In the Details screen of each podcast episode there is a "Recommend" button. Overcast includes one other, rather unique way, to find podcasts you might enjoy. It also displays a list of "Starter Kits," groupings of podcasts arranged by category-Tech, Public Radio, Pop Culture, and the like-which you can access individually, or, if you are a new podcast listener, "Subscribe to All" and then decide later which podcasts you enjoy and unsubscribe from the rest. The Add Podcast tab allows you to search for a podcast by name, and then to download episodes or subscribe to the feed. We'll hold off on describing the Add Playlist and Playlists tabs, since these only work in the full-featured product. The Overcast interface is fairly simple, featuring a row of five controls across the top of the screen: Settings, Download, Add Playlist, Add Podcast, and Playlists. Select your existing player and the app will give you instructions on how to export the OPML file from that player and send it to Overcast, which will then subscribe you to those feeds and begin auto-checking for new episodes. Getting StartedĪfter creating an account, you are given the opportunity to import your subscription list from any other podcast client already installed on your device. This would be a useful feature for a later version or update. Unfortunately, the app does not begin auto play of the podcast for which I received the alert. If I double-tap the alert I will be taken directly to Overcast. And if my favorite podcast posts an episode a few hours early, I will receive it almost immediately. With Overcast, when I open the app I know that all new episodes have already been downloaded. Many of the podcasts I subscribe to have erratic publishing schedules, requiring any number of connections and checks before a new episode is detected and downloaded. If you're like me and have a large subscription list, your device doesn't spend a lot of time checking feeds, a potential drain on both battery and processing power. There are definite advantages to this approach. The list is checked continuously against the various feeds, and when a new episode is posted it is auto-downloaded into Overcast, where, optionally, a device alert is triggered so you know the new podcast is now available for playback. You need to set up an account to use Overcast, and when you do, your podcast subscription list is uploaded onto the Overcast servers. Most podcast apps keep a list of your subscribed podcasts in an OPML file, then download new episodes when you instruct the app to do a feed check, or on a time schedule you set in the app's settings. He has no plans to create an Android or Windows version. The developer plans to release an iPad-optimized version, along with a version that will run on Mac OS X. The iPad version is the same version as the iPhone version, however, and it only runs in portrait mode. The app runs on iPhones, iPads and iPod touches running iOS 7 and above. I tested version 1.02 on my iPhone 5 running iOS 7.12. The Overcast app is free from the iOS App Store, but unlocking all of the features requires a $4.99 in-app purchase. I decided to have a look for myself, both at its functionality and its accessibility. It's called Overcast, from Overcast Radio, LLC, and it's from Marco Arment, co-founder of Tumblr and creator of Instapaper. Recently, a new iOS podcast player app has begun to make a name for itself within the accessibility community. I subscribe to nearly a hundred different feeds, from 99% Invisible to WTF with Mark Maron, and Downcast, my podcast player of choice, is without doubt the most frequently used app on my iPhone. More and more, I find myself accessing the latter two via the ever-growing number and quality of downloadable podcasts. It's one less device you need to carry around, and with a Wi-Fi or cell data connection you are always just a few double-taps away from the latest books, news, and entertainment. IPhones make great accessible media players.
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