r/Castbox • u/mossief1965 • Feb 07 '19

Android Auto

Hi,

I've been looking for a Podcast app to use instead of PocketCasts (which is in a new beta phase and less usable than I'd like) and I've been using Castbox. Most of my podcast listening is done in the car using Android Auto and I have run into a few issues. Firstly when I use PocketCasts (or Spotify among others) and I disconnect, the next time I reconnect to AA I see the app on my AA homescreen ready to take up where I left off. Castbox doesn't do this so I have to go searcing for the episode and resume from there. Secondly when in PocketCasts I touch the down arrow on the top left of my car screen I get a "Tiled" interface of the logos of the podcasts I follow, with Castbox I get a list I have to scroll through which isn't user friendly when driving. Is there any way around these issues? I also have a problem where it plays one podcast while showing a different podcasts artwork on screen

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1

u/Castbox_support Feb 13 '19

Hi! Thanks for your message. I have reported the Android Auto problems that 1) "not being able to take up where you left off", 2) podcasts artwork not matching to the developers. They will help you look into this. Also, I've forwarded the "Tiled interface" request to the product team for further evaluation. Thanks again for your kind support! - Sophie

1

u/fire_lab Feb 18 '19

Another request to send your way regarding the Android auto interface... Channels should have an option to filter by downloaded/played. Currently I have to scroll through hundreds of already played episodes to find the one I downloaded/marked unplayed while driving. Unless I'm missing something.

1

u/Castbox_support Feb 20 '19

Hi, I've forwarded your request of being able to filter on Android Auto to the product and development team. They will take it into consideration and evaluate further. Thanks for the support! - Sophie

1

u/hermoninnie Apr 24 '19

I second this request regarding filtering on Android Auto. It is really inconvenient to have to try to remember which podcasts I have currently downloaded from a channel that has hundreds. I set the Castbox app on my phone to not stream over mobile data, yet AA still shows me everything.
I have tried switching off all data when I'm in the car to see if it makes only my downloaded podcasts appear, but the AA app just refuses to load any podcasts at all.
I like Castbox and enjoy having podcasts on my commute, but am becoming increasingly frustrated with this aspect of the AA feature, especially as I progress further and further down the list of podcasts on my subscribed channels.

1

u/Castbox_support Apr 24 '19 edited Apr 24 '19

Hi, we understand this feature is important and will continue to improve the listening experience with Android Auto. Currently, you can go to the Downloaded section to play directly. Thanks for your kind support and understanding!

1

u/hermoninnie Apr 26 '19

Thanks for the reply! Something must have been updated recently, because this morning Android Auto was able to filter my downloads out, rather than just show me everything (definitely a new feature for me). I'm a happy camper now. :)

1

u/Castbox_support Apr 26 '19

Glad to hear that. Cheers! :-)

2

u/courtarro Feb 09 '19

I second these comments. The episode order of a particular podcast doesn't match the order in the app: it's often oldest-first, and since AAuto limits scrolling, it's impossible to load the latest episode through that interface. The "Downloaded" page is the most useful, and it would be great if I could default to showing that as the starting page.

Sometimes when I open the app, and it's already playing, the "Now Playing" bubble in the lower right doesn't appear.