When comparing Downcast vs Google Play Store, the Slant community recommends Downcast for most people. In the question“What are the most useful Android phone apps?” Downcast is ranked 21st while Google Play Store is ranked 35th. The most important reason people chose Downcast is:
Downcast can be set to automatically download new episodes of podcasts in the background.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
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 Accesses iTunes podcast library
Pro Supports password-protected feeds
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.
Pro Most variety
Google Play Store is an incredibly large app store and the largest on Android.
Pro Default store for the majority of Android devices around the world
The Google Play Store is of course the default store on all Android devices that have Google Play Services.
Cons
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
Con doesnt support parallel download
it download one by one instead of simulatenously
Con Zero quality control
There is absolutely no quality control on the Play Store whatsoever. AAA publishers constantly get away with purchasing five star reviews from click farm businesses while at the same time game spammers get away with flagging legit games that they have stolen code from and published as a clone.
Con Search isn't good
For what is the worlds leading search engine provider, Google offers a extremely poor user experience with the search functions on the Play Store. It is often easier to find a title by searching on Google rather than using the in built search on the Play Store.