For those not in the know, a “podcast” refers to episodic content that is usually free to download. Podcasts can be professionally produced--like those from the BBC--or done by amateurs and enthusiasts and cover almost every conceivable topic from current events to sports to comic books and tech. Its name originated from a combination of the terms “broadcasting” and “iPod” which was the music device that first brought podcasting into the limelight.
Matter of fact, this year the podcast has turned 13. And in that time the medium has risen to prominence as a place to find groundbreaking content thanks to the popularity of shows like Serial. But as podcasting is having its heyday so too are podcasting apps. there are literally dozens of them available for the Android platform. But which are the best? Here are our top 5 Android podcast app picks.
Pocket Casts (£3.99)
This is a great app and one of the most popular podcasting apps on the Android platform. The biggest feature here is cross-platform syncing. If you use an iOS device and an Android device your subscriptions, playback positions and filters for every podcast will sync automatically. That in itself is insanely cool. But a note about those “filter” syncs. Pocket Casts lets you organize and search your podcast by filters so you can quickly apply a filter to see all your unplayed podcasts or sort them by custom categories. An added bonus is it supports both Chromecast casting and AirPlay streaming so you can beam your podcasts to any device--like the Apple TV or Google Chromecast--that supports streaming.
Podbean (free)
Sometimes Podbean feels more like an app store than a podcast app. That’s because it lets you browse by recommendations, top episodes, featured shows, and plenty of other categories. The trending playlists are really nice if you’re looking for a new podcast to enjoy. The app also has a ton of useful features like notifications, automatic downloads, and an intelligent speed feature that removes silences from an episode without distortion.
Podcast Addict (free)
Podcast Addict is one of the most robust podcast apps we’ve seen. The app allows you to search through 550,000 podcasts and 10M+ episodes to find just the podcast you are looking for. It also lets you browse by category and can recommend other podcasts based on your subscriptions.
Google Podcasts (free)
If you’re a Google purist, you’ll want to download Google’s official podcast app. A big thing that separates this app from other podcasting apps is that all your listening is automatically synced across devices so you can pause on one device and resume on another with the Google Assistant. And as this app has the power of Google’s search and AI behind it, you can expect to find just the podcast you are looking for.
Podcast Player (free)
Podcast Player is one of the most popular podcast apps on Android. In 2016 it won a host of awards including: Top Trending Apps of Global Best 2016 by Google Play, Most Entertaining of Best Apps 2016 by Google Play, Winner of Google Demo Day 2016 Women's Edition - Judges' Choice Award, and No.1 of "Top podcast player apps, 50 best pod catchers" nominated by TCC. The app features powerful search and discovery tools, but what we like best about it is its elegant and simple user interface. This is a must-download.
