Version 3.0.0 (2020 Update!) App fully rebuilt from scratch. Fixed several memory leak issues. Changed app data storage from json to SQLite. Improved the refresh podcasts process speed. Implemented several animations for better UX. Improved app responsiveness on different display sizes. Added space bar key to play/pause the current playing. Apple today published its picks for the best media in 2019 across its various platforms and services. These include selections for best app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, as well as top picks in books and podcasts. Alongside these editorial selections, Apple has published top charts for the year across the App Store, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books. Vocal is a beautifully crafted podcatcher app which comes pre-packed in elementary OS, another best looking Linux Distro.There are lots of features, it offers out of the box including full audio and video support, streaming and downloading the podcasts, saving and custom skip interval, smart podcast management etc.
Look, I’m stubborn, I know that. I’m so resistant to change that despite much much better alternatives I’ll stick with the same crappy process I’ve always done. My podcast regime is no different. I’ve always used the Apple Podcast app (nee iTunes). Why? Why not, it worked fine I guess. I never needed another. But, I finally decided to make the switch to Overcast for my podcast habit, and I don’t think I’ll ever look back.
The Shortcomings Apple Podcast App
Apple has notoriously been slow moving about updating the iTunes Apple Podcast app for reasons beyond my comprehension. They seem to have an abundance of resources, yet despite basically owning the podcast market, never decided to add features or update the user experience.
That is until September this year.
In April, Apple rebranded iTunes to Apple Podcasts and then in September overhauled the app. However, all the new features to the Apple Podcasts app are ones literally nobody was asking for. Yet, my stubbornness kept me using it. I even kinda sorta reviewed the app redesign and if you squint hard enough I almost defend some of the changes.
Takes long for apps to open mac. Let’s see what I wrote:
“The Listen Now is a much-needed feature and a large upgrade over the existing Unplayed tab. Exiting or restarting the app will make it much easier to resume already-played podcasts or simply check out what’s new.”
Wrong.
“The tiles used in Listen Now and Library are more aesthetically pleasing than the listed UI.”
Nope.
The Podcast app sucks, point blank. It’s lacking in a lot of significant features, user experience, and play’ability (don’t know if that’s a word, but you get it).
Overcast App to the Rescue
As part of my role at Discover Pods, I speak to a lot of podcasters and superfans alike. Without fail, I get the same two-part reactions when someone discovers I’m still using the Apple Podcasts app.
- Really? Why?!?
- You know Overcast is way better, right?
Halo reach for mac download. Ok, so I finally willed up the courage to make the switch. Though change is never easy, after I migrated everything over, I’ll never go back.
![Best Mac App Podcasts 2019 Best Mac App Podcasts 2019](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134074028/934516341.png)
Migrating Your Podcast Subscriptions
For an Apple user, importing all your podcast subscriptions is likely the most tedious part of switching. Overcast does have a way to import previous subscriptions using an Outline Processor Markup Language (OPML) file, but unfortunately, Apple wants to make this difficult for you. The Podcasts iOS app doesn’t have an export OPML feature, so you’ll have to log in to iTunes from your computer, export it, send the file to your iPhone, then import into Overcast. For the superfans with tons (even hundreds) of podcast subscriptions, you’ll likely need to go this route to save you some time.
I, however, took this as an opportunity to scrub my subscriptions. Admittedly, I hadn’t done a Spring Cleaning of my podcast subscriptions in awhile, so I figured I’d manually migrate only the podcasts I listen to every week and then add new ones in my typical manner.
The Features Apple Never Thought About
Overcast has an abundance of features that can tailor nearly every podcast habit. As I wrote in the aforementioned Apple Podcasts app review, basically everyone’s habits are different and what they want/need from their app will differ. Some people choose to organize their podcasts by priority, some want the newer ones first, some want the older, etc.
The sheer fact that Overcast has a Settings page separates it from Apple Podcasts. However, like nearly everything in this app, it’s thought through this and has a Nitpicky Details section if you want extra customization.
Like I assume many of you, I listen to podcasts during my everyday commute. Mine now happens to be in a car, however, I used to walk through the busy streets of San Francisco. In either case, you don’t want to spend much time on your phone for personal safety reasons. With Apple Podcasts, as the podcast winded down to the closing credits and/or ads, I would skip to the next podcast which usually was a whole different podcast, not just the next one. All in all, it was probably about five clicks (presses?) to jump to the new podcast and play an episode. With Overcast, you have a few options to limit or even remove this burden. Mac theme for windows 10 free download. As you can see above, there’s the One-Tap Play feature which is fairly self-explanatory. You also have the playlists detailed below which autoplay the next podcast in your queue. With either option, you’re either able to get to your next podcast much faster, or just leave your phone in your pocket — or dashboard in my case — during commutes.
Podcast Subscription Organization
I’ve mentioned a couple times about how I sort my podcast subscriptions, but here it is again. I sort them into two buckets: timely and evergreen. Timely podcasts are those about current events, news, sports, and more. Think Pod Save America, The Daily, The Ringer NFL Show, Exponent, etc. Evergreen podcasts are those with stories to be listened to at your leisure, no rush. Think 99% Invisible, Twenty Thousand Hertz, Heavyweight, and others.
With Overcasts playlist feature, I can sort my podcasts exactly this way. What I did was create two smart playlists based on the subscriptions that fall into one of the two buckets, with the ability to prioritize some podcasts over the others.
Podcast Play’ability
I know the current discussion du jour is at what speed you listen to podcasts. Some prefer 2x, 1.5x, 3x or some other odd speeds. Me personally, I still prefer 1x speed though I see the benefits of speeding it up a bit. What I have heard from several podcast listeners is “it depends”. Some podcasts are fairly light and can be listened to at 2x or faster while other denser, more produced podcasts need more attention. What Overcast allows you to do is set default speeds and/or customize speeds by specific podcast.
There are also several intervals of speed changes to choose from. Where Apple Podcasts gives you 1/2x, 1x, 1.5x, 2x, Overcast allows for several more, especially in between the crucial 1x and 2x speeds.
Smart Speed
For full transparency, Smart Speed is the straw that broke the camel’s back for me to switch. The idea is pure genius. Like I said, I mostly listen at 1x speed but see the value in cramming more podcasts in a limited time. What Smart Speed does is remove the silences, pauses, and just dead spots inherent in nearly every podcast. These minor cuts add up over time, freeing up considerable podcast time. There’s even a handy counter that shows exactly how much time you’ve saved either from Smart Speed or speeding up your podcasts.
Our good friend Brendan (Podcast Playl.ist) is what many would call an extreme podcast superfan. On a recent podcast, we even joked about holding an intervention for him. Well, the Overcast time saved counter for him shows he’s saved 849 hours! That’s more than an entire month.
If you’re extra interested in the Smart Speed, here’s a great thorough breakdown and analysis on Medium.
Voice Boost
I’ve toggled this on and off with a couple podcast so far and can hear a minimal difference. I think it helps more on higher quality podcasts with crisper vocals. Overcast’s website says of the feature “Boost and normalize volume so every show is loud, clear, and at the same volume. Listen in more places, such as noisy cars, and still hear what everyone says without cranking the volume so high for quiet people that the loud ones blow your ears out.”
Things I Don’t Like So Far
Admittedly, a lot of these things are based on personal preference, but there are a couple things I would tweak.
The default player chooses to download your subscribed podcasts. For someone with unlimited data, but limited storage, I was lucky to catch this before the incessant iCloud storage is full notifications and the inability to upgrade apps. For me, I’d much rather stream the episodes and download on the occasions where I won’t have wifi or reliable service.
The social recommendations aren’t transparent. A neat feature with Overcast is the ability to connect your Twitter account and get semi-curated recommendations based on podcasts your followers are subscribed to as well. Relatively cool, and will likely become more valuable as Overcast catches on. However, I’m unable to see which followers are also connected to Overcast, subsequently recommending podcasts to me, I’m going to assume it’s fairly small.
It’s only available on iOS. Of course, this isn’t an issue for me, an iPhone user. However, just today a friend asked for a recommendation on choosing a podcast player for his Android phone. I recommended Overcast only to quickly realize it wasn’t available for him.
Best Mac App Podcasts 2019 Free
Verdict
Use the Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, on your Mac with macOS Catalina, or on your Apple TV.
Podcast On Mac
Listen to shows
When you play episodes in Apple Podcasts on your iOS or iPadOS device, a player appears at the bottom of the screen. Tap the player to open the Now Playing screen, which shows all the playback controls.
In the Apple Podcasts app on your Mac, the playback controls are at the top of the window.
To see Now Playing on Apple TV, open Apple Podcasts, then swipe down on your Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote. Now Playing appears in the top menu bar.
Control playback
Fast forward or rewind
To skip through an episode, tap or click the 15 second rewind button or the 30 second fast forward button .
To skip through an episode, tap or click the 15 second rewind button or the 30 second fast forward button .
Adjust the playback speed
To play a podcast at a different speed on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap the playback speed button . On your Mac, choose a playback speed from the Controls menu in the menu bar.
To play a podcast at a different speed on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap the playback speed button . On your Mac, choose a playback speed from the Controls menu in the menu bar.
Set a sleep timer
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can set a sleep timer to stop playing a podcast after a certain amount of time. From Now Playing, swipe up and tap the Sleep Timer button .
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can set a sleep timer to stop playing a podcast after a certain amount of time. From Now Playing, swipe up and tap the Sleep Timer button .
Play to a speaker
On your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, tap the playback destination button to change what device your audio plays to.
On your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, tap the playback destination button to change what device your audio plays to.
Play episodes in order or play the newest episode first
Some podcasts tell a story that sounds best when you start with the first episode. For other podcasts, you might want to listen to the latest episode first. Here's how to control the order in which episodes play:
- Go to the podcast's information page.
- Tap or click the More button , then tap or click Settings.
- Tap or click 'Play in Sequential Order' or 'Play Most Recent First.'
You can also set up continuous playback so that when an episode ends, the next episode automatically plays. Here's how:
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > Podcasts. Tap the slider next to Continuous Playback.
- On your Mac, choose Podcasts > Preferences from the menu bar in Podcasts. Then click Playback and select “Play the next episode when an episode ends.”
Subscribe to shows
Find shows you love, then subscribe to them to find out when new episodes are released.
Find a show
Browse categories like true crime or comedy. Or search for podcasts that mention a specific word or phrase. For example, search for 'Halley's comet' to see shows and episodes in which someone mentioned Halley's comet.
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap the Browse tab or the Search tab at the bottom of the screen.
- On your Mac, click Browse in the sidebar, or use the search field at the top of the sidebar.
To find podcasts that you recently played, tap or click Listen Now, then scroll to the Recently Played section at the bottom of the screen.
How to subscribe to a show
- Browse or search for a show in the Apple Podcasts app.
- Tap or click the show to see its information page.
- Tap or click Subscribe. Now, new episodes automatically download for free and you'll get a notification as they become available.
Download the sims full version free for mac. If you stop listening to a show for a while, Apple Podcasts might pause your subscription. The shows and downloaded episodes stay in your library, but new episodes might not be updated. To continue getting new episodes, subscribe again.
How to unsubscribe from a show
- Tap or click a show to see its information page.
- Tap or click the More button .
- From the menu that appears, choose Unsubscribe.
New episodes won't download to your device, but episodes that are already in your library won’t be deleted.
Download or delete episodes
Custom mac desktop app. Best beat maker software for mac. To listen to podcasts when you aren't connected to Wi-Fi or cellular, download the episodes before you go offline. Episodes automatically delete 24 hours after you play them, or you can delete them manually.
How to download episodes
- Find an episode in your library, or browse or search for an episode.
- Tap or click the download button next to the episode's name. Or, if you see the add button , tap or click it, then tap or click the download button .
If you don't see the download button , the episode is already downloaded to your device.
Turn off automatic downloads
Mac App Downloads
- To turn off automatic downloads on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > Podcasts > Download Episodes and choose Off.
- To turn off automatic downloads on your Mac, choose Podcasts > Preferences from the menu bar. Click General. Next to Automatically Download Episodes, choose Never.
How to delete episodes from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Find the show in your library.
- Tap the show to bring up its information page.
- Swipe left on the episode.
- Tap Delete.
How to delete episodes from your Mac
- In the sidebar, click Downloaded.
- Click the More button next to the episode that you want to remove, then choose Remove.
- Click Remove Download.
If you want episodes to automatically be deleted after you finish them, choose Podcasts > Preferences from the menu bar. Click Advanced, then select 'Automatically delete played episodes.'
Do more with Podcasts
If you're a frequent listener, here are some things you can do to make your Apple Podcasts experience even better.
Rate and review podcasts
In the Apple Podcasts app, search for the show, tap or click it, then scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section. Tap or click Write a Review, or choose how many stars you want to give.
Sync your podcasts
By default, your podcast library syncs across your devices so that if you pause an episode on one device, you can pick up where you left off on another. But if you turned off syncing, you can turn it back on. Here's how:
- On your iOS device, go to the Settings app. Scroll to Podcasts, tap it, then tap Sync Podcasts.
- On your Mac, open the Podcasts app, choose Podcasts > Preferences from the menu bar. Click Advanced, then select 'Sync subscriptions across devices.'
Mark an episode as played
To remove an episode from your queue, mark it as played.
![True True](/uploads/1/3/4/0/134074028/462849983.jpg)
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to the Listen Now tab and find the episode that you want to remove. Long press it, then tap Mark As Played.
- On your Mac, find the episode that you want to remove. Click the More button , then choose Mark as Played from the menu that appears.
Learn more
- Listen to Apple Podcasts on your Apple Watch.
- You can also play Apple Podcasts with Alexa.
- On a PC, listen to podcasts in iTunes for Windows.
- Learn how to use Siri to play music or podcasts.
- If you're a podcast creator, you can submit your podcast through Podcasts Connect.