Pocket Casts, the 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 just the order you like. You can either create a playlist manually, or Pocket Casts can automatically create one for you.
Playlists are designed to better personalize the listening experience for users as Pocket Casts seeks to grow 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 could be used to listen to your favorite podcast guest featured across different shows. It’s also helpful for preparing a list of episodes to enjoy while on a long flight or during your daily commute.
To get started creating a manual playlist, navigate 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 through your favorite podcasts and handpick the episodes that 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 gather 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, with a rollout for Android users already underway. The feature is arriving on iOS devices soon.
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.
