Pocket Casts: Podcast Player Reviews

Still the best

tom5304

I just gave Castro a good trial, and though it’s really good, it can’t beat PocketCasts. PocketCasts is still the simplest, easiest podcast player I’ve used. Overcast doesn’t even work for me; way too buggy. Apple’s Podcast app is too limited and quirky (it won’t let you download a podcast episode over 140mb, etc.) I’m not bothered (yet) about PocketCasts being sold, although I can’t see why anyone would buy it unless they were going to change it to serve their own interests. Seems like simple common sense. But I’ll keep an open mind about the sale and take things as they come. I’ll add a fifth star when PocketCasts adds support for password protected podcasts, which I’m betting is just around the corner, since it helps podcasters monetize their podcasts.

Love this App!

JonEwaD

Since I’ve got this I’ve listened to 9 hrs of podcasts and saved over 5 hrs by using variable speed (1.6 for me), trimming silence, & skipping intros. I bought it because the apple podcast app doesn’t work with the Apple Watch and this what does. I can change episodes on my watch, skip ahead or behind, etc.

Best of the best!

downgraydd3r

Pros include: (1) notifications and customization of same is phenomenal; (2) listening stats are next-level and demonstrate extraordinary attention to detail; and (3) dark theme and icon settings are most welcome. I had a list of cons, all of which stemmed from a lack of understanding on my part: (A) list by episode with option to sort by date (solved with customizable lists that offer myriad options above and beyond anything I have seen); (B) add to play next or add to up next without downloading (solved once I learned that playback settings must be set to stream by default); and (C) play icon to the left of download icon so that users can engage the function without having to tap and hold (solved when stream by default was selected). Pocket Casts leaves the stock Podcasts app light years behind (in so many ways including its UI, customization, player options, and device cache management), providing a seamless user experience. Then there’s the fact that it exists in near-perfect form on Android and iOS and has online support for user profiles and preferences that transfer between devices. It seems like a contradiction, but here you get the best of platform support and agnosticism.

Nothing downloads

Bryce Neal

Everything I try to download is stuck in queued. Have tried everything. Will need to find a new app I guess.

Won’t download

Freckle fart 200000000

This app use to work just fine but for the last couple months the new episode would show in my downloads but wouldn’t actually download until I restarted my phone. Also you can’t play an episode, or even search through a podcasts library without subscribing to the pod. All episodes in a library are default set to played. I’m switching to overcast. Don’t waste your money.

Won’t download podcasts without WiFi

coudron

Even after enabling “Use Mobile Data”, podcasts stay queued for long periods of time and won’t download. Randomly, it works again. Annoying bug when trying to get ready for a flight.

Bug

FernandoHilbert

It bugged and I lose all my subscriptions, episodes played and not, playlists...

Favorite

J Pechter

My favorite podcast app, and I have tried them all. Love the act that it is on every operating system, supports everything, and does a great job trimming out the dead air and intros to get me listening fast. Only improvement I would like is the ability to browse and add a single episode of a pod without subscribing to a show. It would also be nice if the plus button to add was still there when you are inside your filters.

Clean, simple, functional.

David (@iheartnate)

Here’s the deal. This app is beautiful, it’s easy to use, and it hardly EVER has technical issues. I haven’t had an issue with Pocket Casts since I started using it a few years ago. And the funny stats on how long you’ve listened is awesome too. Definitely 100% recommend over any other single podcasting app

I like this app, but have some suggestions.

First time runner.

I tried a few different apps for podcasts after the default Apple one went to absolute crap. This one has good design, and I love that you can trim silence and play at faster speeds. I’d up my rating if these issues were addressed: - The “download all” button doesn’t work at all. - You can’t download an episode or even see a list of episodes for a podcast without subscribing to it. Additionally, if you unsubscribe, it will delete all episodes you have saved, which is really inconvenient. - It marks episodes played when you haven’t played them at all. This makes it hard to see what’s going on when you subscribe to a new podcast. - New episodes don’t always download automatically. It’s annoying because it waits until you open the app, meaning that sometimes it can be a bit of a wait before download. - You can’t organize your subscribe podcast list. This isn’t all that important, but it would be a nice feature.

Pocket Casts: Podcast Player Reviews – Page 6