Feature Request: “New Episode” Badge Logic (Acknowledge vs. Play)

  • Unknown's avatar
    pingwin86 · Member ·

    Hi PocketCasts Team!

    I’m requesting a ‘New/Seen’ badge option to help listeners track new releases without needing to mark skipped episodes as ‘Played’ just to clear the UI.

    The Problem

    Currently, badges are tied strictly to Unplayed status. Users have two options:

    1. Total unplayed count: Shows every episode ever released that hasn’t been played.
    2. Only last episode: Shows a dot if the latest episode is unplayed.

    For users who skip episodes they aren’t interested in, this creates a “cluttered” UI. To clear a badge, the user is forced to mark an episode as “Played” even if they didn’t listen to it, just to see when a future new episode arrives.

    The Proposal

    Add a third badge option: “New Episodes (Unchecked).”

    This would function similarly to an unread email thread or a “New” tag in a store.

    • The Trigger: A badge appears as soon as a new episode is published to a feed.
    • The “Clear” Action: The badge clears once the user simply opens the podcast’s episode list, indicating they have “seen” what’s available.
    • The Goal: The badge reflects recency, not completion.

    User Story

    “As a listener who only enjoys specific topics on a daily news podcast, I want to know when a new episode is out without having to manually ‘fake play’ the previous day’s episode to clear my notification badge. I want the badge to tell me ‘there is something you haven’t seen yet,’ rather than ‘there is something you haven’t finished yet.'”

    Why this adds value

    • Reduced Friction: Users spend less time managing “Played” statuses and more time discovering content.
    • Customization: It caters to “skimmers” (who pick and choose) rather than just “completionists” (who listen to everything).
    • Alignment with Industry Standards: This follows the “Unread/Seen” logic used by apps like YouTube, Gmail, and Instagram.

    Thank you.

  • staff-eleanor · Staff ·

    Thanks so much for sharing your thoughtful suggestion about adding a ‘New/Seen’ badge to help distinguish between newly released and actually unplayed episodes. We really appreciate the time you took to explain the current challenges and outline how this feature could improve the experience for listeners like you.

    We’ve shared your feedback with our product team for review. While we can’t promise immediate changes, your input is incredibly valuable in helping us decide where to focus future improvements.

    Thanks again for helping make Pocket Casts better!

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