Pocket caststhe podcast app owned by Tumblr’s parent company Automattic, launched a new feature that lets you create podcast playlists, allowing you to organize your favorite episodes in the order you want. You can either create a playlist manually or have Pocket Casts automatically create one for you.
Playlists are designed to better personalize the listening experience for users as Pocket Casts seeks to expand its paid user base and compete with larger platforms. Currently, it has 60,000 subscribers, while Spotify has 281 million.
The new feature makes it easy to curate collections based on specific topics and themes, or can be used to listen to your favorite podcast guest appearing on different shows. It is also useful for preparing a list of episodes that you can enjoy during a long flight or during your daily commute.
To start creating a manual playlist, go to the Playlists tab on the main screen and select the “+” icon on a mobile device or “New playlist” on the web version. From there, you can browse your favorite podcasts and select the episodes you want to include in your personalized playlist.
For those who prefer a more automated approach, Pocket Casts offers Smart Playlists. By selecting the Smart Rules button, you can create custom rules that automatically aggregate episodes based on specific criteria.
For example, if you only want to listen to shorter episodes, you can set a rule to only include shows under 25 minutes, or filter by unplayed or downloaded content. This feature is especially useful if you have a busy schedule and want to make the most of your free time.
Currently, the Playlist feature is available on the web version and desktop apps, while it has already started rolling out to Android users. The feature is coming soon to iOS devices.
The update follows Pocket Casts’ decision to make its web player free for users, further positioning itself as a strong competitor in the podcasting space against major platforms that keep their content behind paywalls.
