Downcast iOS App Review
Downcast allows you to listen to podcasts directly from your iOS device without the need to sync with iTunes. This app has achieved a 4.5 star rating in the Apple App Store and there’s a very good reason for that. It works and it works well. Read our detailed review below…
Introduction
To get started with this app, once you have downloaded it from the App Store, start by subscribing to some podcasts, within the app itself. This is very simple to do. Just select Add Podcasts from the menu bar at the bottom of the app. You then have the option of adding podcasts manually or searching for them automatically.
We’re buddies with Lady Geek TV here at theappwhisperer.com, not least because we very often recommend apps for them to review on their shows. In the example above we selected Search and typed in TheAppShow, a generic term to see what would show up. A list of relevant podcasts appeared on our iPhone and we selected the one that we knew we wanted.
Episodes
Once we selected Lady Geek TV, a list of the other episodes in the series also showed up to give us the opportunity to download. By selecting any of them they will queue in your download queue.
You can carry on searching and adding podcasts to your download queue like this until you have exhausted yourself. It is so simple to do.
As we all know though, there’s no point in constantly downloading podcasts to your device and letting them take up valuable storage and that’s where the Settings come in and are a key function of this app.
Settings – New Episodes Action
Downcast offers a whole host of settings to help you enjoy your podcasts. You can set it up to Download the Most Recent episodes of any podcasts you are subscribed to, or you can change it to Download All of Them or Mark for Streaming or Do Nothing at all. This is an important control function of Downcast.
Settings – Episodes To Keep
Another key setting within Downcast is the facility to automatically set whether to keep all unplayed podcasts, the most recent, last two and up to the last ten. By default Downcast is set to All Unplayed. Again, another nice touch that helps you manage your podcasts in the most usable way.
Settings – WiFi
There’s also the option to automatically download via Wi-Fi only, always or never. By default Downcast is set to Wi-Fi only.
Settings – Miscellaneous
There are various toggle on/off miscellaneous setting functions too. These include Continuous Play, Downloads Badge and Sound Effects. These are all on by default.
Playlists
Downcast wouldn’t be complete without a comprehensive Playlist function and it doesn’t disappoint. It is possible to add an innumerable quantity of Playlists that will help you keep your Podcasts organized and enhance your usability.
Overall
If you listen or want to start listening to more podcasts then downloading Downcast onto your iOS device is a complete no brainer. The facility to download either video or audio podcasts directly onto your iPhone without having to sync with iTunes is fantastic. There is also a multi tasking functionality which allows you to download podcasts in the background or to play the audio in the background plus having the advantage of linking your Bluetooth headset to allow volume adjustment.
This is a very well balanced app. It is complex but the complexity has been organized for your convenience by the developer, therefore, giving you a complex app in a very simple format. The best of both worlds.
You can buy this app from the app store for $1.99 and we thoroughly recommend that you do. We have given it a good road test and it has proven to be a thoroughly decent app and one that comes very highly recommended by theappwhisperer.com.
If you would like to download this app, you can do so here.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
2 Comments
oleh
For some strange reason search function for podcasts doesn’t work with my Downcast. What may be wrong?
oleh
I found. The problem is in a small bug with region setting. Once I changed it, search is working. The developer of the app will probably fix it soon.