So much promise, so poorly executed
NPR has great content, it's a shame they put it into this useless app. If you haven't seen this already, it will lock you out if you don't register after one week. I just want to listen to some podcasts, I don't want to cultivate a bubble. And no, NPR, I don't want you to track my usage. Take off. Second, the app does not queue the next segment, so if you're listening in a place with intermittent service (like the subway or in a car) you get one segment, then dead air. Extremely frustrating. It also randomly drops what you're listening to and starts a new segment. If you pause for more than a few seconds it starts a whole new podcast and there's no way to go back to what you were listening to without stopping, searching, and restarting. Overall, I love the content, it makes my commute interesting and at least feel somewhat productive. But this app is so dysfunctional as to defeat its own purpose. Please fix it.
Update: I wrote this something like 4 years ago and nothing has changed, except maybe to get worse. Now I get 5 - 10 minutes of a stream, then the buffer times out and I get the three “loading” dots for a long time until the app just crashes. Useless.
Update: I wrote this something like 4 years ago and nothing has changed, except maybe to get worse. Now I get 5 - 10 minutes of a stream, then the buffer times out and I get the three “loading” dots for a long time until the app just crashes. Useless.
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Not for listening to public radio
I switched over to NPR One from the original NPR app. The One version is overall styled better, but functionally is not quite there. It’s great if you go to NPR for its regular news-oriented programming or podcasts, but not for listening to public radio. Indeed, the latter is an afterthought at best: on the main “home” page (when you open the app), you have to scroll down a bit to get to your local station, and even then a further click to get to its streams. Or you can go to the dedicated station tab, but same deal: another click for different streams. But—and here’s its main weakness—you cannot add more than one local station at a time. This is really too bad, because one of the main benefits of the internet is that you can access stuff from afar, including favorite public radio stations (sorry, LA, but Sac’s classical stream is far better!). Oh, and Apple Car Play? Forget about it. Useless.
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Just Ok, so I use ApplePodcasts
I started off listening to NPR podcasts with this app. I loved it! I had more control over what I listened to as I didn’t always enjoy the shows played on my local NPR station. Over time though, I got frustrated and started to subscribe to NPR shows/podcasts on the ApplePodcasts app instead.
1. Ad breaks in NPR One app can’t be skipped unless you pay for the premium service. I already donate $35/month to my local NPR station and I don’t want to pull that away from them. Also, the donation drive weeks are still pretty annoying in the app, so no thanks. ApplePodcasts allow the user to skip through ads and they’re just less annoying in general. I know this likely isn’t possible but is there no way to link up local station donors to an NPR One account to a premium account?
2. The app does not remember your playback position if you stop listening and use another app or even remain in the app to read an article. I will stop in the middle of a podcast to read an article in the NPR app and when I go back to listening, it kicks off with another ad, then starts in on the National Newscast, completely forgetting about the podcast I was listening to. ApplePodcasts holds your playback position in a podcast even if you close out the app, and it is wonderful.
Those are my two most significant gripes at the moment.
1. Ad breaks in NPR One app can’t be skipped unless you pay for the premium service. I already donate $35/month to my local NPR station and I don’t want to pull that away from them. Also, the donation drive weeks are still pretty annoying in the app, so no thanks. ApplePodcasts allow the user to skip through ads and they’re just less annoying in general. I know this likely isn’t possible but is there no way to link up local station donors to an NPR One account to a premium account?
2. The app does not remember your playback position if you stop listening and use another app or even remain in the app to read an article. I will stop in the middle of a podcast to read an article in the NPR app and when I go back to listening, it kicks off with another ad, then starts in on the National Newscast, completely forgetting about the podcast I was listening to. ApplePodcasts holds your playback position in a podcast even if you close out the app, and it is wonderful.
Those are my two most significant gripes at the moment.
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NPR is always FIVE stars | This app is ONE
The concept is fantastic and it’s really nice be able to listen to stories on “shuffle” in a similar way you listen on the radio, without knowing what the next subject may be. The problem is you can not customize what you hear in any way, I listen to marketplace every evening on my way home from work so I don’t need it in the NPR One app. But I can’t inform the app that I don’t want to hear this anymore. It also repeats over and over and over, I’ve heart the intro to Children of Afghanistan no less than nine times so far. Lastly, you should be able to filter content based on your mood, the world is a depressing place right now and some days I don’t have it in me to hear political news. I feel like you should be able to “toggle” off political content, or the opposite…when it’s the day before/after an election, you could toggle on political content ONLY.
Everyone should absolutely still download the app, because the content is top notch and the tech is ALMOST there, but a lot more functionality, filters, “dislike” buttons, etc. are all needed to make this app live up to what NPR believes it is.
Everyone should absolutely still download the app, because the content is top notch and the tech is ALMOST there, but a lot more functionality, filters, “dislike” buttons, etc. are all needed to make this app live up to what NPR believes it is.
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Disappointing Downgrade
Update: Still playing repeat episodes, in the last 24 hours they’ve tried to play the same episode at least 6 times (that I’ve noticed so far)
I used to listen to NPR on the NPR News app, where you could make playlists and listen to (or binge) all your favorite shows, or choose a station and listen to a live stream. When the podcasts jumped ship, I was forced to switch over to this app, and it's been painful. Limited number of skips, but the news segments are broken up story by story, so you waste 10 of them trying to get through one segment, no playlist feature, which is the most frustrating thing. I've had the app randomly start playing when my phone was on silent and in my pocket, in public, in meetings, in the middle of conversations, even when the app isn't open. Additionally, there are several podcasts that seem to be added to my feed as filler. They play episodes I've heard multiple times, not rebroadcasts or new versions, just the same episode over and over. My most recent complaint is that it's become particularly glitchy. Not playing the story you select (as in playing a completely different one), or not loading. If this wasn't the only way for me to hear these podcasts I would never use this app again. The shuffle feature should be an option, but not the entirety of the function of the platform. This is a poorly designed disaster.
I used to listen to NPR on the NPR News app, where you could make playlists and listen to (or binge) all your favorite shows, or choose a station and listen to a live stream. When the podcasts jumped ship, I was forced to switch over to this app, and it's been painful. Limited number of skips, but the news segments are broken up story by story, so you waste 10 of them trying to get through one segment, no playlist feature, which is the most frustrating thing. I've had the app randomly start playing when my phone was on silent and in my pocket, in public, in meetings, in the middle of conversations, even when the app isn't open. Additionally, there are several podcasts that seem to be added to my feed as filler. They play episodes I've heard multiple times, not rebroadcasts or new versions, just the same episode over and over. My most recent complaint is that it's become particularly glitchy. Not playing the story you select (as in playing a completely different one), or not loading. If this wasn't the only way for me to hear these podcasts I would never use this app again. The shuffle feature should be an option, but not the entirety of the function of the platform. This is a poorly designed disaster.
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