Overcast, a podcasting hosting app created by developer Marco Arment has had a rebuild. Essentially stripping it right back to basics before starting again. This is all in aid of its second decade.
Developer Marco Arment, who launched the popular podcasting app Overcast a decade ago, has now rebuilt and redesigned it for the current era. While many of the changes might not be immediately visible to users, those who have used the platform for some time will notice.
A significant update is that podcast episodes can no longer be streamed and must be downloaded instead. Arment explains that this change is due to dynamic ad insertion used by major podcasts, which disrupts streaming playback.
With today’s fast network speeds, downloading episodes before playing them is a more reliable method for podcast consumption. Besides this shift, Arment dedicated nearly 18 months to rebuilding the app using modern frameworks and programming languages.
The core features of Overcast, such as smart speed for skipping silences and voice boost, remain intact. However, some features are missing at launch, including Siri Shortcuts support, storage management, and OPML (Outline Processor Markup Language) support.
This allows both exporting and importing podcast subscriptions. These features are expected to be added soon. However, there is no exact timeframe on when these will be available. The features are moving in line with the times. Following other podcasting platforms.
Overcast’s code was dated
“Most of Overcast’s code was ten years old, which made it cumbersome or impossible to easily move with the times, adopt new iOS functionality, or add new features, especially as one person,” Arment noted in an in-app write-up.
“For Overcast to have a future, it needed a modern foundation for its second decade.” The updated app is faster and offers easily reachable controls for larger phones. Other new features include an undo button for accidentally jumping to a different part of the podcast.
This will allow you to trace your previous steps without missing out. The ability to set playlist priorities will also be featured. Arment is also working on smarter options for downloading and deleting episodes and updating the Apple Watch app.
Overcast is available as a free download on the App Store, with an optional premium subscription that unlocks additional features and removes ads. However, as with anything, we’d always recommend trying before buying.
