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- Is There A Podcast App For Macbook Air
- Is There A Podcast App For Mac
- Is There A Podcast App For Macbook
Music, TV, and podcasts take center stage. ITunes forever changed the way people experienced.
I wasn't going to write this post because I've already said most of what I wanted to on Twitter. Yesterday though, I changed my mind when I saw this Tweet from Product Hunt.
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- Best App for Recording Podcasts on Mac. Submitted by Ellie on Saturday, December 14, 2019. MacOS & Mac Apps.
The Best Podcast Apps for Mac ?️?️
Add your favorite ? https://t.co/S9X18oklTFpic.twitter.com/fGVNgRsYDH
— Product Hunt (@ProductHunt) July 15, 2017Add your favorite ? https://t.co/S9X18oklTFpic.twitter.com/fGVNgRsYDH
It's a link to a question posted on Product Hunt over three months ago asking for a decent Mac podcast app because iTunes is dreadful. The recommendations are what really angered me:
- Downcast - The is the only remotely sensible suggestion as it's a native Mac app that comes with an iOS counterpart. However the app isn't an improvement over iTunes to me as the UI could do with some work. The iPhone app also lacks features like Smart Speed that can be seen in Overcast and Pocket Casts.
- Overcast - No, Marco hasn't made a Mac version of Overcast but someone recommended using the web UI which doesn't in any way fill the place of a native app.
- Castro - Yep, no Mac app here either but even worse, there's no web UI and the user recommended using AirPods with your iPhone. My face hit my palm at that point.
I don't know why I even clicked the link because I knew after repeatedly searching for months there wasn't.
Pocket Casts
It's no secret that my favourite podcast app on my iPhone is Pocket Casts. I love the UI, the smart playlists, and up next feature. Not to mention the fact that it cuts out gaps in audio like Overcast and has a web UI.
While the web UI is okay it doesn't feel native and still leaves a number of issues. Most notably there is no media key or chapter support. On top of that, because I have it pinned as a tab in Safari I constantly find myself closing the window.
Building Desktop Casts
I opened up the web inspector for the Pocket Casts site and started recording the XHR requests. Reverse engineering their private API was simple as it's logically designed and uses a user token stored in a cookie for authentication.
That Friday I spent the day bashing something together that would interface with the Pocket Casts private API.
With a little tidying up this could be something pic.twitter.com/ZowMmZu1N4 Radio app mac free.
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) June 30, 2017I was excited with what I had and quickly registered desktopcasts.com, thinking that I could release this as an unofficial Pocket Casts Mac app.
Thankfully I had nothing planned that weekend and spent the entirety of it working on Desktop Casts. That's not hyperbole at all. The project had its grip on me and I couldn't stop thinking about it or working on it. I stayed awake until 3am Sunday working on it, got up at midday and worked some more.
I can’t decide if I like that bottom bar in dark. It is on the iPhone app and I do like the separation. pic.twitter.com/KfPYZReItg
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) June 30, 2017A lot happier with this now and think I have a general idea for the player layout at the bottom. pic.twitter.com/XKd94TJabE
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 2, 2017We’ve got show notes! ? pic.twitter.com/hLipNlboNa
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 2, 2017Let’s get that individual podcast screen in ? pic.twitter.com/BExjh4F36z
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 2, 2017Login screen looks a little nicer now pic.twitter.com/jBRNTVGHJB
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 2, 2017Chapters were easier than expected to add. Now just needs some tidy up. pic.twitter.com/aguqyt5AG4
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 2, 2017Turns out that panel is perfect for show notes too! pic.twitter.com/ExOim5zbUO
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 3, 2017Chapter support + seeking fully implemented ? pic.twitter.com/pY8epbQM6y
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 4, 2017Is There A Podcast App For Macbook Air
Game Over
I was excited. Finally it felt like I would finally have the Pocket Casts Mac app I so desperately wanted. In my excitement I'd assumed that this would all be fine but I wanted to make sure so I looped the @PocketCasts account in on the thread.
Hopefully @pocketcasts don’t mind me using their private API for this ?
— Stephen Radford (@steve228uk) July 2, 2017It turns out that was the right thing to do as they're not currently in a position to support an API.
I think this is cool personally, but please don't do this. We don't have an API for a reason, we just don't have the..
— Pocket Casts (@pocketcasts) July 3, 2017..resources to support it. Current changes we're working on will also probably break what you're doing..
— Pocket Casts (@pocketcasts) July 3, 2017.. Mac os run unsigned apps. and finally if you implement it wrong you risk getting people's accounts locked who use this app..
— Pocket Casts (@pocketcasts) July 3, 2017..don't want to be a buzz kill, but just hoping to be open and honest about using an API we don't have or support.
— Pocket Casts (@pocketcasts) July 3, 2017I was disappointed but I understood. It's their API, I broke their user terms by reverse engineering it and I totally understand not being able to support something as a small team from experience.
That said, I reached out to them via email to apologise for causing any alarm and they explained some more of their reasoning.
What Now?
Well I still get to use the best podcast app on the Mac. It syncs perfectly with Pocket Casts on my iPhone, I can skip to chapters and it's simply fantastic — and, you don't. You get to keep using a web UI that's a mediocre experience or put up with podcasts in iTunes if you can wade through that piece of crap.
I did consider releasing it as a standalone app that would subscribe to feeds on its own but that idea proved to not be popular and the additional time it would take to do that isn't worthwhile. If Pocket Casts (or Overcasts) ever release a public API that will sync with their service or mobile apps I will be ready and waiting.
Until then, the perfect podcast app for Mac is all but a dream.
Podcasting is a relatively new form of media that is disrupting more traditional forms of media such as radio talk shows. The success of Serial suddenly brought this somewhat obscure medium to the forefront and now people around the world seem to be taking it seriously enough.
Since podcasts aren't subject to the same types of restrictions present with a medium like radio, creators have a lot more freedom in terms of the type of content they can create and the length of the podcast.
Long-form podcasts are becoming increasingly popular. With this format, hosts talk at length about a topic or have in-depth interviews. This allows for more meaningful discussions and gives listeners the full story.
Podcasts are also easily accessible over the web and via various apps. A problem sometimes arises however with syncing your podcasts across various devices. In order to achieve this, a cross-platform podcast app is needed.
Say you have an iOS device and an Android device. Without a cross-platform app, if you follow a podcast on your iOS podcast app, you'll have to add it to your Android app. You also won't be able to sync the listening progress of episodes across devices. This can be quite the hassle.
Luckily there are some apps that have paid attention to this and will provide some relief. Here is our top 4 pick for the best cross-platform apps.
Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts offers a variety of features which are aimed at facilitating ease of use. You can adjust the playback speed with Pocket Casts, and apply filters to display episodes based on parameters such as download status and release date.
Cloud syncing is also available. With Pocket Casts, episode progress, subscriptions and filters are saved to the cloud.
This is especially useful for persons who use multiple devices. For example, if you start streaming your favorite podcast on your phone during the day, you can easily pick back up right where you left off later on in the day on another device like your laptop.
Download Pocket CastsiTunes
iTunes offers excellent functionality and the design of the app is quite smooth. iTunes is known for many things and being an effective podcast player is definitely one of them.
Much like with Pocket Casts, iTunes allows you to sync subscriptions and playback information across devices, which means that you can start listening to a podcast episode on one device, and resume listening, where you left off, on the other. Playback speed can also be adjusted.
While iTunes is free to download, this doesn't necessarily set it apart from Pocket Casts. There is no iTunes Android app or web app. Apps are limited to Mac OS, Windows and iOS.
Download iTunesStitcher
Stitcher offers apps for Android, iOS and the web. It is capable of syncing your subscriptions and playback information.
What makes Stitcher stand out is its original content. Some episodes from Stitchers shows are free, but premium content is also available for premium subscribers.
Is There A Podcast App For Mac
Stitcher original podcasts include LeVar Burton Reads and Wolverine: The Long Night. LeVar Burton Reads is centered around the Star Trek actor reading short fiction stories. Wolverine: The Long Night is a scripted podcast from Marvel which follows a string of mysterious deaths.
Download StitcherCastbox
There are Castbox apps for iOS, Android, Android Auto, Web, Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Podcasts can be synced across the supported platforms, allowing for resumption of a paused podcast on different devices.
What makes Castbox special is the way it allows users to search for content. It uses Natural Language Processing to transcribe audio files, thus allowing for more exact search results as compared to carrying out searches based on keywords and tags. Essentially your searches will return results based on words actually used within podcasts.
Castbox even goes an extra step and allows content creators to host their own podcasts as well.
Download CastboxWhich App Works Best for You?
If you are an Apple Junkie, then iTunes will work fine for you. However, if you have an Android device, you'll be in trouble. Using an app like Castbox is a great solution for Android and for class-platform use in gerenral.
The truth is that Pocket Casts, Stitcher and Castbox will give you a broader cross-platform experience and allow for syncing your subscriptions. Each app has its benefits. Pocket Casts allows for the detailed syncing of a lot of parameters such as filters across devices, Stitcher has original content and Castbox allows you to host your own podcasts.
Is There A Podcast App For Macbook
Depending on what you value more, you may want to choose one app over another. Take these things into consideration and choose the app that works best for you.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read Next10 Best Podcast Apps for AndroidAlso See#podcast #synchronization
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