Looking for a podcast app to replace Spotify
February 1, 2022 2:30 AM

I'm looking for an app to replace Spotify for listening to podcasts. It has to have an Android and Windows app (or a web interface), and it absolutely has to sync podcast progress properly between the apps (ie carry on from where I left off).

For example if I listen to a podcast up to 00:10:00 on my laptop and then pause it, then open the phone app and start the same podcast, it should start at 00:10:00. If I then play until 00:25:00 on my phone and switch back to the laptop, it has to pick up at 00:25:00 not at 00:10:00 where I left it previously. Spotify would occasionally fail to do this and I'd have to manually scrub through a podcast to figure out where I got to.

I'm willing to pay a reasonable one-off or subscription charge.

I'm giving PocketCast a trial run at the moment which seems like a decent podcast player but doesn't seem to sync progress very well. I've listened on the latop for a few minutes but when I pause and swap to the Android app it doesn't pick up from where I stopped on the laptop and visa versa.
posted by EndsOfInvention to Technology (7 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
Update on PocketCast: It did sync after I'd listened for another hour or so, so I don't know if my internet connection was stopping it synching properly earlier or it just doesn't sync very often?
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:14 AM on February 1, 2022


I've used PocketCast for years, and find that it syncs progress without a hitch. If you just had trouble with it, I'd consider that a fluke.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:36 AM on February 1, 2022


Downcast has been the podcast app I've used for years. Onetime, low charge.

I am not sure if it does the specific things you need, because I use it on iOS, but I think it's worth checking out to see if it does.
posted by alsoran at 4:47 AM on February 1, 2022


Can you clarify whether it is Pocketcast or Pocket Casts? The latter is what comes up in searches but all the queries are for the former.
posted by headnsouth at 5:42 AM on February 1, 2022


Pocket Casts
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:41 AM on February 1, 2022


Sorry yeah, Pocket Casts is what I'm trying out currently.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:05 AM on February 1, 2022


Been using Pocket Casts for a few weeks and while the device/browser sync isn't perfect I really like it as a podcast player.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 11:08 AM on March 11, 2022


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