Seeking testers for my new iOS and MacOS Podcast App

As a podcasting fan and enthusiast since its inception in the early 2000s, I've used a lot of podcasting apps. Most recently Downcast on MacOS and iOS. I loved the interface, the way that syncing between the Mac and the iPhone was flawless, and the configurability. However, unfortunately, it seems that Downcast is no-longer being actively maintained. There are bugs in the macOS version that make it impossible to get into the settings, iCloud syncing is broken, and there have been no updates for almost a year nor any communication from the developer.

I set about building a replacement. SOmething with the power, configurability and simplicity of Downcast, with a native MacOS and iOS interface. The app is written in Swift with platform-specific optimisation so the interface feels at home on MacOS and iOS, not like an iOS app that just happens to run on a Mac.

I'm looking for beta testers. I'm waiting for APple to approve the initial builds and I can then make TestFlight links available. I'm looking for both MacOS and iOS testers. Please note this is a first beta so there will be some bugs, but I have been using and enjoying the app daily for a few weeks. Any and all feedback will be appreciated. I am looking for Voiceover testers on both platforms, and feedback on the UI from those who are able. If you are interested, please post in the thread or eMail me via my Applevis profile. I will either invite people directly or provide public testflight links, though I am leaning towards the former for the first beta.

The app runs on iOS 17+ and macOS 14+. Here is an overview of some of its features:

Podcast Playback

• Mini-player bar and expandable full-screen player
• Skip back / forward with configurable durations (5 s – 120 s)
• Chapter-aware skip - snap skip buttons to chapter boundaries instead of a fixed duration
• Variable speed from 0.25× to 3.0× in 20 presets; tap to cycle common values
• Per-episode speed memory - the rate you set is restored next time you open that episode
• Swipe-to-scrub in two modes: Steps (fixed seconds per swipe) or Speed (proportional drag)
• Catch-Up - rewinds a few seconds after a configurable pause so you don't lose context
• Previous / next episode navigation; double-tap previous to restart the current episode

Sleep Timer

• Preset durations: 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes
• End of Episode - stops when the current episode finishes
• End of Chapter - stops at the end of the currently playing chapter
• Stop at a specific clock time, e.g. midnight
• Custom duration - dial in any value from 5 to 480 minutes in 5-minute steps
• Add 15 minutes to any running timer with one tap
• Optional fade-out over the last N seconds before stopping

Queue

• Drag-to-reorder queue inspector
• Add episodes from any list view
• Configurable auto-play strategy when the queue empties: next episode, in-progress, random unplayed, a specific radio station, or stop
• 10 strategies total including per-podcast random modes

Sharing

• Share episode from any episode row or context menu - generates a share sheet with the audio URL, title, and a pre-written message
• iOS swipe action for one-step share
• Separate option to copy or send only the bare episode URL

Video Episodes

• Full-screen video player
• Auto-open full-screen when a video episode starts
• Expandable video fill mode

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Radio

• Radio Browser API - hundreds of thousands of live stations searchable by name, country, language, genre, and bitrate
• Paginated directory with configurable page size (20 / 50 / 100)
• Top-stations chart; genre and country listings
• Manual station URL entry for any HTTP/HLS stream
• BBC station filter toggle
• Radio stream cache with configurable validity (6 h – 144 h) and one-tap clear
• Save stations to Favourites; organise into folders with custom name, icon, and colour
• Smart folders - auto-populate by rules on name, country, genre, or bitrate; rules combine with AND / OR
• Grid and list display modes
• Recently Played carousel showing the last 15 stations - tap to resume instantly
• Stop at a specific clock time during radio playback
• Real-time ICY / Shoutcast metadata - track title and artist on the Lock Screen and mini-player
• Configurable buffer duration (5 s – 120 s)
• Continue Streaming on Pause - keeps the connection open for instant, gap-free resume

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Library & Inbox

• Podcast library in grid or list with configurable card density (Compact / Regular / Spacious)
• Toggle card details: author, episode count, last-updated date
• Sort by title, author, genre, subscription date, or most-recently played
• Live text search across the full library
• Per-podcast settings override any global default
• Inbox aggregates new episodes from all subscribed podcasts
• Continue Listening section surfaces in-progress episodes
• Live Items - Podcast 2.0 live stream badges for currently broadcasting shows
• Inbox filter: All / Unplayed / Downloaded / Partially Played / Marked for Streaming
• Inbox sort: Newest, Oldest, Shortest, Longest, Top Podcasts
• Global episode limit (configurable; default 100)
• Per-podcast "Include in Inbox" toggle
• Podcast detail: sticky header with artwork, subscribe, play, download-all, and settings
• Episode list with search, three sort orders, and five filter modes
• Bulk selection - tick episodes then Mark Played, Download, or Add to Queue in one action
• Trailer badge; live item banner with join button
• Podroll section linking to related shows
• Cast & crew (Podcast 2.0 person tags)

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Discovery

• Apple Podcasts / iTunes Top Charts by region and genre
• Configurable chart size (up to 100 entries)
• For You - on-device personalised recommendations based on your most-listened genres; no account required
• Full-text search via iTunes Search API and Podcast Index
• Scope filter: All / Title / Author; language filter

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Playlists

• Manual playlists with drag-to-reorder
• 14 sort orders: manual, date, duration, podcast name, author, genre, play count, and more
• Played-episode strategy per playlist: Keep, Delete, or Move to another playlist
• Hide-played toggle per playlist
• Smart playlists with a rule engine (Match All or Match Any)
• Rule targets: Title, Author, Podcast, Genre, Description, Duration, Publish Date, Download Status, Playback Status
• Rules re-evaluate live - the playlist always reflects current library state
• Auto-Feed Rules - nominate podcasts as sources; new episodes are added to the playlist automatically on sync

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Audio Engine

Voice Boost

• Dynamic range compression - raises quiet speech, tames loud peaks
• Three strength levels: Light, Medium, Heavy
• Per-podcast override; separate setting for radio streams

Graphic Equaliser

• 3 / 5 / 7 / 10 / 12-band EQ (band count configurable per context)
• Built-in presets: Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal Boost, Treble Boost, Electronic, Classical, Pop
• Custom band editor - drag sliders and save as a custom preset
• Per-podcast override; separate setting for radio streams

Smart Speed (Silence Skipping)

• Detects and shortens silence in real time
• Configurable threshold (−60 dB to −20 dB) and maximum silence duration (0 – 1 s)

Streaming Effects

• Voice Boost and EQ can optionally apply to streamed podcast content and radio stations

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Downloads & Storage

• Auto-download new episodes per podcast (global default + per-podcast override)
• Configurable per-podcast episode limit (1 / 3 / 5 / unlimited)
• Episodes to keep on device (5 / 10 / unlimited); older files pruned automatically
• Delete-when-played - downloaded file removed after the episode completes
• WiFi-only download option
• Background URLSession keeps downloads running with the app in background
• Live download size display (audio and image cache separately)
• Max image cache size limit (100 MB / 500 MB / 1 GB / 5 GB)
• One-tap clear for audio downloads or image cache (both require confirmation)
• iCloud Drive download option - stores files in the app's iCloud container
• Move podcast files to a custom folder before unsubscribing
• Automatic iCloud backup on a configurable schedule (daily / weekly) - full Simulcast Package archives

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Statistics & Insights

• Total time listened and peak day summary for the selected range
• Streak counter - consecutive days with any listening activity
• Bar chart of daily listening: Last 7 Days / Last 30 Days / Last Year / All Time
• Calendar heatmap - GitHub-style full-year grid with quartile shading
• Top 5 podcasts by total time in the selected range
• Weekly listening goal with a circular ring gauge; configurable target (30 min – 10 hours)
• Year in Review - total hours, active days, longest streak, top podcast; shareable summary card

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Notifications

• Per-podcast notification opt-in (global default + per-podcast override)
• Priority flag to break through a silenced global setting
• Quick actions without opening the app: Play Now, Add to Queue, Mark Played
• Live item alerts when a subscribed podcast goes live (Podcast 2.0)
• Recommendation notifications when a podcast publishes new cross-show recommendations

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Import & Export

Export

• OPML - standard subscription list compatible with any podcast app
• M3U / PLS - playlist or station collection
• Simulcast Package (.simulcastpkg) - complete library: podcasts, episodes, playback state, stations, folders, smart playlist rules, and settings

Import

• OPML - merge with existing library or replace entirely (iOS + macOS)
• M3U / PLS - station import (iOS + macOS)
• Simulcast Package - full library restore (iOS + macOS)
• Downcast - subscriptions, play history, and downloaded files (macOS, not available on iOS due to sandbox restrictions))
• Apple Podcasts - subscriptions, play history, and cached files via MTLibrary.sqlite (macOS; not available on iOS due to sandbox restrictions)

Duplicate Handling (for app-to-app imports)

• Merge - keep existing podcasts; apply play history from the source
• Keep Both - create a renamed copy alongside the existing podcast
• Replace - delete existing then re-subscribe with play history from the source

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Siri & Shortcuts

Six App Intents usable with Siri, the Shortcuts app, and Apple Intelligence:

• Resume Podcast
• Set Sleep Timer (with duration parameter)
• Mark Played
• Cycle Speed
• Play Next Episode
• Skip Forward

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Keyboard Shortcuts

• Full set of rebindable shortcuts for navigation, playback, library, inbox, and podcast detail
• Active on both iOS (hardware keyboard) and macOS
• Two-column editor in Settings - click any shortcut to record a new binding
• Conflict detection; ⌘Q permanently reserved (macOS)
• Export / import the full binding set as a JSON file
• Reset to Defaults

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Widgets

Home Screen, Lock Screen, StandBy, and Control Center widgets:

• Now Playing - artwork, title, podcast name, progress bar, interactive play/pause and skip-forward
• Now Playing + Up Next - currently playing plus queue; Large size shows first 3 items
• Queue - numbered queue list with episode and podcast names
• Progress - arc showing completion percentage of the current episode
• Inbox - latest unplayed episodes
• My Podcasts - recently played podcasts
• Radio Stations - favourite or recently played stations
• Sleep Timer - countdown ring for the active timer
• Lock Screen inline / circular / rectangular - now-playing info on the iOS Lock Screen (iOS)
• Sleep Timer Ring - Lock Screen countdown (iOS)
• Control Center toggle - play/pause from Control Center (iOS 18+)

All widgets share state via an App Group and update on every play, pause, episode change, or queue change. Home screen widgets support interactive buttons powered by App Intents - no app launch required.

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CarPlay (iOS)

Four-tab interface:

• Now Playing - standard card with artwork and controls
• Queue - live Up Next queue with currently-playing indicator
• Library - Podcasts → Inbox → Playlists → Up Next → Recently Played → Chapters
• Radio - Favourites (with folder hierarchy) → Top Stations → Genre → Country → Search

Actions: playback control, chapter jumping, mark as played/unplayed, add station to Favourites, sleep timer (15 min / 30 min / End of Episode), playback speed cycling. Podcast and radio station search.

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macOS Menu Bar Player

Persistent menu bar extra accessible from any app:

• Artwork thumbnail, episode title, podcast/station name
• Play / Pause, Skip Back 15 s, Skip Forward 30 s
• Real-time progress bar
• Speed menu (0.75× – 2×)
• Open Simulcast button
• Menu bar icon switches between a headphones glyph (idle) and a waveform animation (playing)

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Focus Filters

App Filter available in Settings → Focus:

• Show Only Genre - filters the Inbox to episodes matching a chosen genre
• Silence Notifications - suppresses new-episode notifications while the Focus is active

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Transcripts

• Live auto-scrolling transcript synced to playback position
• Tap any segment to jump to that moment
• In-transcript keyword search with next/previous navigation and result count
• Auto-scroll toggle (persisted across sessions)
• Supports SRT, WebVTT, Podcast 2.0 JSON, and plain-text formats
• Global Transcript Search - find every episode and timestamp where a word or phrase was spoken; tap a result to start playback from that exact moment
• Index built on-demand (up to 50 episodes per run) and cached in memory

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Podcast 2.0

• podcast:person - cast & crew with roles, groups, and profile images; person search
• podcast:chapters - JSON chapters, chapter artwork, chapter URLs
• podcast:transcript - SRT, VTT, JSON, plain text
• podcast:soundbite - soundbite metadata parsing
• podcast:value - streaming sats display
• podcast:liveItem - live stream detection, Inbox badges, real-time notifications
• podcast:funding - funding links on podcast detail
• podcast:location - geographic metadata storage
• podcast:locked - locked status stored and respected on import
• podcast:guid - persistent podcast GUID
• podcast:medium - medium type (podcast / music / audiobook / etc.)
• podcast:license - license URL and slug
• podcast:socialInteract - ActivityPub and cross-platform social links
• podcast:alternateEnclosure - alternate bitrates and media types
• podcast:txt - TXT verification tags
• podcast:images - srcset artwork
• podcast:gateway - fallback stream gateway
• podcast:trailer - trailer episode display
• podcast:recommendations - cross-show recommendations with notification support