May 30, 2018 – Plex Podcasts is here! Currently in BETA, Podcasts is designed to give users the best, easiest-to-use, most customizable podcast experience, on any device, with no subscription or media server required. At launch, Plex Podcasts will be available on iOS, Android, Roku, and the Plex web platform, with additional device support coming soon.
Plex Podcast Features:
- Free, quick and easy – Simple, intuitive set-up, and no subscription required
- Cross-device playback status – A unique feature not offered by others, cross-platform playback lets users listen to podcasts on a jog and pick up where they left off at their desk
- All your media in one place – On Deck support for Podcasts displays the latest unplayed and partially listened episodes just like other shows, sitting alongside all other media within Plex, from personal photo, music and video collections, to curated news, to live and recorded TV, and more
- Information-rich – As you have come to expect, Plex enhances podcasts with metadata, offering more info about the programs and related podcasts
- Standard podcast controls – Controls such as forward and back, variable speed playback, and mark as played give you full control over your listening experience
- Easily add personal favorites – If a podcast isn’t already in the Plex catalog you can still add it by adding the feed url and Plex will treat it just as if it were already there, including retrieving rich metadata, related podcasts, search support, and more, making it more advanced than standalone podcast offerings
- Add to My Podcasts – Allows you to automatically add items to On Deck and easily get to your favorite shows
- Multi-device support – Device support at launch includes iOS, Android, Roku, and the Plex web platform with other platforms rolling out soon
Additional features and platform support will be rolling out to Plex Podcasts in the coming weeks, including:
- Smart downloading with granular options for managing the episodes you want to keep on a per show basis
- Additional metadata support including richer show pages and more discovery options
- Podcasts Import & Export (OPML) support, which will allow users to import their currently subscribed podcasts right into Plex
And about the new experience for Plex mobile apps (those screen grabs are also at the link above): It’s all about Plex delivering on the promise of a customizable, personalized media experience. Now, YOU get to choose what types of content you want to see, what appears on your home screen and browse by what you want to play (rather than where it comes from).
Want your mobile experience to be focused on music, podcasts, and news while on-the-go? Just save them to your home screen on your mobile device. Love casting your reality TV episodes while at home? Bring TV shows front and center for easier streaming to the big screen. Plex has always been about YOUR content and it’s now a more personalized experience making everything even easier to browse and search. The feature Plex fans have been waiting for.
