One of the more accomplished of the many podcast apps out there is Player FM. It's been a while since we last covered it, but today's news is worthy of a mention. Version 4.0 has been announced, and with it comes a redesigned interface, premium membership options, and a host of other new features.

If you're a regular user, the first thing you'll notice is the new UI, headlined by a five-tab bottom navigation panel. The options available to you there are Discover, Downloads, Shows, Playlists, and Settings, which should cover the vast majority of what you need to do in the app, with it all now in easy reach of your thumb. The side menu is no more, and any other options from it can now be found in Settings.

According to the devs, the UI changes make more room for content, allow for easier one-handed control, and make navigation faster all-round. Settings also looks a bit different, with popular toggles for Downloaded Only, Show Played, and Force Offline showing up at the very top.

Premium subscriptions are being introduced, with the revenue being used to fund future development. Three tiers are available to choose from, which you can see detailed below:

Subscription Tiers

Patron - Annual payment = $9.99 pcm, Monthly payment= $14.99 - Perks include on-demand content recommendations, priority support, insider access, and exclusive updates. Plus everything that Pro and Gold gets.

Pro - Annual = $3.99 pcm, Monthly= $5.99 - Perks include full audio backups, full-text search, high-priority fetching, and more. Plus everything Gold gets.

Gold - Annual = $0.99 pcm, Monthly = $1.49 - Perks include no ads, cross-device/platform syncing, custom playlists, bookmarks, and more.

Additional upgrades in v.4.0 include next episode swiping, a redesigned mini-player, and new player animations. There's also a notification player with an all-new look, new notifications icons, and new URL and file import options.

Along with improvements to performance and syncing, plus an Oreo-friendly adaptive icon, it's clear this update is rather exhaustive. If you already have the app, the new version should hit your device in the next few days. Let us know what you think about it in the comments below.

Source: Player FM