Featured Articles
Article in App of the Week category.
Overcast: The Superior Podcast Choice
Ditch Apple’s podcast app. Just do it already because it is far from the best option out there. One of my favorite go-to alternatives, has…
Ditch Apple’s podcast app. Just do it already because it is far from the best option out there. One of my favorite go-to alternatives, has always been Overcast. It is a free-to-download app that is supported minimally with in-app ads that can be removed for a fee. But since it is an audio app, I don’t spend too long staring at the app itself. Overcast is a modern podcast player packed with features. It has a minimal UI that blends in seamlessly and supports many native iOS features, including dark mode.
It’s well-known for its Smart Speed feature that will help you breeze through podcast by increasing the playback rate but not distorting the host’s voices. Volume Boost is awesome too, that equalizes each episode you listen to and matches their volume levels.
Podcasts can be added from nearly any source or discovered from the built-in directory. There are tons of popular podcasts here and as long as it isn’t.
Even better, recently the app got a fairly sizable new update that further refines the experience as well as adds much-requested features.
My favorite new feature here is the support for widgets. These Home Screen widgets are populated with your most recent podcast episodes, making it easy to tap and resume listening. This is even better when you pair the Overcast widget with the Smart Stack. Now each day as I head into my studio, the Smart Stack knows I listen to Overcast and will present my most recent podcasts to start listening right away. Widgets came with iOS 14 so Overcast wasn’t quick on the uptake here, but I’ll take it later rather than never. While in the car, Overcast gets better with CarPlay. I love CarPlay and use it *every* time I am in the car. Thanks to this latest update, I now have the ability to control speed, skip chapters, and access to recent podcasts. I don’t particularly like to be touching the screen while driving, so anything that makes using it easier is not just convenient, but safer.
Podcast popularity has taken off in recent years and Apple has put in a good faith effort to boost its first party option, but it still feels like a back burner project for the iPhone maker. Overcast has a devoted developer who has continued to improve on the app year after year. Clearly, its paid off.
But enough about other people's apps.
