Not content with iOS 8's standard Podcast app? Nope, neither were we. Here's a bunch of awesome alternatives
It seems that the 10 year old medium of podcasting might finally be getting the limelight it deserves. For those not in the know a “podcast” refers to episodic content that is usually free to download. Podcasts can be professionally produced--like those from the BBC--or done by amateurs and enthusiasts and cover almost every conceivable topic from current events to sports to comic books and tech. Its name originated from a combination of the terms “broadcasting” and “iPod” which was the music device that first brought podcasting into the limelight.
But the medium has always been a bit niche--until now. AdAge says podcasting is entering its “Golden Age” thanks to the popularity of shows like Serial and the choice by Apple to make their official Podcast app a default part of iOS 8. Matter of fact, between Spring and Autumn 2014 podcast viewership surged 18% in America alone.
But while podcasting is having its heyday we know plenty of people who don’t like the default Podcast app Apple now includes on every iPhone and iPad. With that in mind we suggest these six alternatives to get you listening to the most booming medium the Internet has ever created.
Overcast: Podcast Player (free)
Overcast is made by the same developers that make the wildly popular read-it-later app Instapaper. The app itself has all the goodies you’d expect from a podcasting app: auto downloads, episode notifications, offline play, and more. But it’s got two killer features beyond that. Smart Speed automatically cuts out any long gaps or silence in podcasts so their total length is shorter. And Voice Boost boosts quiet voices and lowers loud ones so all voices are normalized and easy to hear. Both of these features perfectly tackle the problems with many amateur podcasts.
Downcast (£2.29)
This podcasting app is for the podcast power user. You get all the normal management capabilities including auto downloads, playlists, and notifications of new episodes, but the app also supports password protected podcast feeds, which is awesome for those insiders with access to exclusive podcasts. A great thing about Downcast too is it also offers a companion Mac app.
Instacast 5 (free)
Yep, of course this app supports auto downloads, playlists, and all the rest, but what makes it really appealing is that it offers swipe gestures to easily access the individual episodes of a particular podcast. It also offers a Night Mode, which can engage automatically based on the time of day. Finally the app has powerful text search so you can search through the notes that accompany individual podcasts (which can be hundreds of words long each). This allows you to easily find a podcast about a certain subject without remembering the title of the podcast or the episode name or number.
Pocket Casts (£2.99)
This is a great app for Android switchers because it’s one of the most popular podcasting apps on the Android platform. The biggest feature here is cross platform syncing. If you use an iOS device and an Android device your subscriptions, playback positions and filters for every podcast will sync automatically. That in itself is insanely cool. But a note about those “filter” syncs. Pocket Casts lets you organize and search your podcast by filters so you can quickly apply a filter to see all your unplayed podcasts or sort them by custom categories. An added bonus is it supports both Chromecast casting and AirPlay streaming so you can beam your podcasts to any device--like the Apple TV or Google Chromecast--that supports streaming.
Castro (£2.99)
For those that want a more aesthetically pleasing, minimalist podcasting app, check out Castro. It differentiates itself from the others with its barebones UI and heavy swipe gesture support. The makers of the app say that design allows you to better focus on the content of each podcast. Another great feature about this app is it sorts all the episodes from each podcast into a timeline, which is great for browsing a program’s entire run. Add to that a sleep timer to automatically shut off the podcast when you go to bed and this is one well-rounded app.
Pod Wrangler (free)
The big thing about Pod Wrangler is that it runs on the Feed Wrangler network, which is powered by the Feed Wrangler engine--an RSS engine that easily allows you to grab the latest podcast episodes on the fly. I like the app’s clean white UI and simple lines, which any fans of iOS’s look and feel will love. While admittedly this podcast app is more barebones than the others on this list, it’s a great choice for those who just want something basic. It’s big buttons are also great for those who have trouble picking out small screen elements.
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