Podcast app "Castro" updated to version 3.0 this week, introducing a collection of notable additions like a rebuilt player engine, cleaner layout, Apple Watch app, and more.
Developer Supertop Software says that Castro 3 is "much faster" when users start streaming a podcast and the app's controls are more responsive thanks to a simpler layout on the player screen. Users can now star the current episode they're listening to from the player by double tapping the artwork, and in this screen there are also newly accessible AirPlay controls for streaming podcasts to other devices with fewer steps.
Additionally, Supertop has rolled out an Apple Watch app for podcast playback, letting users control their podcasts and choose new episodes from their queue to play.
Castro is a free app to download [Direct Link], and the app supports in-app purchases for Castro Plus at $8.99 per year or $2.99 per quarter. Castro Plus offers advanced features like mono-mix, chapter skipping and selection, trim silence and enhanced voices for an improved listening experience, and more.
Many users have grown frustrated with Apple's own dedicated Podcasts app, despite an update last year that Apple said was aimed at introducing a "richer" user experience. As more and more companies begin looking into the podcast market, Apple has been making moves that should beef up its own app, including the acquisition of podcast search startup Pop Up Archive last December.
Top Rated Comments
I’m subscribed to around 15-20 podcasts at any one time, and PocketCasts has been my go-to podcast player for years, whether on iPhone or Android. PocketCasts checks all the boxes. But I like to change things up and try something new.
Apple’s Podcast app is pretty and easy to use, but no silence-skipping is a non-starter at this point. Skipping all those small silences really adds up over time.
I paid $10 upfront for an annual subscription to Overcast, and then a couple of months ago it stopped working COMPLETELY. It crashes upon opening every time. The developer refuses to respond to multiple emails, and App Store reviews show I’m not the only one for whom the app has become unusable. I’m out $10 on Overcast, but as the developer says, “That’s life, thanks for understanding.”
I’m heading over to the App Store now to give Castro a try.
The thing that perplexed me is that 90% of the time my podcast apps just run the battery down a little bit when there’s low signal, and sometimes I can lose 20-40% battery in a few hours. Very random behavior.
But I love podcasts, like I loved radio as a kid in the 70s, so I’ll pay whatever price in battery drain. By far my most used apps are for podcasts and audiobooks. What are you gonna do?