# Castamatic Podcast Player — No nonsense podcast player > Advanced podcast player with custom playlists and enhanced audio. (iPhone/iPad app by Gunp Media Productions.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castamatic-podcast-player/id966632553 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Gunp Media Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/290533956) - Category: Music, Entertainment - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.20/5 from 86 App Store ratings · 70 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.6 · 137 MB - Languages: American English, Italian - Released: 2015-07-20 - Data updated: 2026-08-29 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castamatic-podcast-player/id966632553/reviews.md ## What is Castamatic Podcast Player? Castamatic is the best app to listen to podcasts on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Quickly assemble a custom sequence of episodes or create a smart playlist, and enjoy your favorite shows with enhanced audio quality thanks to Castamatic's machine learning Auto-leveler. New in Castamatic 13: on-device intelligence powered by Apple Intelligence. Generate full episode transcripts, automatically create chapters, and follow along with a live-scrolling transcript panel — all processed privately on your device. Highlights --------------- Magic Transcript: generate full episode transcripts directly on your device. Tap any line to jump to that exact moment. Magic Chapters: automatically split episodes into chapters using on-device AI, even when the podcast doesn't include them. Transcript Panel: follow along with a live-scrolling transcript right in the player, with full transport controls. Key Features --------------- -Chapters: quickly jump to favorite topics. Works with published chapter marks and AI-generated Magic Chapters. -Smart playlists with priority shows. -"On the Go" Playlist: quickly pick shows for the next listening session. -Support your favorite producers with Podcasting 2.0 and Value4Value. -Live podcasts: listen to live shows and get notified the moment they go live. -Podping: receive new episodes immediately after they are published. -Full support for Siri shortcuts. -Automatic Leveler: increase audio level consistency between different parts/voices of each show, without altering original audio character. -Adaptive Gap-Zapper: increase play speed without losing intelligibility by shortening silent parts. -Streaming: spare network traffic downloading only the parts you want to play. Or automatically download episodes as soon as they are published. -Apple Watch: control playback, volume, pick episodes, and adjust audio effects from the watch. -CarPlay: take your favorite shows with you in your car. -iCloud sync: sync subscriptions and playhead position across all your devices. -Backup and restore: manual and automatic backups keep your data safe. -Custom AudioUnit player: maximum performance and minimal battery drain. -Serverless design: Castamatic will keep on working until there are podcasts to listen to on planet Earth. Subscription (in app purchase) ------------- Castamatic is supported by advertising. A subscription is available to remove all ads. Subscription: "One Year Premium Subscription". Price: $14.99/year (may vary by country). Payment charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed and auto-renewal turned off in Account Settings after purchase. Privacy policy: https://castamatic.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://castamatic.com/terms_of_use/ Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription. -------------- We don't feel comfortable interrupting your listening experience to ask for reviews, but if you are feeling generous please take a minute to leave a nice review. Thank you for your support. ## Key features - Customizable playlists - Machine learning audio leveling - Adaptive gap zapping - Chapters support - Siri shortcuts - Apple Watch and CarPlay support - iCloud sync ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Premium Subscription | $14.99 | per year | **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Unlock everything | $3.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of Castamatic Podcast Player? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - ✨ Excellent ALC feature - 🚀 Fast performance - 👍 Clean UI design - 💡 Podcasting 2.0 features - 🌟 Great sound boost - 🌟 Silence trimming - 🌟 Timed skipping - 🌟 Customizable defaults - 🌟 No real ads - 🌟 Value for value concept - 🌟 Good artwork display - 🌟 Polished native components - 🌟 Well-designed interface - 🌟 Smooth playback - 🌟 Good audio quality - 🌟 Apple Watch app support - 🌟 Siri Shortcuts support - 🌟 Value 4 Value feature **Cons** - 🐛 Buggy player - 🐛 Audio drops out - 🐛 UI is terrible - 🐛 Lost place in podcasts - 🐛 Audio doesn't stop with AirPods - 🐛 App gets confused with Bluetooth - 🐛 Stalls on certain podcasts - 🐛 Laggy when opening - 🐛 Crashes and bugs - 🐛 UI freezes - 🐛 Search feature issues - 🐛 Sluggish and unresponsive - 🐛 Freezes on audio output change - 🐛 Sync problems - 🐛 Playback not smooth - 🐛 App freezes constantly - 🐛 Subpar performance - 🐛 No Siri commands - 🐛 Episode list unclear **Commonly reported bugs** - Contact link is dead - No avenue to report bugs - Audio drops out at random times - Once audio drops, episode is done - No combination of button presses will get audio back - Audio doesn't stop when AirPods are removed - Lost place 5-10 times this week - When playing on Bluetooth in the car, turning off the car can cause app to lose place - App starts from the beginning after losing place - App gets confused and loses place - App starts from the beginning - App has started over multiple podcasts at the beginning several times - Playback is not smooth - App freezes every time audio output changes - App freezes when trying to scroll through podcasts - App crashes often - Search feature often fails to work - Error loading podcast - Response could not be decoded - Data couldn't be read - App freezes on loading lists - Audio stalls while rebuffering - Audio gets caught in a loop - App freezes constantly upon loading - Cannot handle 100+ podcasts - All podcasts gone after update - App dies when touching 'Premium Subscription' button - App crashes on Apple Watch when trying to load episodes - Sync problem: playlists and played/unplayed episodes don't sync - Play sequence setting doesn't overrule individual podcast settings **Most requested features** - Add dark mode option - More granularity in playback speed - Instructional videos or blogs - Filter episodes by keywords - Hide podcasts with no new episodes - Playback history - Live show notifications - Add RSS feed support - Easier to view shownotes - Add AirPlay 2 support for Nest Mini - Manually set swipe actions - Badge for downloaded episodes - Display only downloaded episodes - Auto-download on the go setting - Download/stream on Apple Watch - LIT support - End of chapter/episode sleep timer - Time-based limit for News Mode - Sync playlists across devices - 1.75x playback speed option ## Recent user reviews (10 of 70) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castamatic-podcast-player/id966632553/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Great app *2025-10-07, version 11.0.7* This is a wonderful app. I do have some suggestions for it however the contact link is dead. I would love to message the dev with an enhancement request! Edit: found a few bugs but have no idea where to submit them to the dev. I hope there is an avenue to report these. ### 3/5 — Great ALC, buggy player *2025-10-04* The good: automatic level control. This works great when you have a podcast with multiple people speaking, whose audio levels are all over the place. The bad: Audio drops out at random times in the podcast. It might be 30 minutes in, or it might be two hours in. Once the audio drops out, that particular episode is done. No combination of button presses will get the audio back. ### 2/5 — Great app, terrible UI *2025-10-01, version 11.0.7* Honestly comes with a stack of excellent features hidden behind the worst UI imaginable, created by someone who clearly hates their users. If you can figure out what all the little icons mean, congratulations. Personally I’ve given up trying to download podcasts on this app. I’m sure the control is …somewhere. ### 4/5 — Nice app but No dark mode *2025-09-24, version 11.0.7* Please add a dark mode option independent of system dark mode ### 5/5 — Hidden treasure of podcast apps *2025-09-24* I’ve been hunting for the “perfect” podcast app and, imho, this comes the closest of anything on the market. It has pretty much everything you’d want in terms of sound boost, silence trimming, timed skipping of intros/outros, customizable global defaults w/the ability to save custom settings for each show, and no real ads – just a minimally invasive banner in the episode list promoting the premium version. The only (minor) quibble that I have is that the playback speed setting changes in 0.25x increments; a bit more granularity would be appreciated. Yes, you can subscribe for ten bucks a year to support the dev, but all the above features are available for free. Give it a shot, it’s an excellent app. ### 5/5 — The Final Boss! 🏆 *2025-08-20, version 11.0.5* I have been listening to, and creating, podcasts since BEFORE they were called “podcasts” 😉 - I have used or tried nearly EVERY podcasting app made for Apple devices…. And since the advent of “podcasting 2.0” I have been looking for a great app that can both handle the classic podcasting listener needs - but still has some of the amazing 2.0 features. Most new podcasting 2.0 apps are so “foreign” or “bizarre” in design and user interface that I find them unusable. Finally CASTAMATIC arrives with beautiful classic user interface stylings and new exciting 2.0 features!! Amazing!!! Thank you. My only suggestion is please have someone create some instructional videos or screenshot blogs on how to use some of the tricky new features. I’m a dummy and would love some basic walk throughs! ### 5/5 — My new favorite podcast app *2025-07-06* This is my new podcast app of choice. But I would love to be able to filter out entire episodes by keywords or phrases such as ,"BONUS" or "You may also like:", in order to block promoted episodes from other podcasts. ### 5/5 — My new favorite podcast app *2025-06-23* This is my podcast app of choice. But I would love to be able to filter out entire episodes by keywords or phrases such as ,"BONUS" or "You may also like:", in order to block promoted episodes from other podcasts. ### 4/5 — Overall best app with one flaw *2025-04-13* I love this app. It has all the podcasting 2.0 features and uses native components which looks and feels very polished. There is one downside, when playing on Bluetooth in the car, if you turn off the car while playing a podcast (without pausing it beforehand) there is a chance that the app will get confused and loose your place. Next time the app starts up the podcast starts from the beginning! If this can be fixed the app would be perfect! Update: thank you for for the developer response! Unfortunately I am still having this issue, I had it on my old car stereo system and still have this issue on the new one which is CarPlay enabled. Let me know if there is any way I can send detailed debug data somehow to help track this down. **Developer response:** Hello Andrei. I implemented some fixes that should correct the issue you were experiencing with playing position getting lost. Let me know if you still have the same problem. ### 4/5 — Buggy unfortunately *2025-03-07, version 10.0.4* Many times audio doesn’t stop when I take out my AirPods. Also it has lost my place 5-10 times this week and starts from the beginning. (March 7 2025). ## Frequently asked questions about Castamatic Podcast Player ### What does Castamatic Podcast Player do? Castamatic is a podcast player for iOS devices that allows you to listen to your favorite shows with enhanced audio quality. It offers features like custom playlist creation, chapter navigation, and adaptive gap zapping to improve your listening experience. ### What are the key features of Castamatic? Key features include a manual 'On the Go' playlist for immediate listening sessions, smart playlists with priority shows, automatic or manual playlist reordering, chapter support, Siri shortcuts, and program-dependent automatic leveling for consistent audio. ### How much does Castamatic Podcast Player cost? The app is free to download and use, but it is supported by advertising. A one-year premium subscription is available for $8.99 USD to remove all ads and unlock additional benefits. ### What devices is Castamatic compatible with? Castamatic is designed for iOS devices and offers full support for Apple Watch and CarPlay. It also features iCloud sync, allowing you to sync subscriptions and playback position across all your iOS devices. ### What are the main use cases for Castamatic? This app is ideal for users who want to curate their listening sessions with custom playlists, improve audio clarity and consistency, and enjoy podcasts on the go, in their car, or on their Apple Watch. It's also beneficial for those who want to support podcast producers through Value4Value features. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 13.2.0 — 2026-08-29 Version 13.2 - New Lock Screen widgets: start a playlist or open Castamatic with a single tap, without unlocking your phone. - On the Go can download the episodes you add to it, with a switch of its own that also covers episodes queued from another device. - Library search now finds podcasts, not only episodes, and the new "Go to Podcast" action takes you from an episode straight to the show that publishes it. - Select All and Clear All when choosing which podcasts to include in a playlist or in the notifications. - "Hide Fully Listened Podcasts" leaves only the shows with something left to hear in the list; podcasts with a live show on air stay visible. - Swipe up on the mini player to open the full player, and pull the shownotes up to read the episode title in full instead of truncated. - Premium: pick the color of the unlistened badge, and give the On the Go and Favorites playlists an icon and a color of their own. - Preferences have been reorganized, with notifications on a screen of their own and a description under each switch explaining what it does. - New episode alerts no longer arrive silently: Castamatic now asks for permission when you subscribe to a podcast and after a backup restore. - Notifications now have sounds of their own: one for a new episode, one for a finished download, and one for a live show, which is now announced in your language and can break through a Focus. - Closing playlist or podcast settings with unsaved changes now asks before discarding them. - iCloud sync problems are explained in plain words, and one failing step no longer stops the whole sync. - The playhead no longer jumps to the end of the episode when an outside command moves it while playback is paused. - On iPad, pulling the player down no longer leaves it stuck halfway. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13.1 - Home Screen widgets: see your current episode at a glance and play or pause right from the widget. Tap an episode or playlist to start listening without even opening the app. - iCloud playlist sync: your playlists, their order, and their settings now stay in sync across all your devices. - Custom playlist icons: personalize each playlist with hundreds of SF Symbols and your favorite colors. - Reorder episodes by hand: drag episodes to arrange your playlists exactly the way you want. - Loop Playlist: keep a playlist going by starting over from the top when it reaches the end. - New autoplay options, including an "Always from Top" mode. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13 - Magic Transcript: generate full episode transcripts on your device using Apple Intelligence. Tap any line to jump straight to that moment. - Magic Chapters: automatically split episodes into chapters using on-device AI, even when the podcast doesn't include them. - Transcript Panel: follow along with a live-scrolling transcript right in the player, with full transport controls. - Chapter artwork now displayed during previous/next chapter navigation. - Improved Value for Value reliability and error handling. - Improved CloudKit sync stability. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 13.1.7 — 2026-08-12 Version 13.1.7 - Favorites are no longer lost after a reinstall: episodes you starred, or added to On the Go, are now restored from iCloud even if you never played them. - New episodes are no longer marked as listened on a podcast you already follow: "Mark Old Episodes as Listened" now applies only when a podcast actually joins your library, so a show that publishes several episodes on the same day keeps them all unplayed. - News mode no longer marks your favorite episodes or the one loaded in the player as listened, and a new "Except Partially Played" option also spares episodes you have already started. - The "Cleanup" screen is now called "Downloads & Cleanup", making the automatic download settings easier to find. - The playlist filter "Streamed" is now called "Not Downloaded", and a description under the "Include episodes" switches spells out what your combination lets through — including the ones that quietly drop episodes from the playlist as soon as they are downloaded. - Turning off every switch in a filter group no longer leaves a playlist empty: a group with nothing selected simply doesn't filter. - Live shows announced in the standard Podcasting 2.0 format are no longer skipped: the Live playlist now appears as expected. - Restoring a full backup is no longer rejected as an invalid file when the backup lives outside Castamatic, for example in Files or iCloud Drive. - "Manage subscriptions" now opens subscription management inside the app, including on devices without the iTunes Store app, and opens the App Store on Apple silicon Macs. - The queue widget fills all of its slots again: the episodes shown follow autoplay, even past the end of the playlist. - VoiceOver now announces the download state of each episode. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13.1 - Home Screen widgets: see your current episode at a glance and play or pause right from the widget. Tap an episode or playlist to start listening without even opening the app. - iCloud playlist sync: your playlists, their order, and their settings now stay in sync across all your devices. - Custom playlist icons: personalize each playlist with hundreds of SF Symbols and your favorite colors. - Reorder episodes by hand: drag episodes to arrange your playlists exactly the way you want. - Loop Playlist: keep a playlist going by starting over from the top when it reaches the end. - New autoplay options, including an "Always from Top" mode. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13 - Magic Transcript: generate full episode transcripts on your device using Apple Intelligence. Tap any line to jump straight to that moment. - Magic Chapters: automatically split episodes into chapters using on-device AI, even when the podcast doesn't include them. - Transcript Panel: follow along with a live-scrolling transcript right in the player, with full transport controls. - Chapter artwork now displayed during previous/next chapter navigation. - Improved Value for Value reliability and error handling. - Improved CloudKit sync stability. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 13.1.6 — 2026-08-05 Version 13.1.6 - Sharing with your listening position works again: the spot you've reached is included in the link. - Episodes are now shared as a link, with a rich preview in Messages and other apps, and can be opened or saved anywhere a web address is accepted. - Fixed the episode you're listening to sometimes jumping backwards when its position synced in from another device. - Chapter artwork no longer disappears after an app update or when iOS frees up space: it's now regenerated automatically. - Fixed playlist icons in the Library sometimes being replaced by podcast artwork. - Artwork for your own audio files now also appears in the widget and on Apple Watch. - Fixed a further case where the lock screen could be left without artwork. - Autoplay now skips live episodes that haven't started yet or have already ended. - The podcast list on Apple Watch is now sorted the same way as on iPhone and in CarPlay. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13.1 - Home Screen widgets: see your current episode at a glance and play or pause right from the widget. Tap an episode or playlist to start listening without even opening the app. - iCloud playlist sync: your playlists, their order, and their settings now stay in sync across all your devices. - Custom playlist icons: personalize each playlist with hundreds of SF Symbols and your favorite colors. - Reorder episodes by hand: drag episodes to arrange your playlists exactly the way you want. - Loop Playlist: keep a playlist going by starting over from the top when it reaches the end. - New autoplay options, including an "Always from Top" mode. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13 - Magic Transcript: generate full episode transcripts on your device using Apple Intelligence. Tap any line to jump straight to that moment. - Magic Chapters: automatically split episodes into chapters using on-device AI, even when the podcast doesn't include them. - Transcript Panel: follow along with a live-scrolling transcript right in the player, with full transport controls. - Chapter artwork now displayed during previous/next chapter navigation. - Improved Value for Value reliability and error handling. - Improved CloudKit sync stability. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 13.1.5 — 2026-07-30 Version 13.1.5 - Clearer failed downloads: episodes whose download didn't complete now show a warning icon. Tap it to find out why and retry with a single tap. - Fixed playback sometimes being interrupted while the app refreshed your podcasts in the background. - Improved iCloud sync reliability: changes are no longer lost when they arrive while the app is starting up. - Fixed the lock screen sometimes showing blank artwork (on audio output changes or when resuming after a long pause). When episode artwork isn't available, the podcast's artwork is now used instead. - Fixed the chapter title not updating when skipping to the previous or next chapter while paused. - Fixed the playback position set from Siri or external controls (Lock Screen, Control Center) sometimes reverting after an interruption, such as a phone call. - Smoother, more accurate player level meters. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13.1.4 - Fixed the playback position occasionally not being saved correctly, which could cause playback to resume from an out-of-date spot. - Fixed new-episode notifications sometimes not arriving on some devices. - Fixed some navigation bar buttons, such as the feed settings button, disappearing at large text sizes (Display Zoom and Bold Text). Version 13.1 - Home Screen widgets: see your current episode at a glance and play or pause right from the widget. Tap an episode or playlist to start listening without even opening the app. - iCloud playlist sync: your playlists, their order, and their settings now stay in sync across all your devices. - Custom playlist icons: personalize each playlist with hundreds of SF Symbols and your favorite colors. - Reorder episodes by hand: drag episodes to arrange your playlists exactly the way you want. - Loop Playlist: keep a playlist going by starting over from the top when it reaches the end. - New autoplay options, including an "Always from Top" mode. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13 - Magic Transcript: generate full episode transcripts on your device using Apple Intelligence. Tap any line to jump straight to that moment. - Magic Chapters: automatically split episodes into chapters using on-device AI, even when the podcast doesn't include them. - Transcript Panel: follow along with a live-scrolling transcript right in the player, with full transport controls. - Chapter artwork now displayed during previous/next chapter navigation. - Improved Value for Value reliability and error handling. - Improved CloudKit sync stability. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. ### 13.1.4 — 2026-07-21 Version 13.1.4 - Fixed the playback position occasionally not being saved correctly, which could cause playback to resume from an out-of-date spot. - Fixed new-episode notifications sometimes not arriving on some devices. - Fixed some navigation bar buttons, such as the feed settings button, disappearing at large text sizes (Display Zoom and Bold Text). Version 13.1 - Home Screen widgets: see your current episode at a glance and play or pause right from the widget. Tap an episode or playlist to start listening without even opening the app. - iCloud playlist sync: your playlists, their order, and their settings now stay in sync across all your devices. - Custom playlist icons: personalize each playlist with hundreds of SF Symbols and your favorite colors. - Reorder episodes by hand: drag episodes to arrange your playlists exactly the way you want. - Loop Playlist: keep a playlist going by starting over from the top when it reaches the end. - New autoplay options, including an "Always from Top" mode. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. Version 13 - Magic Transcript: generate full episode transcripts on your device using Apple Intelligence. Tap any line to jump straight to that moment. - Magic Chapters: automatically split episodes into chapters using on-device AI, even when the podcast doesn't include them. - Transcript Panel: follow along with a live-scrolling transcript right in the player, with full transport controls. - Chapter artwork now displayed during previous/next chapter navigation. - Improved Value for Value reliability and error handling. - Improved CloudKit sync stability. - Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements. ## Apps similar to Castamatic Podcast Player | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Spotify: Music and Podcasts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spotify-music-and-podcasts/id324684580) | 4.8 (41,767,988) | Free | Music | | [Pandora: Music & Podcasts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pandora-music-and-podcasts/id284035177) | 4.8 (11,272,011) | Free | Music | | [iHeart: Radio, Music, Podcasts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iheart-radio-music-podcasts/id290638154) | 4.8 (639,275) | Free | Music | | [Global Player Radio & Podcasts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/global-player-radio-and-podcasts/id1142951331) | 4.9 (1,612) | Free | Music | | [Deezer: Music Player, Podcast](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deezer-music-player-podcast/id292738169) | 4.7 (36,622) | Free | Music | | [Radio France - podcast, direct](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/radio-france-podcast-direct/id310211433) | 4.8 (4,634) | Free | Music | ## More apps by Gunp Media Productions - [Digitalia.fm](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/digitaliafm/id334846109) All apps by Gunp Media Productions: https://appshunter.io/developer/290533956 ## Related topics [gunp media productions](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/gunp-media-productions) · [podcast republic](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/podcast-republic) · [var player](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/var-player) · [castro podcast player](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/castro-podcast-player) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*