Pocket Casts rolls out Custom Playlists to give listeners more control
The new feature lets users build personalized episode collections or automate smart playlists, making it easier to follow themes, hosts, and niche topics across shows.
Podcast fans now have a new way to enjoy their favorite episodes, thanks to Pocket Casts. The app, owned by Automattic (Tumblr’s parent company), has introduced a feature that lets listeners create custom playlists of episodes, giving more control over how content is consumed.
Whether you’re curating manually or letting the app do the work, playlists can now be tailored by theme, guest, episode length, or even un-played and downloaded status.
This comes at a time when podcast platforms are competing fiercely for listeners and paying subscribers. Pocket Casts currently has around 60,000 paying subscribers, a fraction of Spotify’s 281 million, but features like this aim to make it a more compelling choice for dedicated podcast lovers worldwide.
By making content easier to organize, the app not only helps casual listeners keep up with their shows but also enables power users to create thematic “mini shows” or binge curated content on long commutes or flights.
For global users, the new playlist function could be a game-changer. It allows listeners to, for example, follow a favorite host across multiple shows or track episodes on niche topics like climate change, AI, or African music, without manually hunting down each one.
The Smart Playlists feature adds another layer of convenience by automating this process, filters for episode length, played/un-played status, or downloaded content make it simple to keep up with podcasts on a busy schedule.
The takeaway
Currently, the Playlist feature is live on web and desktop, with Android users already gaining access and iOS users expecting it soon. This rollout follows Pocket Casts’ move to make its web player free, positioning the app as a serious alternative to bigger platforms that lock content behind paywalls.
For podcast enthusiasts around the globe, the new playlist function transforms listening from a passive experience to an actively curated one, giving listeners more control, more personalization, and a smarter way to enjoy the content they love.
Louis Eriakha
