The iPhone podcast app Castro has a lot more competition in the market nowadays since I first reviewed it back in 2013. Arguably, Castro is still the most visually appealing of the current crowd and the developers are currently working on the next major version of the app, Castro 2. In the meantime, the developers have released Castro 1.5 with some new features and a new pricing model. Following Overcast’s lead, Castro is now completely free for all to download. The company is moving to a patronage model.
With no obligation to do so, you can optionally sign up to support development of the app for $3 for 3 months, $6 for six months and $12 for 12 months. The ‘subscription’ does not auto-renew and it doesn’t unlock any premium features either. It’s just a way to support the app’s continued development. The idea is the dedicated fanbase can subsidize the masses financially, bringing in more repeat revenue than a normal paid app or freemium model can offer.
In terms of new features, Castro now integrates with the iOS 9 Spotlight index to show podcast episodes right from the iOS search screen. It’s a nice convenience to be able to search podcasts from the same view in which you find apps or songs. Castro now includes extensive support for 3D Touch — both Peek and Pop and Home screen app icon shortcuts. You can also quickly play a random episode in your queue with the Lucky Dip Quick Action, which is a fun addition.
Castro is available for free on the App Store.
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OT: On the iOS podcast app in 9.x does your “Not Subscribed” bar in the My Podcasts view sometimes flicker alot when you scroll the list ?
I have yet to find a reason to use a Podcast App other than Apple’s. I like the sync between the Mac, other iOS devices – do the other apps do this and any benefit?
Has that gotten better? I purchased (the now defunct) Instacast for OSX and iOS which syncs between all platforms – played/unplayed, playback position, favorites and playlists all sync. Using the podcasts app was too limited for me.
Overcast syncs with their web player. It’s a pretty bare bones web client but the OVercast iOS app is pretty outstanding. With that being said I always seem to come back to Apple’s offering in the end.
Downcast is all you need. Syncs across all your iOS devices and Apple computers.