# Cosmicast — user reviews > 74 indexed App Store user reviews of Cosmicast by PoeticBytes Inc., rated 4.50/5 from 178 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cosmicast/id1435195637/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cosmicast/id1435195637.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 133 · 4★ 21 · 3★ 9 · 2★ 3 · 1★ 12 ## What do users think of Cosmicast? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🎨 Beautiful, elegant, minimalist design - 🎵 Innovative vinyl record player interface - ⚡ Smooth animations and visual polish - 🎧 Customizable themes and color schemes - 🔍 Easy podcast discovery and search - 📱 Universal app across Apple devices - ⏩ Skip silence and variable playback speed features - 🎯 Simple, intuitive user interface - 👨‍💻 Responsive developer with quick updates - 📤 Audio clip sharing capability **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes - 💾 Lost subscriptions after closing app - 🎮 Poor CarPlay functionality - ❌ No video podcast support - 🔄 Playback doesn't resume from saved position - 📺 Broken macOS port and layout issues - ⚠️ Double audio streams playing simultaneously - 🔌 Unresponsive UI and performance issues - 🚫 Missing basic podcast player features - 💰 Subscription model introduced without notice - 🌐 Malware-infected developer website - 📉 App abandoned by developer over time **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes when scrolling through subscriptions - Double streams playing at same time - Subscriptions disappear after app closes - CarPlay crashes on selection - Search function crashes on certain podcasts - Playback doesn't resume from saved position - App starts episode from beginning instead of resuming - Topics tab shows no results - Unsubscribe functionality inconsistent across UI - Library resets when switching podcasts - Download action doesn't actually download episodes - UI becomes unresponsive on launch - Landscape mode causes screen glitches - Play/pause button not functioning correctly - OPML import causes crashes - Freezing graphics on wheel interface - Podcast episode count displays incorrectly **Most requested features** - SharePlay support - Save specific podcasts/playlists - Automatic episode downloads with storage limits - New episode notifications - Apple Music client version - Podcast name display alongside artwork - Episode sorting options - Show notes and chapters display - Gesture controls for episode notes - Volume boost feature - Better library organization (LP collection style) - Landscape mode support - Multi-device synchronization - Auto-download settings per podcast - Download progress indicators ## Newest reviews (11 of 74) ### 3/5 — Please add SharePlay! *2023-06-27, version 2.2.9* This would be 5 stars with SharePlay support. ### 4/5 — Almost perfect *2023-06-26* There are a few bugs, such as freezing the the graphics of the wheel altering. Podcasts, even in progress, will reset if I change to a different podcast. Also, the ability to save specific podcasts would be nice. ### 2/5 — Does not work properly with CarPlay *2021-03-20* I primarily listen to podcasts in my car and the main reason I bought this app was CarPlay. The CarPlay functionality does not work correctly at all. You basically have to open the app on your phone and keep it open for the app to work in CarPlay. Nothing will work without first opening the app on the phone. Very disappointing. ### 3/5 — Could be THE BEST with bug fixes *2021-01-12* I think this app has the best podcast playing interface. The minimalist interface takes some getting used to, but I like that it’s not in my face like other apps. There is just about every cool feature in this app: skip silence, change icon and color scheme, and sharing audio clips. Unfortunately, there are many bugs that cause the app to stop and/or crash. I’ve had the app crash when I’ve tried to share an audio clip from an episode; the Topics tab show no results for various topics, like medicine, for which I’m sure there are actually plenty of relevant podcasts; there are three different places to unsubscribe from a podcast, and I have to remember the right one that will actually remove it from my library—after I restart the app. Also, I wish the library was laid out like some sort of LP collection, and the Mac turntable UI is glitchy-ugly. Fixes for these issues would have me rushing back to Cosmicast on all my devices. ### 2/5 — So,so podcast player. *2020-09-16, version 2.2.8* OK for audio podcasts but it does not do video podcasts. There are free podcast players that are just as good. Not worth the money. ### 1/5 — Don’t waste your money *2020-05-05, version 2.2.1* I paid for this app when it always released and it was beginning to show some potential despite the terrible UI and frequent crashes, however latest update has hidden features behind a subscription. So I paid for functionality which only a few weeks later I can’t access. The Mac app also causes the UI to become unresponsive for several seconds on launch, I’d recommend using Apples podcast app, or Overcast /pocketcast if you want more features. This just isn’t worth the pain. ### 4/5 — Help! *2020-05-02, version 2.2.0* How can I see my subscribed channels?! ### 1/5 — Just an Audio Player - Still does not play video *2020-04-30, version 2.1.0* I only bought this app to play the video portions of podcasts, it doesnt do that. Just audio. No options for video on the 'This Episode' screen as instructed. I have to use Youtube - at least its free there. ### 3/5 — Car Play Crashing *2020-04-29* Car play crashes as soon as something is selected. The UI is visually appealing, but it seems like form over function. The app only allows half of your screen space for new episodes, playlists and subscriptions. The player page is nice, but it’s frustrating to actually use. ### 1/5 — No reason to spend $$ on this *2020-04-29, version 2.1.0* I tried this app hoping for an improvement to Apple's podcast client. This app is not an improvment. The cute spinning record is no substitute for an otherwise bad UI where podcast discovery is awkward at best, with the search list going away after selecting a new podcast. If you'd like to try more than one podcast you have to re-search. This was a killer for me as podcasts are so prevelant that new podcast discovery is a must-do-well in any client. ### 4/5 — Almost perfect *2020-04-27* Love the simplicity and the record interface. Great icons for cortex listeners as well! One thing that I’m missing a lot trying to switch from the default podcast app is the ability to specify how many episodes to download automatically and limit the number of downloaded episodes so a single subscription doesn’t eat up all of the storage. Otherwise a great app all around! **Developer response:** Hi there! Thank you for reaching out. I shall take these considerations onboard for a future update. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Do not buy *2024-02-07* Crashes and doesn't run A waste of money ### 1/5 — Not Orig Developer, Website Goes to Install Malware or Something *2023-11-13, version 2.2.9* I know that the original developer of this app is great, I have some other apps built by him, but whoever is operating as PoeticBytes has a non-functional website. I mean that in the sense that clicking on the link to PoeticBytes' website opened a URL that redirected me a few times and landed on some spyware/malware type of site that was trying to install a browser extension, or so it claimed. I obviously didn't go through with that and closed the browser window, etc, but just a heads up for anyone else trying to contact PoeticBytes. Or anyone remotely interested in finding out who PoeticBytes is. ### 1/5 — Beautiful app, abandoned by developer. *2023-02-06* Do not buy anything by this developer or his other alias Shihab. While all of his apps look great, all of them are abandoned, sold (to another company) or otherwise broken. ### 1/5 — Is this a joke? *2020-06-12* This app is literally riddled with bugs. There are double streams playing at the same time, all subscriptions are gone from library when I quit the app, the user interface becomes unresponsive, it does not resume when you pause, but starts from the beginning, etc... This is not even alpha quality... shame, hopefully Apple returns my money! ### 1/5 — Confusing *2020-06-03, version 2.2.5* Did you even look at this on macOS before you ported it from your iPad app? ### 1/5 — Amazing design, but bad functionality *2020-05-17* I tried Cosmicast because I heard all about how beautiful the layout was and was not disappointed when I first downloaded. However, after a week of use I had to switch back. The player glitches often, doesn’t load when opening, and pauses/unpauses at random. I hope it gets fixed but right now, it’s a 1/5. ### 1/5 — Still Not Fixed *2020-05-13* In my original review, I had a problem with double streams of the same podcast playing at the same time (every time) from the very first time I opened the app. The developer responded saying that it will be fixed in the next update (v2.2.5) Well, I updated and the double stream continues from the very first podcast after updating. I gave it a shot but, time to move on. **Developer response:** UPDATE: This has now been resolved with the latest update. Hi there, thank you for the feedback. This will be resolved for a future update sometime soon. ### 1/5 — Library doesn’t work for me *2020-05-09* Multiple times I’ve subscribed to podcasts and see them in my library, until I close the app, then they’re gone when I launch it again. If it’s something I’m doing wrong I’ll adjust my rating. **Developer response:** Hi there, thank you for the feedback. This should be fixed in the latest update now. ### 1/5 — Removed *2020-05-08, version 2.2.2* Quits playing repeatedly. ### 1/5 — Don’t understand *2020-05-08, version 2.2.2* Purchased application before and updated, and boom! It has a subscription section. I know it’s lots of hard work put into developing applications but nevertheless, users are entitled to be informed of any major changes. This wasn’t stated in the update notes by the developer and I found that to be dishonest. I’ve never really been much of podcast fan before and this just made it worse. Will delete the application and revert back to my non-podcast life instead of spending my buck monthly or yearly trying to listen to some people’s recordings. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Please continue support of this app *2024-07-25, version 2.2.9* Please, extend the development of this app ### 5/5 — Love it *2020-08-02, version 2.2.8* Great minimalist design and finding podcasts is super easy. However I would love a gesture to bring up the episode notes, or just make the notes easier to access. ### 5/5 — Apple Music client *2020-06-10* Why haven’t you guys made an Apple Music client?!?! The whole thing with the vinyls would be perfect for Apple Music. Keep the same design just make an Apple Music client. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ### 5/5 — Great *2020-05-12, version 2.2.5* The app is great. Nice visual alternative to the native podcast app. Give it a try ### 5/5 — Very clean! *2020-05-07* Really clean podcast player. Best animations in any podcast app I’ve used too. **Developer response:** Hi there, thank you for the feedback! ### 5/5 — Innovative Design *2020-05-04* This is a great app! I love the design elements and how flexible/customizable it is! The library view is a bit simplistic and hard to navigate, but as this is so new, and the developer is so active, I suspect that it will improve quickly! All in all, this makes listening to podcasts super fun and the record player imagery brings up a delightful sense of nostalgia! **Developer response:** Hi there, thank you for the great feedback and very kind words! You can enable 'full screen lists' via the settings section to browse through the library more easily, but work will continue on improving that going forward. ### 5/5 — Layout and lockup issues fixed - back to 5* *2020-05-04* Faced layout and lockup issues which have been fixed after the latest update. Back to 5 stars for this neat little podcast app. **Developer response:** Hi there, thank you for the great feedback! ### 5/5 — Finally a podcast app that is elegantly simple and aesthetically pleasing *2020-04-27, version 2.0.7* EDIT: Initially I had given this app a pretty low rating because of its bugginess but the update to the app has definitely fixed the issue. The app is now both beautiful to look at and works well as a podcast player. I am really looking forward to enjoying my podcasts on this app :) Thank you Shihab for your quick response and heads up on the upcoming update. ——————————————————————— I downloaded this app because I am always on the lookout for apps that are simple and aesthetically pleasing. Well, this app is very aesthetically pleasing and it is pretty simple to use; BUT out of all the podcasts I tried to subscribe to using this app only one worked. I mean podcasts play but the app won’t subscribe to them, which means that I have to look up the podcasts I want to listen to every time which defeats the purpose of a podcast player. I really want to like this app, but considering there are free podcast players that works better and looks fine, I really cannot give this app anything above two stars. ### 5/5 — Truly Excellent *2020-04-27, version 2.0.7* Great developer who iterates rapidly. Beautifully designed across every Apple platform, in one unified purchase. Superb. ### 5/5 — Completely rebuilt! *2020-04-23, version 2.0.5* This is an update to a review I wrote about the first version of this app, from late 2018. It seemed like abandonware, but as of a couple weeks ago the dev returned and completely rebuilt the app from the ground up. It now seems far more stable and feature-complete, and a joy to use. Thank you very much @JPEGuin! The old review: This app does not work as well as it looks. That said, it definitely looks very nice. However, it is plagued by bugs and has gone weeks with no word from the developer (see Developer Website, which links to Twitter account). For example, it often loses playing position (or even which episode is being played) if the app is closed. The download queuing doesn't seem to actually do much, because the app says it's "Fetching episode" even if I've told it to download. I really want to use this app, but for now I'm moving back to the stock app. Maybe an update will come and I'll be able to switch back. --- *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 2026-06-10.*