Could have Been 5 stars, but…
So, I just moved my podcast listening to this app and I love it. I would have given it 5 stars, but there’s one significant problem. The app on the Apple Watch doesn’t work when the watch isn’t connected to the iPhone. All it does is control the playback on the iPhone.
Small but annoying bugs ruin excellent app
Often the screen displaying the subscribed podcasts is blank and there is no way of refreshing it without restarting the app.
Similarly when manually refreshing the new releases filter it often freezes and if you hit the back arrow while on filter your U are stuck on a page to create your own filter with no way of getting back.
It's annoying little things like these that drop this otherwise excellent app from 5 to 4 stars.
Similarly when manually refreshing the new releases filter it often freezes and if you hit the back arrow while on filter your U are stuck on a page to create your own filter with no way of getting back.
It's annoying little things like these that drop this otherwise excellent app from 5 to 4 stars.
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Response from developer
Hi there. Sorry to hear this! Could you please send us an in-app report of these issues via: profile -> settings -> help & feedback -> get in touch -> "get support " so we can look into these issues for you? If you could please include the email address of your sync account if you have one, that would be great. Thanks!
Amazing
Very nice improvement on design, thank you!
P.S. Also very good support!
P.S. Also very good support!
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 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!
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Abysmal Changes
Like many others this was the greatest app available until the changes.
Locks up often - unreliable
I like this app however it is too unreliable. I was glad to see compatibility with Apple shortcuts however that is next to useless as this app locks up all the time and has to be manually restarted. Has done this for at least a year across multiple iphones and iOS versions.
Checks all the boxes for me
I have only used this app for a week, but I find that it does what I want. I get into the car and my phone automatically connects to WiFi and picks up where I left off previously in the podcast. I stop to walk the dogs and put on my WiFi ear buds. The app automatically picks up the buds, connects where I let off in the car, and off I go. I use an iPhone X and Beats Pro buds. No dropouts while walking. Other necessary and desirable feature for me is the ability to tell the app to play one podcast after another without my input so that I can listen and drive safely. Very happy so far.
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The best option out there
I guess many people will be confused at the (currently) low rating for this fantastic app. This is a legacy of a major update that caused users a lot of problems - including myself - I personally experienced years worth of listening history disappearing and mass archiving of episodes (1000s of episodes) for no obvious reason. It took weeks and weeks to sort out the issues manually. There were various other issues that are well documented.
However, this is far past: the app is absolutely fantastic now. Rock solid reliability, syncing works well, granular controls, excellent filtering options, pleasing UI etc etc. I almost never do reviews, but I cannot bear an app that provides me so much utility and pleasure languishing on a 3.2 rating.
I’m subscribed to 100s of podcasts and listen to many hours a week: Pocketcasts is the best option that I keep returning to, despite some strong rivalry from Apple Podcasts and Overcast.
It’s a shame the app is burdened with the legacy of a botched update. If it’s your first time, then go for it; if you’re thinking of coming back then you should. I did.
I cannot comprehend how the app is - once again - anything less than a 5* app.
However, this is far past: the app is absolutely fantastic now. Rock solid reliability, syncing works well, granular controls, excellent filtering options, pleasing UI etc etc. I almost never do reviews, but I cannot bear an app that provides me so much utility and pleasure languishing on a 3.2 rating.
I’m subscribed to 100s of podcasts and listen to many hours a week: Pocketcasts is the best option that I keep returning to, despite some strong rivalry from Apple Podcasts and Overcast.
It’s a shame the app is burdened with the legacy of a botched update. If it’s your first time, then go for it; if you’re thinking of coming back then you should. I did.
I cannot comprehend how the app is - once again - anything less than a 5* app.
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Doing your best
I have been using the app for a while, and I too was displeased to find that I wasn’t grandfathered in to all the subscription benefits. Then I realized that for the multi-platform experience, fresh UI, and general reliability, I’m okay with paying ten bucks a year. This app still isn’t perfect, and the new subscription model does feel like a betrayal of the devs’ past, but that’s just how business works.
In the mean time, I’d love to see better support for iOS 13’s automatic dark mode. That why I won’t have to manually switch the theme in-app to dark.
In short, I know these folks are doing their best to appeal to a massive consumer base, and I hope to see a little more leniency and less hostility over something as trivial-in-the-grand-scheme as a podcast app.
In the mean time, I’d love to see better support for iOS 13’s automatic dark mode. That why I won’t have to manually switch the theme in-app to dark.
In short, I know these folks are doing their best to appeal to a massive consumer base, and I hope to see a little more leniency and less hostility over something as trivial-in-the-grand-scheme as a podcast app.
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Needs offline and streaming support for Watch.
I kept using this app even after the redesign ruined the UX and introduced a lot of bugs, because I had paid the one off cost for ‘lifetime’ access to the desktop app. Then one day, that’s no longer ‘lifetime’ access but only 3 years access as part of ‘PocketCasts Plus’. After telling everyone to deal with it they finally caved in and gave people the lifetime access they had already paid for.
Pocketcasts needs to support Apple Watch offline playback and streaming before I'm coming back to it.
Pocketcasts needs to support Apple Watch offline playback and streaming before I'm coming back to it.
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