Pocket Casts: Podcast Player

Podcast networks have arrived. There’s a new Networks section in the Discover tab for finding networks, and tapping the author on a podcast’s page takes you to the network behind it, so you can find more shows from people you already enjoy. Search includes networks now too. We also did quite a bit of tidying up. Turning off New Episode notifications now actually turns them off (revolutionary, we know). The video player got some love, with larger controls and a Chromecast button that no longer hides in full screen. And if playback fails because your phone is out of storage, we now say so instead of blaming your internet.

This one's a spring clean-up – or an autumn tidy-up, depending on your hemisphere. You can now find us on Bluesky, with a link on the About screen right alongside our other socials. Bug fixes in this release: - Listening History search no longer says “No episodes found” before it’s done looking, and your results now show up without you having to retype the search - Setting a sleep timer with Siri or Shortcuts now works while your device is locked - The Download button in Search and Discover episode results works again - Fixed a rare crash when starting episode downloads - Creating a Smart Playlist no longer freezes and closes the app - Fixed a rare crash when What’s New popped up while another screen was closing Thanks for listening with Pocket Casts!

Smart Bookmarks are here to make it easier to save and return to important moments in your favourite episodes. Now, when you add a bookmark to an episode with a transcript, Pocket Casts will save the relevant passage and suggest a short title. You can edit the passage, enter your own title, or use the suggestion. Your Sleep Timer now has a Live Activity too, so you can check how much listening time is left from your Lock Screen or Dynamic Island without opening Pocket Casts. Bookmarks are also easier to manage, with new swipe actions that let you quickly share or delete them. We’ve also made some under-the-hood changes to make starting playback more reliable. Give Smart Bookmarks a try and let us know what you think.

Bug fixes in this release: - Bookmarks multi-select is tidier, with correct spacing and layout on the latest iOS. - Up Next's navigation bar is consistent everywhere, with a new "…" menu for clearing your queue. - Fixed some podcasts failing to play due to unrecognized HLS formats. Plus a handful of smaller fixes.

This one’s all about smoother listening. HLS streaming playback is here, bringing more reliable streaming to shows that use it, and with new support for Flightcast JSON transcripts, transcripts now show up for more episodes. Episode details load show notes and artwork faster, and pausing on your phone now syncs playback progress to your Apple Watch instantly, instead of whenever the two felt like catching up. We also fixed the mini player showing up empty after opening the app from a notification, and the New Episodes notification setting getting reset when you updated the app – plus a stack of smaller thing