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Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts is a podcast streaming service originally launched in 2011 for iOS and Android. The app allows for searching, downloading and subscribing to podcasts and syncs across devices. Pocket Casts was developed by Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson under the Australian independent development team Shifty Jelly. In 2018, the app was acquired by a group of public radio organisations including National Public Radio before being sold to WordPress.com owner Automattic in 2021.
With initial development efforts focusing on Android, Pocket Casts for iOS and Android was made free and open source in 2022 and received its latest major release 8.0 in 2025. It was also launched for the web, macOS, and Windows, and integrated to car head units, smart speakers, and smartwatch operating systems. Initially requiring a one-time fee, Pocket Casts switched to a freemium model in 2019, adding a subscription plan with more features. Commentators have directed praise to the array of features and the interface's simplicity. In 2020, a request by the Cyberspace Administration of China led to the removal of Pocket Casts from Apple's App Store in China.
Pocket Casts was created by independent Australian mobile app developer Shifty Jelly, founded by Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson. Previously working as enterprise Java developers, Ivanovic and Simpson switched to mobile app development with the announcement of Apple's App Store, starting by creating a weather forecast app. With Nathan Swan and Simon Sams working as designers, Shifty Jelly launched Pocket Casts for iOS and Android in 2011, eventually releasing for other platforms.
In May 2018, it was announced that the app would be sold to a group of public radio entities comprising National Public Radio (NPR), WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life. Shifty Jelly's team stated that they accepted the offer due to their nonprofit operations and "collaborative" ethos. Ivanovic and Simpson remained in the app team, and former iHeartRadio executive vice president Owen Grover was named chief executive officer (CEO) of Pocket Casts. BBC Studios was declared an investor in March 2020.
A January 2021 article by Current newspaper reported that the companies owning Pocket Casts agreed to sell it after NPR stated it lost over US$800,000 throughout 2020 due to the app. WordPress.com's parent company Automattic acquired it in July 2021. The company soon announced embed integrations of Pocket Casts into WordPress sites. Ivanovic and Simpson were kept in leadership roles, and, at the time of acquisition, John Gibbons was the CEO of Pocket Casts. In October 2022, the Android and iOS apps were made open source, with the source code released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
Pocket Casts received its first launch on January 27, 2011, for iOS, becoming available for Android in March. Before 2013, the Android version of Pocket Casts was ported from the iOS app. After six months of development, the Android app received a 4.0 version update in 2013 with additional features such as cross-device syncing and a redesign compliant with Google's guidelines. At the time, development focused on the Android version due to increased usage compared to the iOS version. In the following year, version 4.5 introduced Google Cast support for streaming to connected televisions and an Up Next playlist feature, followed by an update with Google's Material Design interface in 2015.
The iOS app was rewritten in the Swift programming language with the launch of version 6.0 in July 2016, introducing interface changes and features such as multitasking, automatic volume boosting and silence trimming. In October of the same year, Pocket Casts for Android received a 6.0 update, which also incorporated automatic audio settings. The Android and iOS apps were both updated for version 7.0 in November 2018. Changes included human and algorithmic podcast curation, a major redesign, and iOS Siri Shortcuts integration. In the following year, version 7.6 enabled player toolbar customization and a separate Up Next screen. Pocket Casts was updated to version 8.0 in November 2025, replacing the filter tool with a playlists feature.
Pocket Casts was launched for the Windows Phone in April 2014 and as a web application in October. It was one of the initial apps available upon release of Android Auto in 2015, and support for Apple's CarPlay was added in August 2016. Pocket Casts is compatible with Sonos speakers since a July 2017 beta release, and it was integrated into Amazon Alexa as a skill in February 2019. Standalone support for the Apple Watch was added in June 2020, and for Wear OS watches in July 2023. There are macOS and Microsoft Windows desktop apps; both had a version 2 update rewritten in Electron in June 2024.
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Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts is a podcast streaming service originally launched in 2011 for iOS and Android. The app allows for searching, downloading and subscribing to podcasts and syncs across devices. Pocket Casts was developed by Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson under the Australian independent development team Shifty Jelly. In 2018, the app was acquired by a group of public radio organisations including National Public Radio before being sold to WordPress.com owner Automattic in 2021.
With initial development efforts focusing on Android, Pocket Casts for iOS and Android was made free and open source in 2022 and received its latest major release 8.0 in 2025. It was also launched for the web, macOS, and Windows, and integrated to car head units, smart speakers, and smartwatch operating systems. Initially requiring a one-time fee, Pocket Casts switched to a freemium model in 2019, adding a subscription plan with more features. Commentators have directed praise to the array of features and the interface's simplicity. In 2020, a request by the Cyberspace Administration of China led to the removal of Pocket Casts from Apple's App Store in China.
Pocket Casts was created by independent Australian mobile app developer Shifty Jelly, founded by Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson. Previously working as enterprise Java developers, Ivanovic and Simpson switched to mobile app development with the announcement of Apple's App Store, starting by creating a weather forecast app. With Nathan Swan and Simon Sams working as designers, Shifty Jelly launched Pocket Casts for iOS and Android in 2011, eventually releasing for other platforms.
In May 2018, it was announced that the app would be sold to a group of public radio entities comprising National Public Radio (NPR), WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life. Shifty Jelly's team stated that they accepted the offer due to their nonprofit operations and "collaborative" ethos. Ivanovic and Simpson remained in the app team, and former iHeartRadio executive vice president Owen Grover was named chief executive officer (CEO) of Pocket Casts. BBC Studios was declared an investor in March 2020.
A January 2021 article by Current newspaper reported that the companies owning Pocket Casts agreed to sell it after NPR stated it lost over US$800,000 throughout 2020 due to the app. WordPress.com's parent company Automattic acquired it in July 2021. The company soon announced embed integrations of Pocket Casts into WordPress sites. Ivanovic and Simpson were kept in leadership roles, and, at the time of acquisition, John Gibbons was the CEO of Pocket Casts. In October 2022, the Android and iOS apps were made open source, with the source code released under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
Pocket Casts received its first launch on January 27, 2011, for iOS, becoming available for Android in March. Before 2013, the Android version of Pocket Casts was ported from the iOS app. After six months of development, the Android app received a 4.0 version update in 2013 with additional features such as cross-device syncing and a redesign compliant with Google's guidelines. At the time, development focused on the Android version due to increased usage compared to the iOS version. In the following year, version 4.5 introduced Google Cast support for streaming to connected televisions and an Up Next playlist feature, followed by an update with Google's Material Design interface in 2015.
The iOS app was rewritten in the Swift programming language with the launch of version 6.0 in July 2016, introducing interface changes and features such as multitasking, automatic volume boosting and silence trimming. In October of the same year, Pocket Casts for Android received a 6.0 update, which also incorporated automatic audio settings. The Android and iOS apps were both updated for version 7.0 in November 2018. Changes included human and algorithmic podcast curation, a major redesign, and iOS Siri Shortcuts integration. In the following year, version 7.6 enabled player toolbar customization and a separate Up Next screen. Pocket Casts was updated to version 8.0 in November 2025, replacing the filter tool with a playlists feature.
Pocket Casts was launched for the Windows Phone in April 2014 and as a web application in October. It was one of the initial apps available upon release of Android Auto in 2015, and support for Apple's CarPlay was added in August 2016. Pocket Casts is compatible with Sonos speakers since a July 2017 beta release, and it was integrated into Amazon Alexa as a skill in February 2019. Standalone support for the Apple Watch was added in June 2020, and for Wear OS watches in July 2023. There are macOS and Microsoft Windows desktop apps; both had a version 2 update rewritten in Electron in June 2024.