix this I will move on. Free is good however... -
Been using this for years
I first purchased this app way back on my Samsung Galaxy S1. Over the years I’ve tried many podcatchers, but I keep coming back to this one. Its absolutely solid. With only two real complaints: 1) I wish the watch interface would mirror the episode states from my phone automatically (ie sort order, archived/played/unplayed status). I am halfway through re-listening to WoodTalk (400+ episodes) and its impossible to navigate on my watch with the (understandable) 50 episode limit. Using the “Play Next” transfer setting is a usable work-around. 2) I wish there was a lifetime option for Pocketcasts Plus (subscribed purely for watch support). I am fairly opposed to this subscription model that many podcatchers use. It doesn't seem like a podcatcher as old, and as mature as pocketcasts should need that much recurring development. If every app charged me a subscription I couldn’t afford to use a smartphone. That said, i use this app all the time and only paid like $4 nearly a decade ago, so this is the one app i feel semi-comfortable making an exception for. Still a solid app tho 👍 -
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??? -
Bugs and foibles
Have been with this app for 10 years. Put off a whole version for over a year then got a new phone so had to update. Went ok was pleased by some of the new features not so pleased with others. Let me ask you one thing if I am listening to a podcast, the podcast art and transports are what I am looking at, why do I need to “go to podcast” to change any settings? Aren’t I already in that podcast? So many extra clicks. That’s a bit insulting too. Go to podcast? No YOU go to podcast. With the latest update when you try to go to main podcast listing, it’s blank. Have to workaround just to go home. YOU go home. Keep developin guys.
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(premium user) Last update did nothing to help the app and makes it far more frustrating. The "up next" panel is far more buggy now. To play something in the middle of your queue now requires multiple clicks. Everything that made the previous version simple and intuitive is now the opposite. Podcasts I can find on other apps, I can't find on this one. Dunno what you did, but I wish you hadn't. I'll go find a new app now.
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Very Good App, Deceptive Sale Practices! I bought Pocket Casts several years ago as I chose to support the developers. Then, all of a sudden, the app became free for everybody. Now, a new paid option called "Plus" has been introduced that requires a monthly or yearly fee. So, you took my money for the lifetime upgrade license, then you converted my account to a free one, and now you want money again? These are truly deceptive practices, and I am not sure why Google allows them!
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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. -
Worst state I've seen the app in. I've had it for many years across many devices and this is by far the worst it has been. All of a sudden it won't let me pause, play or skip from the pull down notification bar. I have certain podcasts set to download, while I have download turned off on others, but it will just download everything, making that feature completely pointless. Really frustrating, since I use to love this app and the customization it had.
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This is the best and lightest podcast app I've used. The only thing preventing me from giving a full 5 stars is that sometimes the app bugs out and hides all episodes of a podcast that I haven't started. It usually happens when I return to the app on podcast's page as I'm listening to an episode of the same pod. Seems to only happen when I'm not following the podcast
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This app could do with the opportunity to make categories yourself on the podcasts tab of the app, when you are subscribed to a lot of them it is easy to lose your overview. Also it would be great if you could have 5 podcasts side by side on that tab, now there is only the option of 3 or 4, or you get a list
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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. 12/2/20 after working with pocket cast support app is still crashing
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Huge battery drain and it seems to go back several years with no fix. Im talking 30 to 40% in an hour! I was going nuts trying to figure out what app was draining my battery and its turned out to be this app. If an issue exists since atleast 2017 and still hasnt been fixed, thats terrible, wish i knew that before i bought this app.
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Disappointing search functions
Unfortunately you cannot put parentheses around a term and have it look for an exact match. That makes it frustratingly inefficient to find something you are looking for. As an example, I looked for “Bill Hader” in parentheses, and got everything from Bill Maher to Bill Nye the Science Guy. The search doesn’t look through specific episode titles or descriptions either. In the stock Apple app, you can search for an actor, and it will list all of the shows where he was a guest for an episode. In the stock Apple app, you can search for a specific incident or topic, and it will list all the shows where they featured that topic in an episode. The UI and the controls are pretty nice, but none of that matters if I can’t search for content I want to listen to.
Filter Reviews
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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. -
This app worked alright for me for about 6 months. But after a recent update, it no longer recognizes when I am on WiFi so it doesn't download anything. It often won't even let me download them manually. I waited out a few updates to see if this would get fixed because I'd rather not have to use a new app, repopulate my favourite shows, and try to remember which episodes I have listened to and which I haven't, but I see no other choice. I've tried all the fixes on different forums, to no avail.
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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. -
I cannot overstate how great of a design this app has on Android Auto but equally fails on execution if you have more than a dozen podcasts in your library. I wish other developers would learn from the visual presentation approach of Pocket Cast & presenting recent episodes. It is by far, the best of any podcasts on AA. My issue, though, and the reason for the 1-star is that it only displays the first 19 podcasts of the 33 in my library. Sometimes it will display the full library but then suddenly remove some. It is as though the app is not allocation enough memory to your podcast library and wants to reload the library every few minutes. Thus, for a 40 minute commute, I will rarely get to the bottom half of my podcasts. Developer was of little help. Basically, 'can't find an issue on our side.' I even sent a video of its performance. If you use AA, begin your search for an alternative or use on bluetooth. The phone version of app has no issues.
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So much good but one fatal flaw
I like so much about this app, and if you subscribe to a small number of pods you might enjoy it. But I subscribe to a lot. And there is no way to group them- if you subscribe to 100 podcasts they are just all listed on one big page. Now, there are filters but they are for episodes. So you can say, give me all I played episodes, or all episodes longer than an hour, and it mixes them all into a playlist. But if you just want to group your news shows, your fiction stories, your true crime, etc- no way to do that. I quit using this app after the fastest way for me to find the show I was looking for became too try and subscribe to it again and that would jump me to the page to play the next episode. And this isn’t a flaw- they want people to use filters and not folders. I don’t know why, and this is a long-standing complaint. I’ll occasionally check back to see if anything changed, but until then it’s just become unusable for me. -
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. -
Playback is paused when opening a new app with pocket casts playing in the background. Once i navigate back to pocket casts the playback resumes. Constant seconds-long interruptions during playback. All on a stable wifi, Gig connection for tracks already downloaded to the device. Update: I sent you an in-app report as requested. The email i received said that a reply should not be expected. And if the problem persists to reach out again in January. I did my part. Hopefully, you'll do yours.
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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! -
Minor issue: Chose to use the dark themed icon, but any time the app is updated it turns right back, which is removing it from my home page on my phone. Major issues: I'm hearing 3x more ads playing during the podcasts I'm listening to; other issue is the fact that it won't play the next queued episode and instead soft closes the app, removing the banner from my drop down. Actively looking for a new app, this one has gone downhill since the change to the subscription pro format.
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I bought this app in 2018. I wanted an app that I could just buy and it would work. Now it's apparently a dumb live service. I thought customers who had already bought it would get something, but there is zero acknowledgement that I ever made a purchase. Not a company I would trust with any more money in the future.
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Now playing Apple Watch
App no longer shows up in “Now playing” in Apple Watch. PLEASE FIX ASAP!!!!!!!! -
New issues
Lately, I’ve been having issues with CarPlay updating after items have been played and removed from the Up Next queue. Played episodes used to drop off the Up Next queue, and now they don’t. I’ve also had problems with podcasts downloading in the background as they become available. Rather, I need to open the app on my phone in order for anything to be refreshed and downloaded. This makes using the app in the car very annoying to deal with, as it is no longer plug and play -
Poor Apple Watch app
Downloading to Apple Watch is poorly executed. I constantly try alternatives to native Apple podcast app, but I always end up returning it it. Too bad they don’t give a 1 well free trial for Apple Watch. -
No longer syncs playing progress
Been using this for a while and I loved it, until it stopped syncing progress and my Up Next list with other platforms. I listen on multiple devices and it’s just annoying that this stopped. Please fix this. -
Big Pros — and Cons
I loved this app! Well designed with great features. But the last couple of versions just constantly shed my podcast subscriptions. It’s especially annoying for the Patreon ones that are more difficult to add back. -
Terrible Data Connection
Random podcasts won’t play and random ones will. The ones that don’t say there’s no internet, but the very next one will play. -
bye bye
从付费下载改成免费下载加内购之后，刷新时间越来越慢，经常比别的app晚几个小时甚至一两天，没什么用处了 -
Failed on Apple Watch. Not intuitive UI
I gives it 1 star for Apple watch app. It cannot signin to the account. The app have a “fresh account” to attempt login but when it fails it does not have any feedback/reason. Very bad design. The app on iPhone shoukd take a look at Cast Box app to make it more intuitive. For example when you browse a channel and quickly download episodes, there should be a quick download button on the episode list. No, this app requires you to jump into each episode just to hit download it. Another feature is it shoud have a “Similar To This” panel when you discover a channel. That will help you have a quick look on channels similar to what you are looking for. -
So much good but one fatal flaw
I like so much about this app, and if you subscribe to a small number of pods you might enjoy it. But I subscribe to a lot. And there is no way to group them- if you subscribe to 100 podcasts they are just all listed on one big page. Now, there are filters but they are for episodes. So you can say, give me all I played episodes, or all episodes longer than an hour, and it mixes them all into a playlist. But if you just want to group your news shows, your fiction stories, your true crime, etc- no way to do that. I quit using this app after the fastest way for me to find the show I was looking for became too try and subscribe to it again and that would jump me to the page to play the next episode. And this isn’t a flaw- they want people to use filters and not folders. I don’t know why, and this is a long-standing complaint. I’ll occasionally check back to see if anything changed, but until then it’s just become unusable for me. -
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.
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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. -
This app worked alright for me for about 6 months. But after a recent update, it no longer recognizes when I am on WiFi so it doesn't download anything. It often won't even let me download them manually. I waited out a few updates to see if this would get fixed because I'd rather not have to use a new app, repopulate my favourite shows, and try to remember which episodes I have listened to and which I haven't, but I see no other choice. I've tried all the fixes on different forums, to no avail.
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So much good but one fatal flaw
I like so much about this app, and if you subscribe to a small number of pods you might enjoy it. But I subscribe to a lot. And there is no way to group them- if you subscribe to 100 podcasts they are just all listed on one big page. Now, there are filters but they are for episodes. So you can say, give me all I played episodes, or all episodes longer than an hour, and it mixes them all into a playlist. But if you just want to group your news shows, your fiction stories, your true crime, etc- no way to do that. I quit using this app after the fastest way for me to find the show I was looking for became too try and subscribe to it again and that would jump me to the page to play the next episode. And this isn’t a flaw- they want people to use filters and not folders. I don’t know why, and this is a long-standing complaint. I’ll occasionally check back to see if anything changed, but until then it’s just become unusable for me. -
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. -
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. -
Loved it, now it's a mess
I used to love this app. Paid for it even and used it for years. Then they updated it and I'm not sure what else, but it's a mess.. An absolute mess. It randomly looses 15-30 minutes of podcasts I've listened to, sending me back in time wasting my time. The defaults of the old app have all been suppressed in the new one (why turn off new episode red circle by default?? Who thought that was a good idea). Archive vs delete??? Getting it to tell you all the back episodes of a cast and what ones you've listened to and others you haven't? Synching between my iPhone and iPad is spotty and forget my Apple Watch. I'm happy someone bought them out so they can keep working on this but honestly mostly since then it's been down hill. Fix it so I can love your app again. Otherwise I need to go find a replacement. -
Latest updates ruined a great app
I hate writing negative reviews, especially of an app that I have loved for years. But the latest set of updates has made Pocket Casts almost unusable. Previously, it was one of my most reliable apps, literally never crashing, never freezing, never having playback issues. It was pristine. I listen to podcasts through my whole day at work, and now it crashes, freezes, and shuts down dozens of times a day. I have to deal with a frozen screen and lose access to the rest of my phone or restart the app repeatedly. Also, the 15-second fast forward and rewind frequently don’t work either, getting caught in some sort of a loop where it keeps restarting at the same place as it’s trying to go back 15 seconds but never successfully does, ultimately leading to a crash. Inertia more than anything else has kept me from switching to a new app, but my frustration grows daily, so unless these basic bugs are fixed, I’ll have to go elsewhere. Otherwise, the major overhaul recently completed was delightful, but I would happily return to the old version and its stability if possible. -
What happened?
Discovered this podcast app about a year and a half ago. Deleted all others and used this one exclusively because it was so great. Easy to download multiple episodes, easy to create playlists of specific podcasts. So awesome! And then... an update. Now I don’t even know how to use it anymore. It’s like a brand new app and not at all easy to use anymore. At least to me. I tried going online to see if I can find help, but came up short. I no longer have an easy to use podcast app and it’s back to searching for “the one”. For those who find this app great, kudos to you. For me, it just won’t work anymore. Best of luck to the developers and hopefully sometime in the future the old app is brought back.
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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. -
I cannot overstate how great of a design this app has on Android Auto but equally fails on execution if you have more than a dozen podcasts in your library. I wish other developers would learn from the visual presentation approach of Pocket Cast & presenting recent episodes. It is by far, the best of any podcasts on AA. My issue, though, and the reason for the 1-star is that it only displays the first 19 podcasts of the 33 in my library. Sometimes it will display the full library but then suddenly remove some. It is as though the app is not allocation enough memory to your podcast library and wants to reload the library every few minutes. Thus, for a 40 minute commute, I will rarely get to the bottom half of my podcasts. Developer was of little help. Basically, 'can't find an issue on our side.' I even sent a video of its performance. If you use AA, begin your search for an alternative or use on bluetooth. The phone version of app has no issues.
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Playback is paused when opening a new app with pocket casts playing in the background. Once i navigate back to pocket casts the playback resumes. Constant seconds-long interruptions during playback. All on a stable wifi, Gig connection for tracks already downloaded to the device. Update: I sent you an in-app report as requested. The email i received said that a reply should not be expected. And if the problem persists to reach out again in January. I did my part. Hopefully, you'll do yours.
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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! -
Minor issue: Chose to use the dark themed icon, but any time the app is updated it turns right back, which is removing it from my home page on my phone. Major issues: I'm hearing 3x more ads playing during the podcasts I'm listening to; other issue is the fact that it won't play the next queued episode and instead soft closes the app, removing the banner from my drop down. Actively looking for a new app, this one has gone downhill since the change to the subscription pro format.
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I bought this app in 2018. I wanted an app that I could just buy and it would work. Now it's apparently a dumb live service. I thought customers who had already bought it would get something, but there is zero acknowledgement that I ever made a purchase. Not a company I would trust with any more money in the future.
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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! -
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
- 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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