Lysten: Podcast Player

Lysten: Podcast Player

Easy to use, Privacy focused

9 ratings
3 reviews
Free
In-App Purchases

Details

  • Released
  • Updated
  • January 17, 2023
  • May 12, 2026

Features

Lysten: Podcast Player screenshot #1 for iPhone
Lysten: Podcast Player screenshot #2 for iPhone
Lysten: Podcast Player screenshot #3 for iPhone
Lysten: Podcast Player screenshot #4 for iPhone
iphone
ipad
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About

Easily discover and listen to podcasts with a privacy-focused player. Enjoy features like offline listening, interactive widgets, and seamless sharing with friends. Syncs via iCloud for a personal experience.

Privacy-focused design
iCloud sync for progress
Offline episode downloads
Interactive widgets
Sleep timer
Adjustable playback speed
Spotlight search indexing
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What's New in Lysten

2.2.1

May 12, 2026

- Sign in with your email — we've moved off CloudKit, so an account is now required to sync your library across devices. - Redesigned welcome and sign-in screens with new artwork and a fresh neon look. - New sidebar on iPad, with cover art and grouped sections. - CarPlay: a "Continue listening" carousel and nicer placeholders when artwork hasn't loaded yet. - Faster, more reliable artwork loading throughout the app. - Episodes without a subtitle now fall back to the description, so cards never look empty. - Smarter sync that only uploads what actually changed, plus better handling of follows, unfollows, and progress across devices. - Mark as finished now sticks the way you'd expect. - Fixes a bug where average duration could show 0 right after following a podcast. - Lots of stability fixes, including CarPlay and sign-in crashes.

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Subscription plans

Lysten+

Unlocks all Lysten+ features for a month

$1.991 Month
3 Days trial
How to cancel Lysten subscription ⁉️

User reviews

User privacy business model!!!

First, love to support developers that make software like you’re doing, that make a real attempt to respect users.
Love the minimalist approach. Simple, looks great, yet isn’t full of “busy” menus, links, or an overemphasis on externals/appearances over function that works smoothly for how users actually use podcast apps.

However, there are still some functional elements that keep me from freely using this app.
There are some unhandled exceptions, that appear to make the app crash/close. I’ve noticed this on occasion i think when interacting with download episodes, or switching between episodes and podcasts. Don’t have it zeroed in when it happens exactly.

I’d like to have some visible que to let me know that new episodes are available for a particular podcast, or maybe a visible mark on new episodes in the podcast listing so you know which are new or unlisted to.

I’d like to be able to at least manually refresh podcasts to check for new episodes, whether it’s simply being able to pull down on the podcasts list or an option in a quick menu. There’s no indicators or way of checking that new episodes are available.

I’ve noticed after selecting episodes to download that they sometimes disappear from the download list and I have to go back through the podcasts and download those episodes again. That’s a fairly significant deterrent for me to use this app.

Basically, I love the appearance and simplicity of this app, but would love just a few basic user functions that could be included in the current interface that would give it better functionality without changing how it is now. Of course, there are some bugs that appear to need to be worked out.
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Response from developer

Hey! First of all, sorry for the late reply. Thanks for your review and thank you for appreciating what we're trying to build. I'll add "Add new episode mark", "Introduce way to force refresh of podcast", "Investigate download bug" and "Investigate crash" to our to do list. We'll most likely prioritize crash fix and download bug fyi. Feel free to reach out directly to me at cesar@ambi.se if you have any other trouble or feedback. Have a nice day! / César

Great work, and A Great Design!

Thank you so much for creating this app! I’d been looking for another podcast app for a while now, and I came across this one using the App Store search. I love the privacy label and the minimalist design.

If I may ask to request a feature, I think this app could do well with a trim silence and or boost volume option. Other podcast apps I’ve used have them, and I love using it for some podcasts. However, I do not know if this would be easy to incorporate, and if not, no worries! This app is still great all on its own.

Take care, and thank you again!
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Response from developer

First of all, I’m truly sorry about replying this late. BUT we’re thrilled to know you enjoy Lysten this much, thank you for sharing! We’ll look into both trimming silence and boosting volume, thank you for the suggestions :) / Sincerely, Sofia

Armano 1888

This app keeps on crashing when you open it up and could you please fix the problem. Thank you so much This app keeps on crashing when you open it up and could you please fix the problem. Thank you so much

Response from developer

Hi! Could you elaborate on how it crashes? Does the UI appear, does it crash once playing etc. Feel free to reach out to us via e-mail, that way we'll get this sorted out much quicker. My e-mail is cesar@ambi.se Sincerely, César Pinto Castillo Ambi Studio

Developer apps

FAQ

What is Lysten?

Lysten is a lightweight and privacy-focused podcast player for iPhone and iPad. It allows you to easily search for, follow, and listen to your favorite podcasts without registration.

Does Lysten have ads?

No, Lysten does not contain advertisements. The app is free to use, with optional premium subscription plans available for enhanced features.

How does Lysten handle user data?

Lysten is privacy-focused and syncs your followed podcasts and episode progress using your private iCloud account. This ensures that the developers cannot access your listening data. Anonymous crash reports are collected for stability improvements.

What are the subscription options for Lysten?

Lysten offers two subscription plans: Lysten+ for $1.99 per month with a 3-day free trial, and Lysten+ Yearly for $19.99 per year with a 7-day free trial.

Can I listen to podcasts offline with Lysten?

Yes, you can download episodes to listen offline. Simply long-press an episode and select the 'Download' option.

What devices does Lysten support?

Lysten is available for iPhone and iPad users. It also offers an AppClip for users who do not have the app downloaded, allowing them to start listening immediately.

How often is Lysten updated?

The latest version of Lysten is 2.1.1, last updated on January 14, 2026. The app is developed by Ambi Studio AB and is written in 100% SwiftUI.

Is Lysten suitable for children?

Lysten has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. Its simple interface and privacy-focused design are beneficial for all ages.