Downcast is an excellent podcast app for iPhones; it’s much better than the Apple Podcast app.
Related: See my list of top technical podcasts I’m currently following.
When I first started listening to podcasts on my first MP3 player (a Creative Zen Touch), the software was very basic. I was tracking my podcast RSS feeds in Bloglines, so I wrote a Bloglines enclosure download script which I would run periodically on my Windows desktop, then use Windows Media Player to bulk copy everything to the Zen Touch.
For today’s iPhone users, there’s no excuse to not have a great podcast player. You’ve got the network connectivity, the audio player, and plenty of storage. Apple’s own Podcast application leaves a lot to be desired. It provides only basic functionality and doesn’t seem to ever be improved upon by Apple. Just check this Google search for Apple Podcast App – the top 5 results tell the story:
Instead, I recommend buying Downcast (US $1.99). I’ve recently switched and have my dozen or so tech podcasts up and running:
What makes Downcast so great? This is my short list of favorite features:
- Automatic refresh & downloads. Configurable to only download over wi-fi.
- Skip forward & backward by remote control commands (the “now playing” view), or by shaking the phone.
- Adjustable playback speed (1.5X, 2X, etc.). I’ve set this to 1.5X for most podcasts and it’s very listenable without making everyone’s voices sound funny.
- Settings galore. Possibly more than an iPhone aficionado would like to see, but I like the detailed level of control. In addition to global settings, you also have settings for individual podcasts (like the playback speed).
- Export feeds to OPML. Useful for backing up your current subscription list, and if you want to follow along with an RSS reader.
I have not played with everything yet, including iCloud Sync which is supposed to help when listening over multiple devices.
Finally, I have one feature suggestion: an option to email the “show notes” from each podcast episode you’ve listened to. It could be pretty simple to add, and would really make the whole flow of listening to podcasts much better. I don’t know of any podcast or similar app that does this, so to the maker’s of Downcast, here’s your chance!