I’m a long-term paying Castro user, and concerned with unfixed bugs and lack of (visible) development.
However… are there any alternatives which implement a similar queueing system, and have a Watch app?
Overcast is great in many other respects, but lacks the queue, which is (for me) Castro’s primary appeal.
Pocket Casts has Up Next, which is essentially the same as the queue. I don’t know about the Watch app.
I’m trying Pocket Casts again precisely because of Up Next. Easier episode management than overcast. we’ll see if it sticks; podcasting is one of those categories of apps where I seem to switch every few months. I was on Overcast since December, which is a long time for me!
This comforts me:
Fingers crossed 
Up Next plays episodes but doesn’t seem to have the triage features. I’d like to know how to use Up Next better, though.
So far the best I can figure out is using a list like New Releases and adding to Up Next from there, either leaving untouched episodes in New Releases, or setting them as played (which I don’t like as much as Castro’s Do Nothing, but it would work for podcast archives that aren’t going to ever be revisited.)
So far the best I can figure out is using a list like New Releases and adding to Up Next from there, either leaving untouched episodes in New Releases…
That’s how I do it. Everything new either gets moved into Up Next or archived.
I also have hundreds of episodes of podcasts I’m catching up with, but they stay out of the Up Next queue and New Releases filter — and therefore out of sight — until I’m ready to listen to them.
In that regard, I find Pocket Casts superior to Castro for podcast management. It’s easier to deal with a backlog of catch-up episodes on PC.
That’s cool. So it is slower/less flexible at triaging new episodes. But I’ve likewise observed Castro being weaker at working through old archives.
My fantasy is all these independent apps would share crawling infrastructure and sync episode played/playing status between them beyond the minimal OPML spec they merely import and export. That would ease the burden of each one needing to get every feature just right in the same limited space for UI.
I concur as I’m finding that PocketCasts ‘up next’ feature is quite similar to the Queue from Castro.
Pocket Casts has a Watch app.
…a darn good watch app. My favourite, actually.
I was planning to spend some time exploring this. Wasn’t my primary motivator for PC but good to hear that I may finally use the watch solo for podcasts!
What do you like about it? I don’t use podcast Watch apps because I’m usually listening to podcasts in circumstances where it’s just not possible. In particular, I listen to them when exercising, and the Workouts app takes over the Watch screen (which is actually kind of annoying and now I’m wondering if there’s some way to stop that).
It looks great, and it consistently works. Castor’s watch app was shoddy with the syncing and the interface was a bit weird looking to me.
I think PC has the nicest watch UI AND it actually syncs and works as expected.
Castro is what put me off even trying to listen to podcasts on the watch. I just thought all of them would be crap but very useful to know that PocketCasts even got this right!
Now if they can just add clip sharing and better shortcuts (speed, clear episode, etc) then that would really make it unbeatable! (Castro had those)
I just received a reminder from Apple that my Castro subscription will renew soon.
Since this was last discussed in the summer, have there been any new podcast apps or updates to existing apps which enable a Castro-like queuing system, and include a Watch app?
I’m reluctant to renew my Castro subscription given that development appears to have stopped long ago, and there are long-standing unresolved bugs. (Castro devs tweeted that they’re still working on it, but the app hasn’t been updated for 11 months, and there’ve been no substantive improvements since 2020)
For what it’s worth, I think I’ve finally made my peace with the entire state of podcasting and apps for 2023. I’ve seriously decreased the number of shows I’m listening to - but that’s not what this thread is about so I’ll stop there on that point.
The Overcast/Castro dilemma is something I can speak to however. Now, keep in mind podcast listening varies a lot from person to person. My experiences may differ from yours and we may approach podcasts in an entirely different fashion. That said, here goes.
In my view - and I’m sure many will argue, there are three podcast apps that I would consider using with my iOS devices. Castro, Overcast, and Pocket Casts. I have used Pocket Casts primarily since 2016, and because I paid for their web app I was grandfathered into their premium plan. So…for me, it’s free. That helps.
I feel like Pocket Casts works really well for the features that are important for me. I like their “trim silence” feature (I know, the others have it too), their watch syncing works flawlessly, the user interface makes total sense to me, and the queue/filters let me slice and dice podcasts the way I want. I like having one central queue while also having the ability to filter. Their CarPlay app works great too. In particular, I love that I can archive an episode at any point by hitting the little checkmark. This is useful when I start a podcast and hit the road, only to discover the episode isn’t that great or the new pod I downloaded has an annoying host. The check mark lets me archive the episode quickly without having to grab my phone while driving. I also appreciate the fact PC’s CLEARLY labels the episodes so I can tell what order to play the shows in if two episodes are released on the same day, something Castro isn’t great at.
At times however, I do venture out into the wilderness to try other apps. Sometimes Pocket Casts gets a little boring and I want to mix things up, so I’ve spent a lot of time in Overcast and Castro as well.
Castro is amazing. The ability to pre-select chapters in a podcast episode is pure genius. For example, The Accidental Tech podcast has episodes around 2 hours each week. I often listen to the show in its entirety but sometimes there are chapters (and ads) I want to skip, so I could simply un-check those chapters to skip them without having to pull my phone out and do it manually each time. Super handy.
Also, the queuing system works really well; but I found only to a point. Once the queue gets long (as in longer than your iPhone screen), it can become a chore to keep track of and re-order episodes. The options were quite limited, and trying to listen to a backlog of older shows, well – Castro wasn’t set up well for that. Where they lost me was with a few bugs that kept appearing, and primarily when the Watch app flaked out and would barely sync. I contacted their support team and they told me their Watch dev had left the company and it likely wouldn’t work properly for a while. I asked why they don’t advertise this fact since they charge for it as a premium feature and that’s when they stopped replying to me. The fact the app hasn’t been updated in 11 months doesn’t bode well.
Finally, Overcast…
It’s okay – my least favourite of the three I mention. I can see where multiple playlists come in handy for people and they do work well, but I’d often listen my way to the end of an episode and then wonder which episode it will go to next. I find it a bit confusing. I also can’t stand the fact the show notes and chapters information only takes up half the screen. It’s very utilitarian, even though recent updates have helped. I just don’t love using it, though I do have a few weeks each year where I give it an honest try and buy a premium account. I do like the attention to detail in the app (show info and privacy-wise) and the fact it pulls updated shows in so quickly.
All this to say for me, it’s Pocket Casts by a fairly large margin. If Castro wasn’t so buggy, received more attention from the devs, and tidied things up a bit…and had a working watch app, I’d likely use it. Their concept and design is really cool and chapter pre-selection is a killer feature IMO.
Failing all that I’d likely end up on Overcast and be generally happy.
That’s my .02, hopefully it helps you out a bit. Oh, finally – I DO wish PC had a clip sharing feature. I only use this rarely (a couple times a year), but Overcast and Castro both offer this and it’s quite handy when you need it.
Between Overcast and Castro I choose … Downcast! I’ve been a happy user for many years.
You’ve inspired me. I’ve transferred my podcasts to it (using the export to OPML feature). First problem… no playlist? I want to listen to my podcasts in order from oldest to newest, whilst prioritising certain time sensitive podcasts… is this not possible?
Edit: found under filters. Phew!
I have a good friend who works for the holding company that purchased Castro, and he all but confirmed that the project was dead and not to expect any more updates.
There’s also a queue you can add podcasts to and reorder as needed using drag and drop.
I forgot not every app has chapter deselection. It makes a number of shows quite listenable. ATP is a great example.
I’ve lost hope Castro is going to update, but the utility is just too high for me to quit. Let’s hope nothing breaks it.