Podcast Apps Aren’t That Simple

This translation was generated automatically.

Choosing a podcast app for a phone seems to be a very personal thing, much like podcasts themselves. We don’t even say “podcatcher” or “podcast client” anymore. That was 2007.

After a long series of misunderstandings, Instacast was unfortunately discontinued today. Castro, Overcast, Downcast, Apple’s Podcasts app, and a handful of smaller apps are available on iOS.

What does the app need to do? Subscribe to feeds, download episodes, and play them. Easy, right?

• Do we need a directory, scrape the iTunes directory, or let users enter feed URLs?
• Are feeds crawled on a server, or do the iPhones do it themselves?
• What about premium feeds behind a login?
• Everyone handles audio, but what about video?
• Show notes! All of them, with links, or just a short description? And make them pleasant to read!
• Media files: downloads, streaming, or both? Start streaming, then seamlessly continue with a download?
• Playlists: manual, smart, one or many? Continuous playback or manual selection?
• Variable speed: global, per podcast, using built-in controls, or with special tricks and shortened pauses?
• Skipping: fixed intervals, configurable, or dynamic?
• Sharing: your own website or the podcast’s website?
• CarPlay, if Apple grants the golden ticket?
• Sleep timer: is the system timer enough, or does the app need its own?

Should each of those options be configurable?

And all these basics need to work reliably, without nasty bugs, with every feed and media file out there. And, of course, chapter support.

It’s not that simple—not for someone building a podcast app, and not for an ambitious listener trying to choose one.