Pocket Casts Adds Custom Playlists for Podcast Listeners

Pocket Casts is rolling out a new playlist feature, giving listeners the ability to curate their own podcast libraries with custom sequences. Owned by Automattic, the company behind Tumblr, the app now allows users to organize episodes manually or through automated rules.

The update aims to boost user personalization as the platform seeks to expand its footprint in a competitive market. Currently, Pocket Casts counts 60,000 subscribers, a figure that highlights the gap between the niche player and industry giants like Spotify, which serves 281 million users.

Curating Your Listening Experience

The feature is designed to simplify the discovery and management of content. Users can build collections centered on specific themes, track episodes featuring a particular guest across different shows, or organize a queue for travel and daily commutes.

Manual vs. Smart Playlists

Management of these lists varies based on user preference:

• Manual: Navigate to the Playlists tab, select the “+” icon (mobile) or “New playlist” (web), and handpick specific episodes.
• Smart Playlists: Use the “Smart rules” button to filter content automatically.

Smart rules allow for specific criteria, such as filtering for episodes under 25 minutes, or prioritizing only unplayed or downloaded content. This functionality is intended to help users maximize their limited listening time.

Availability and Market Strategy

The playlist feature is currently live on the web and desktop versions, with an Android rollout already in progress. iOS users can expect the update shortly. This move comes on the heels of the decision to make the Pocket Casts web player free, reinforcing the company’s strategy to challenge platforms that restrict access to content behind paywalls.