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Podcast apps are dime a dozen today, with Google's own YouTube Music gaining support for the popular audio format not too long ago. But when we consider third-party offerings, Pocket Casts almost always makes it to the top of the list. Things haven't always been smooth behind the scenes for the app, but it's safe to say that it has stood the test of time. One glaring omission in the service's repertoire is a dedicated Wear OS app, while it has provided an Apple Watch app for a while now. Fortunately, developers have been working on an app for Google's smartwatch platform since last year, with a project issue tracker earlier this year detailing its progress. The app has now made its way out of development and entered the beta stage, allowing interested customers to take it for a spin.
One of the best podcast services is about to get its own Wear OS app
The Pocket Casts devs opened up development of dedicated Wear OS app last year
Pocket Casts is among the best podcast apps out there, supporting both Android and iOS. The contentious changes to the app several years ago and the corresponding ownership changes are well documented, but beneath these controversies, Pocket Casts is still a solid podcasts app. One thing missing from Pocket Casts’ solid portfolio is a Wear OS app, though. There was an app back in the days of Android Wear, but its development was halted amidst the aforementioned change of owners. It looks like a Wear OS app is close to release at this point, though, with the devs behind the service opening a GitHub thread last year detailing the current state of development.
Pocket Casts has a new owner... again
WordPress.com parent Automattic takes over a money-losing podcast app
The parent company of WordPress.com and Tumblr will acquire podcast player Pocket Casts from a public media consortium that included NPR among other organizations.
Pocket Casts will go up for sale again, three years after acquisition by public radio group
No word on a buyer yet
Podcast player application Pocket Casts was acquired by a public radio group in mid-2018, right around the time Spotify started expanding into the podcast world. The service has had some ups and downs since then, but now it looks like Pocket Casts could have new ownership in the near future.
Pocket Casts lets you pick what to listen to based on your commute's length
Plus multiselect improvements in beta
I've always wondered why some podcast applications don't consider episode length as an important factor in how people decide what to listen to. If I only have twenty minutes during my commute or 30 minutes on my drive, I don't want to start a lengthier episode and be forced to pause before it's over. A few podcast players recognized this a long time ago, but Pocket Casts remained an outlier until recently when it added sorting by episode length. Now it's also implementing duration filters.
I wish all music and audio apps on Android wouldn't stop playback when swiped away
Spotify, YouTube Music, why do you do this?
Several years ago, developers of music players on Android had to implement a persistent notification in order to keep their app running and music playing even when users switched to another app. With better memory management and more available RAM on modern phones, this isn't a concern anymore, and most devs have forgotten about that commodity. That has had one annoying consequence on several audio apps: If you mistakenly swipe them away, your music or podcasts or audiobooks stop playing.
Pocket Casts lets you automatically skip the unnecessary outros of some podcasts (Updated)
You'll have to manually set the duration per podcast though
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Since most podcasts start with a jingle and a small intro, possibly even ads, several podcast players have implemented a skip feature that lets you avoid those. You set up a specific duration per show (anything from a few seconds to a couple of minutes) and the app will automatically jump over that part and start playing. Pocket Casts is now adding a similar option, but for outros.
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- We didn't have to wait long for that update to land, with the app's Play Store listing now advertising the arrival of Pocket Casts v7.7, complete with this new Discover section. Of course we knew that all the functionality wouldn't be available right out of the gate, and the developer confirms that podcast curation is right now "a little bit of a tease because you won't immediately get new ones but when you do we think you'll like them."
Pocket Casts had a full year of controversy in 2019, first releasing a massively divisive material redesign, then following it up a few months later by going freemium. After the dust settled, the app started making slow improvements, introducing easier ways to check show notes and edit your playlist queue, and now releasing a total redesign of the Discover tab.
Slowly, very slowly, Pocket Casts is starting to add back features that were removed in the big move to v7. Version 7.6, which is now in beta, implements more of these improvements, notably bringing back the swipe to see show notes, and making it easier to edit the Up Next queue. We also get a new free theme and customizable quick actions in the Now Playing screen.
Many apps are rushing to add a dark mode now that Android 10 and iOS 13 have implemented it on the system level. Some apps, however, have had a dark theme for years and the only thing they need to change is to make it respect the system setting. That's the case for Pocket Casts, the popular podcast player.
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In its most sweeping change since being acquired by a public media consortium last year, podcast app Pocket Casts is making its Android and iOS apps free. Most features, including dark theming, cross-platform syncing, silence removal, and variable-speed playback will be available to all users. Other facets, including the desktop apps, will be available for a monthly or annual fee.
The saga of Pocket Casts' controversial v7 update continues, but there's more light at the end of the tunnel... or at least a hint of light at the end of the tunnel. After an update to v7.0.1 that fixed casting issues, made the swipe gesture customizable, and improved episode title layout in filters, a new version is rolling out with a few more features users were clamoring for.
To say that Pocket Casts' latest update to version 7 wasn't well received is an understatement. The app modified several of its core mechanics, removed some beloved features, and podcast addicts have been quite vocal about their displeasure with the changes. It's true that you can get used to most of them, but the team's response to a few concerns was underwhelming. Now the developers are trying to mend a few broken hearts by rolling improvements and fixes in v7.0.1.
Stop me if you've heard this before — a popular app gets a major update, and people get upset. There's always a subset of users annoyed after an app is revamped, but the blowback to Pocket Casts v7 has definitely been extreme over the past few days.
After about four months of beta testing, the new version of Pocket Casts is out, and to say it's divisive is an understatement. The app does look fresher and smoother, and there are plenty of nifty additions, but those of us who have used Pocket Casts for years can notice many regressions that make the app worse than before.
When asked about podcasts and which app to use, I immediately recommend Pocket Casts. It's been my go-to for many years now and it's only gotten better with time. As things have changed and evolved, how we consume our favorite media has shifted somewhat. Smart speakers and assistants are all the craze these days, so Pocket Casts is adapting to that by introducing an Alexa skill.
Pocket Casts has long been a go-to podcast player for many Android users, but it hasn't seen any appreciable visual updates for years. That changes today. The v7 beta build shows off a fully redesigned interface, along with some new usability features.
There's been a lot of chatter about Google Podcasts around here lately, but there are other podcast apps out there. The developers of one such app, the ever-popular Pocket Casts, have announced that the beta for the app, previously only available to some, will now be open to all users.
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Pocket Casts was just recently purchased by a group which includes NPR, and the developers have reassured us that their plans for the app haven't changed. But what if Pocket Casts had a slick new look to show for it? Google just released a partner study on its Material.io site, teasing a vivid re-imagining of the popular podcasts app.
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- Pocket Casts' creators have dispelled some concerns from users on their blog. They address the questions about selling and collecting user data, ads, and pushing content from the four networks instead of independently curating content.
Podcasts are pretty popular these days, and there are a lot of different ways to get your fix. One of the most well-known apps on Android (and iOS) is probably Pocket Casts. The app's days of independence have ended, though. Just earlier today NPR has announced that it—as part of a larger public radio group including WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life—was acquiring the fan-favorite app.