The new advertisements seriously suck.
-
can you allow paid users to not see the banner?
I don’t want to pay again and again. I too bought this app in 2015.
-
many of us are in this situation and I sincerely hope the company reconsiders how it treats loyal paid for customers.
-
-
as far as I figured it out, this violates even Google Store Policy:
https://support.google.com/googleplay/thread/240413374/ads-appearing-after-purchasing-no-ads?hl=en
But of course I cannot be sure, if there is some loop hole for this …
-
I contacted Google who suggested emailing the developer directly.
I sent this today to (email visible only to moderators and staff) and lowered my rating to a 1 to signal my discontent: Feel free to do the same
—
I’m writing to express my strong dissatisfaction with your new subscription model.
I am a user who purchased the app in 2015 specifically to remove ads and support development. This was a one-time purchase for an ad-free experience. Now, you are asking me to pay again for the same feature.
This policy change feels unfair to your most loyal customers, like myself, who supported the app from the beginning. The new subscription features don’t interest me; I only want the ad removal I already paid for.
I respectfully request that you “grandfather” all past purchasers, allowing us to continue using the app ad-free without a subscription.
I’ve already seen backlash and customers uninstalling the app. Please consider this carefully to retain the loyalty of your long-term user base.
Thank you,
-
-
Got an immediate automated reply – I’ve now asked for a refund of my 2015 purchase.
Thank you for reaching out about banner ads! As time has gone on, maintaining Pocket Casts has become unsustainable on one-time purchases or free app downloads alone. In response, we have moved to a subscription model with Pocket Casts Plus (and Patron for even more), and we have now introduced banner ads for users who don’t have Plus or Patron.
While the apps—mobile, web, and desktop—are now free to everyone, ads help us continue to provide the Pocket Casts index and services—essentially keeping the lights on and the apps online.
If you’d like to try Plus out, we are currently offering a 1‑month free trial, which you can sign up for at https://pocketcasts.com/plans#plans. Thank you again for your support and for being part of the Pocket Casts community. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help.
– Pocket Casts Customer Support Team
P.S. See below to reference your original request.
-
A company who asks you to pay again will increase their price over time, this is a sunk cost to me and I am very sad to leave the app but I cannot support that model for a podcast app.
-
I have created a wordpress account purely to express my frustration and disappointment that ads have now been added to an app I paid for in 2016 with the express purpose of permanently removing the adds. If Pocketcasts has mispriced the app in the past, I’m afraid that’s on them. The fact is that I paid for something and now the developers are reneging on that previous agreement. I have no use for the features of the paid tier and it does not represent good value for money for me. Sadly, I will be voting with my feet and migrating to another app. This is a disappointing trajectory but one that seems to be becoming more common and we, as a user base have a responsibility not to put up with it.
-
Free user here. There’s an X on the top right of the banner that can’t be clicked lol. Interesting implementation.
-
-
It is unfortunate that a lackey (no offense) has been made to answer for Pocket Cast’s decisions here.
Most of us have worked (or known someone who has worked) for a garbage human being like this. They fleece their paying customers and tell the lowest-paid employee to go take the flak.
They are truly the worst – the world would be a better place without them in it, and their cowardice is proof they agree.
-
Like all the others: disappointed and angry to see a giant, unremovable add in an app that I paid for. The “new features” are very much superfluous. To pay €45 annually just for a podcast player is ridiculous. It’s sad to leave an app that I’m invested in, that I used every day, but you’re leaving me no choice.
-
I’ve been a longtime Pocket Casts supporter, recommended it friends, and even contributed to the GitHub, but the addition of ads has me looking at alternatives. I’ve shared bits and pieces of my thoughts on Reddit, the App Store, and elsewhere, but wanted to post here to pull everything together for clarity. Most of this has already been said, but here’s my summary:
- I bought Pocket Casts twice when it was sold as a one-time, ad-free app. Adding ads now changes the original deal, and I feel let down.
- Resorting to dark patterns, like showing an “X” button that doesn’t actually close the ad, adds insult to injury and is a low move I wouldn’t expect from Pocket Cast.
- Yes, developers need to make money, but Pocket Casts isn’t a monopoly. Growth should come from attracting new customers with compelling features, not rent-seeking from long-time supporters.
- When Pocket Casts decided to go this route, they should’ve forked the app—keep a legacy version with critical bug fixes only, and launch a new Pocket Casts Plus app with ads, subscriptions, and ongoing innovation.
- $40/year is far above the going rate for a full-featured podcast app. Some of us don’t need new features—we just want the app we already paid for. Ideally, it’d be free for legacy users, but I’d be willing to pay $5–$10/year for an ad-removal-only plan.
The way this is being handled is burning goodwill that’ll be hard to win back. If I were still on Android, I’d already be using AntennaPod. On iOS, there’s no perfect alternative—though Castro comes closest. At $25/year, it’s a bit steep, but still cheaper than Pocket Casts Plus.
-
I’ve also created an account just to reply here. I’m sad to move away, because I really like PocketCasts. But $60 US per year is too much — that’s more than I pay for my subscription to the Washington Post, to Ars Technica, or to half a dozen other news sites, radio stations and podcasts I support. I don’t need your Pro features.
And on top of all that: I would have said that I’d gladly purchase the app to get an ad-free version, but now you’ve demonstrated what a foolish move that would be. You’ve broken a lot of trust here.
-
just adding to the list of folks who after paid for the app and created an account just to express disgust at this outrageous move… :(
-
I just saw how the rating of pocket cast goes down in the Google play store. It is now at 3.8 … It was above 4.
My opinion: the pocket cast app will be irrelevant soon.
-
i feel like we can do better than that? don’t forget to mark all the other complaints as helpful as well!!
-
Hi all! I just created an account here to echo what everyone else is saying
I’m willing to pay money, but I’m allergic to ads almost as much as I’m allergic to subscriptions (even small ones!)
So please don’t make me pick one of those
-
As a longtime supporter and lifetime/one-time paid member, I truly appreciate the hard work your team puts into the app.
We’ve been here from the start, recommending your product to others, yet it feels like our loyalty is being overlooked. First, there was the attempt to charge lifetime/one-time paid members for web app access, and now the introduction of ads. I completely understand your need to generate revenue, but these changes leave us feeling undervalued.
I think an email to outlining your plans and inviting our input through a survey, would have gone a long way. As early supporters, we’d love the chance to share our thoughts and feel included in the process so you should understand how this leaves us feeling frustrated.
Pocket Casts Forum 