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Add to SafariWhen comparing Podcasts vs Downcast, the Slant community recommends Downcast for most people. In the question“What are the best podcast apps for iOS?” Downcast is ranked 3rd while Podcasts is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Downcast is:
Downcast can be set to automatically download new episodes of podcasts in the background.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Comes pre-installed
Pro Sleep timer
Pro Free
Pro Can auto-download new episodes
You can set the app to automatically download new episodes. Additionally, you can set how many episodes should be stored locally.
Pro Saves podcasts to the iTunes directory
Pro Auto-downloads podcasts
Downcast can be set to automatically download new episodes of podcasts in the background.
Pro Adjustable playback speed
You can change the playback speed to fit your needs up to 3x the speed.
Pro Sync between iOS devices
Downcast can synchronize podcasts and settings across iOS devices through iCloud.
Pro Supports password-protected feeds
Pro Accesses iTunes podcast library
Pro Gesture shortcuts
Downcast supports multi-touch gestures for navigating around.
Pro Sleep timer
You can set Downcast to shut off podcasts after a set amount of time.
Pro Adjustable skip interval
Pro Set the end time to be x seconds / minutes from the end time.
The ability to set the end time to be x seconds / minutes from the end is so excellent.
Pro Set the start time to be x seconds / minutes from the start time.
The ability to set the start time to be x seconds / minutes from the start time is amazing.
Pro Straightforward discovery system with feed support
This app helps users subscribe to podcasts through browsing top lists and categories as well as entering a feed or OPML address.
Pro Simple to use UI
Downcast has a straightforward, intuitive user interface.
Pro Mac App available
Pro Can stream episodes without downloading
Pro Can prioritize playlists
You can have Downcast prioritize your playlists automatically, allowing you to listen to podcasts in the order your prefer without you having to manually reorganize them.
Pro Set how long you wish to keep your podcasts locally
Downcast can be set to automatically remove podcasts that have been on your device for a certain amount of time or take up a certain amount of space on your device. This can be done to groups of podcasts or on a per podcast basis.
Pro AirPlay support
Pro Prioritizes show notes
Selecting a podcast for playback will bring up shownotes, instead of the more common choice of album art.
Cons
Con Very slow searching through podcasts catalogs
Con Makes my iPhone hot when using with associated battery drain (iPhone 11 Pro)
Still not fixed in iOS 17. Finally have to give up on this app.
Con Random shutdowns
A few people have issues with the app randomly deciding to shut down or not starting.
Con Extremely buggy
Around mid-2015 Downcast implemented some code that started to leave infinite loop processes that have the potential to cause the phone to heat up, lag, crash Downcast, or crash other apps. The bugs have only continued to get worse. Go with Overcast or Pocket Casts, or even Podcatcher for the Downcast feel.
Con Doesn't sync with iTunes
