Podcast Addict: auto-download podcast episodes to your Android device

Martin Brinkmann
Jul 21, 2013
Apps, Google Android
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If you are subscribed to one or multiple podcasts, you may like the idea of listening to those shows on your Android device. Instead of listening to music while commuting, jogging or shopping, you can instead tune in to a podcast. While it may not always be the best choice, it sometimes can be a valid option, and especially so if you are subscribed to informative podcasts that teach something.

Podcast Addict is a free, ad-driven, application for Android that you can use to get your regular podcast fix. What sets it apart are a couple of things: First, the options it makes available to subscribe to podcasts, and second its automatic download feature that you can use to download podcasts to your device so that you can listen to the shows while you are offline.

While other podcast apps may offer similar features, it is the complete package that makes PodCast Addict that attractive.

Podcast Addict

The application offers several means to subscribe to podcasts. You can use the internal search engine or browse various podcast suggestions, add podcasts via RSS, import an OPML file, or add the contents of a folder directly to the application.

It takes only a couple of taps to subscribe to a new podcast which is then automatically added to the apps' front page and the my subscriptions page.  To add new podcasts simply tap on the plus icon at the top right corner to get started.

The search is quite good and finds a lot of podcasts as far as I can tell. The results listing is a bit of a mess though and you may need to comb through the results a bit to get what you are searching for.

Once you have added the podcast you can open it to start listening right away, or, download the episodes displayed to you instead. This works only if you are connected to a WiFI network unless you modify the preferences of the application first.

You can download individual episodes if you like, or open the menu button to download all unread episodes at once.  What is not so good is that you are limited to a selection of episodes, e.g. the last 5 or 10 with no apparent option to download earlier podcast episodes as well.

The apps' preferences are quite extensive: you can configure update, download and streaming behavior here for example. This includes options to configure automatic downloads of new episodes of subscribed podcasts, when and how they are downloaded, and where the episodes are stored.

Here you can also modify the audio player's preferences including options to change the playback speed from the default 1.0x in 0.1 increments or decrements (this does not seem to work properly right now).

An internal audio player is used to playback all podcasts by default which you can change in the options so that you can select one of the other available audio players on the system for playback instead.

Verdict

The program has a few minor quirks that need to get sorted out, like the broken playback speed changer or the missing option to download earlier episodes of a podcast. All in all though that is something that many users may be able to deal with, especially since the overall feature set of the application is quite impressive. You can make a donation to get rid of the advertisement in the player's interface if that bothers you.

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Comments

  1. bruh said on August 18, 2023 at 1:25 pm
    Reply

    Uhh, this has already been possible – I am not sure how but remember my brother telling me about it. I’m not a whatsapp user so not sure of the specifics, but something about sending the image as a file and somehow bypassing the default compression settings that are applied to inbound photos.

    He has also used this to share movies to whatsapp groups, and files 1Gb+.

    Like I said, I never used whatsapp, but I know 100% this isn’t a “brand new feature”, my brother literally showed me him doing it, like… 5 months ago?

  2. 💥 said on August 18, 2023 at 3:55 pm
    Reply

    Martin, what happened to those: 12 Comments (https://www.ghacks.net/chatgpt-gets-schooled-by-princeton-university/#comments). Is there a specific justifiable reason why they were deleted?

    Hmm, it looks like the gHacks website database is faulty, and not populating threads with their relevant cosponsoring posts.

  3. 45 RPM said on August 19, 2023 at 6:29 pm
    Reply

    The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk that it’s about to be deleted from my ‘daily reads’.

    It’s really like “Press Release as re-written by some d*ck for clicks…poorly.” And the subjects are laughable. Can’t wait for “How to search for files on Windows”.

    1. owl said on August 20, 2023 at 12:51 am
      Reply

      > The page on ghacks this is on represents the best of why it has become so worthless, fill of click-bait junk…

      Sadly, I have to agree.

      Only Martin and Ashwin are worth subscribing to.
      Especially Emre Çitak and Shaun are the worst ones.

      If ghacks.net intended “Clickbait”, it would mark the end of Ghacks Technology News.
      Ghacks doesn’t need crappy clickbaits. Clearly separate articles from newer authors (perhaps AIs and external sales person or external advertising man) as just “Advertisements”!

      We, the subscribers of Ghacks, urge Martin to make a decision.

  4. chessandonions said on August 20, 2023 at 12:40 am
    Reply

    because nevermore wants to “monetize” on every aspect of human life…

  5. Frank Rizzo said on August 20, 2023 at 11:52 pm
    Reply

    “Threads” is like the Walmart of Social Media.

  6. Ashray said on August 21, 2023 at 4:06 pm
    Reply

    How hard can it be to clone a twitter version of that as well? They’re slow.

  7. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:16 pm
    Reply

    Yes, why not mention how large the HD files can be?
    Why, not mention what version of WhatsApp is needed?
    These omissions make the article feel so bare. If not complete.

    1. Paul(us) said on August 21, 2023 at 5:18 pm
      Reply

      Sorry posted on the wrong page.

  8. Marc said on August 21, 2023 at 6:00 pm
    Reply

    such a long article for such a simple matter. Worthless article ! waste of time

  9. plusminus_ said on August 21, 2023 at 7:54 pm
    Reply

    I already do this by attaching them via the ‘Document’ option.

  10. John G. said on August 21, 2023 at 11:43 pm
    Reply

    I don’t know what’s going on here at Ghacks but it’s obvious that something is broken, comments are being mixed whatever the article, I am unable to find some of my later posts neither. :S

  11. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:28 pm
    Reply

    Quoting the article,
    “As users gain popularity, the value of their tokens may increase, allowing investors to reap rewards.”

    Besides, beyond the thrill and privacy risks or not, the point is to know how you gain popularity, be it on social sites as everywhere in life. Is it by being authentic, by remaining faithful to ourselves or is it to have this particular skill which is to understand what a majority likes, just like politicians, those who’d deny to the maximum extent compatible with their ideological partnership, in order to grab as many of the voters they can?

    I see the very concept of this Friend.tech as unhealthy, propagating what is already an increasing flaw : the quest for fame. I won’t be the only one to count himself out, definitely.

    1. Tom Hawack said on August 23, 2023 at 2:34 pm
      Reply

      @John G. is right : my comment was posted on [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/08/23/what-is-friend-tech/] and it appears there but as well here at [https://www.ghacks.net/2023/07/08/how-to-follow-everyone-on-threads/]

      This has been lasting for several days. Fix it or at least provide some explanations if you don’t mind.

  12. Tom said on August 24, 2023 at 11:53 am
    Reply

    > Google Chrome is following in Safari’s footsteps by introducing a new feature that allows users to move the Chrome address bar to the bottom of the screen, enhancing user accessibility and interaction.

    Firefox did this long before Safari.

  13. Mavoy said on September 16, 2023 at 2:17 pm
    Reply

    Basically they’ll do anything except fair royalties.

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