I need a podcast app that will automatically play the next episode.

December 20, 2021 8:45 AM

Hi folks. Like the title says, I am looking for a podcast app that will automatically play the next episode, as in, it finishes playing episode one and then automatically downloads and plays episode two. More inside.

I'm an iPhone user. I used to use the iPhone podcast app, until it stopped automatically playing the next episode, and now it is overengineered to the point of being unusable (and still does not play the next episode). I don't want to mess with playlists - I think that whatever podcast I've picked is essentially a playlist. I've tried Overcast, which will automatically play whatever the newest episode is but not what the next episode is. I've tried Spotify, and it also doesn't do this and makes my music recommendations weird. I just want an app that will play the next sequential episode as the default, without me taking an action.

Thanks in advance.

posted by bile and syntax to Technology (12 answers total)

spotify does this fine for me with any podcast I have listened to.
posted by alchemist at 8:53 AM on December 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Stitcher has this as a configuration option. You can choose to autoplay podcast episodes in “oldest to newest” or “newest to oldest” order.

I agree that the Apple Podcasts app is unusable.
posted by mekily at 8:59 AM on December 20, 2021 [3 favorites]

I think that Overcast will get close what you want, if you download in advance all the episodes you plan to listen to. It's not ideal, but that's the way I use it.
posted by moonmilk at 9:11 AM on December 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

I've tried Overcast, which will automatically play whatever the newest episode is but not what the next episode is.

Overcast will play in the order that you tell it to, but the settings to do so are slightly buried.

Tap the Overcast icon in the top left, tap on 'Nitpicky Details'. Turn off 'Play Next By Priority' ("When an episode in a playlist ends, play the topmost unplayed episode next instead of the following one.") For a given podcast, go to Settings, and check that Sort Unplayed or Sort All is set to 'Oldest to Newest'.
posted by zamboni at 9:55 AM on December 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Zamboni, I saw your comment and was briefly excited but "Play Next By Priority" has been turned off this entire time, and I have my podcasts sorted oldest to newest. I don't know why this is working for you and not me, but here we are.
posted by bile and syntax at 10:51 AM on December 20, 2021

Overcast automatically plays the next episode for me—I download all episodes and play from the Unplayed tab. I don’t know if that makes a difference or not.
posted by brook horse at 11:07 AM on December 20, 2021 [3 favorites]

I use the Podcast app and my episodes autoplay... I checked my settings (in Settings --> Podcasts) and I believe it's the "continous playback" option that controls this.
posted by DoubleLune at 11:28 AM on December 20, 2021 [3 favorites]

I don't know why this is working for you and not me, but here we are.

The behavior you're seeing ("automatically play whatever the newest episode is but not what the next episode is.") sounds basically like the Play Next By Priority setting, but maybe something else is going on.

Per this previously, is the Podcast set to Stream When Played, or Download?
posted by zamboni at 12:43 PM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]

Overcast allows you to choose which order to sort each individual podcast (the default is newest to oldest, but it can be reversed in the settings tab for the individual podcast), and should play in the order in which the episodes are sorted.
posted by firechicago at 3:55 PM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned Downcast. It’s very configurable and allows all sorts of download and playback customization.
posted by ReginaHart at 7:03 PM on December 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

My husband listens to a ton of podcasts so I read him your question and he says to try Stitcher or Podamatic.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:39 PM on December 20, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Update: nothing I did to the settings on Overcast fixed the problem, but Stitcher works great! Thanks so much for the help, everyone!
posted by bile and syntax at 11:38 AM on December 21, 2021