It’s a start but needs improvement
The good thing about the app is the mini player. I really like that feature & it's something different than a static bottom bar that most apps use.
I also like the app's name and icon. I find both of them to be pretty memorable and simple. The rest of the app leaves much to be desired. Let’s start with the whole “minimalist” navigation approach. It seems like the goal was simplicity, but there are no navigation buttons/icons + you have to use the search to navigate everything. There's not even a global settings button or menu, which is also confusing.
When you're a new user like me and testing the app and only have one podcast, your feed is full of just one show. You can literally only get away from that screen by using the search. It's just not intuitive and goes against normal Apple design patterns. On the flip side, the episode listening page has the opposite problem. It has around 7 icons across 2 rows and is overwhelming and cluttered. Progressive disclosure would be the best thing to use here.
In combination, these two things make me suspect that the app was at least partially vibe coded bc idk how a human would insert such drastically different patterns into a single app.
The actual deal-breaker for me is the fact that there are no auto-generated chapters.
I'm looking for something to replace Spotify Podcasts and Apple Podcasts. Both of these apps have that feature (which allows you to skip to the next section of the podcast when ads start). It's super useful. the app might have potential, but I don't recommend it in its current state.
I also like the app's name and icon. I find both of them to be pretty memorable and simple. The rest of the app leaves much to be desired. Let’s start with the whole “minimalist” navigation approach. It seems like the goal was simplicity, but there are no navigation buttons/icons + you have to use the search to navigate everything. There's not even a global settings button or menu, which is also confusing.
When you're a new user like me and testing the app and only have one podcast, your feed is full of just one show. You can literally only get away from that screen by using the search. It's just not intuitive and goes against normal Apple design patterns. On the flip side, the episode listening page has the opposite problem. It has around 7 icons across 2 rows and is overwhelming and cluttered. Progressive disclosure would be the best thing to use here.
In combination, these two things make me suspect that the app was at least partially vibe coded bc idk how a human would insert such drastically different patterns into a single app.
The actual deal-breaker for me is the fact that there are no auto-generated chapters.
I'm looking for something to replace Spotify Podcasts and Apple Podcasts. Both of these apps have that feature (which allows you to skip to the next section of the podcast when ads start). It's super useful. the app might have potential, but I don't recommend it in its current state.
Show more
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.
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.
Show more
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!
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!
Show more
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
