As a podcasting fan and enthusiast since its inception in the early 2000s, I've used a lot of podcasting apps. Most recently Downcast on MacOS and iOS. I loved the interface, the way that syncing between the Mac and the iPhone was flawless, and the configurability. However, unfortunately, it seems that Downcast is no-longer being actively maintained. There are bugs in the macOS version that make it impossible to get into the settings, iCloud syncing is broken, and there have been no updates for almost a year nor any communication from the developer.
I set about building a replacement. SOmething with the power, configurability and simplicity of Downcast, with a native MacOS and iOS interface. The app is written in Swift with platform-specific optimisation so the interface feels at home on MacOS and iOS, not like an iOS app that just happens to run on a Mac.
I'm looking for beta testers. I'm looking for both MacOS and iOS testers. Please note this is a first beta so there will be some bugs, but I have been using and enjoying the app daily. Any and all feedback will be appreciated. I am looking for Voiceover testers on both platforms, and feedback on the UI from those who are able.
Please note, the public TestFlight link has now been removed and the beta will be operated on an invite-only basis going forward. This is due to a couple of reasons.
Recently, I have been receiving some truly vile eMails from members of the VI community in particular. I am in the fortunate position of not being someone who is easily offended. I appreciate that an app may not be to everyone's liking, and that's oK. The choice of apps available is vast, and there is something out there to fit almost every need. Yet people who feel the need to be so personal, even going as far as to suggest that somebody would be better off 'unaliving' themselves over bugs in a beta iPhone app speaks to the way a small minority of this community chooses to act.
I have been developping for years, well over a decade, though not generally in the VI community. I have created, published, and contributed to many open source projects, and developped applications professionally. I have been putting myself out there online for well over a decade. And i have never seen, nor experienced, the level of pettiness, or disgusting behaviour, as I have since I decided to become more involved in the VI community.
I appreciate that this is a minority who ruin things for everyone. But when these clever keyboard warriers are allowed to act in this way, it's no wonder developers don't take accessibility seriously. I dread to think how these people may have treated other app developers in the past, and the opportunities that may have been lost because of them.
I, even as a blind developer, will be more cautious in future when it comes to involving the VI community in betas, likely opening betas towards the release candidate stage, rather than early beta. I've met some great people along this journey and will always welcome their input on new apps, as well as anyone who joins with good intentions. But I'd think twice before making any beta app available to the wider VI community, and that saddens me.
To those of you who have submitted helpful, informative, and kind feedback, bug reports, and feature suggestions, I appreciate every one of you and am glad to have you onboard. Without those people, who represent approximately 7% of over 300 testers, Simulcast wouldn't be the app it is becoming. Simulcast isn't going anywhere, and I am working through a list of bug reports to push out a super stable new build at some point this week. The new build will bring plenty of Voiceover fixes, and tester requested GPodder sync support. I still hope to have the app in the store by the end of this year.
Comments
@Greg Wocher
Show notes are in the full-screen player. HOwever, the next build improves direct access to full show notes for voiceover users.
@Hubert
Thanks for reporting this. I will look into it and push a fix in the next build.
I would love to help test
If you still need testers I would love to help. I've only been blind for a few years and I'm finding the podcast client on the Mac and iPhone very frustrating. I would love to test this option.
Regards,
Chris
Thank you very much, Re: iHeartRadio
I definitely appreciate not having to use Apple Music for their podcast. Huge fan of iHeartRadio, so thank you again for this. Also thank you for implementing shortcuts. It is much appreciated. 😁👍
@Brian
You're welcome, glad you like it.
Totally love this.
This is amazing, it’s going to be fantastic and has everything you could want from a podcast app in my view. Given that it plays radio also is quite something and means that it will be replacing 2 apps. I really like the amount of customisation which can be done with this app, there is just loads it can do. Keep up the good work Ashley and thanks.
Playback Speed
Hi,
I'm not sure if this issue has been mentioned, so if I'm duplicating something, I apologize in advance.
Having been using this app a lot for both podcasts and radio, and very much still enjoying the experience. My question is regarding speed changing when it comes to podcasts. This is something I used a lot in other podcasts apps I have used, as I listen to my podcasts at quite fast rates. In previous apps, any speed change, would not change the quality of the audio, even at rates such as 2.6 speed. However, I've changed playback speed to 1.25 times, then 1.5, and I've noticed quite a difference in the audio quality. It would sound quite metallic, for lack of a better word to describe it, it's as if some sort of an effect was put on the audio. I can provide an audio sample if that's easier to demonstrate.
I was wondering if this has been mentioned and is being worked on, if it is, and I'm happy to wait for a fix, but I thought I'll mention the issue just in case it has not been talked about before.
Outside of that, very much loving the app, which is very much becoming my full time podcast and radio app. keep up the great work.
@Hubert
Thanks Hubert. A couple of audio examples would certainly be appreciated. Simulcast currently uses Apple's own speed shifting algorithms. I don't personally use these features as I think human narration is better at normal speed, so I don't have a huge amount of experience with them. It may be that other podcasting apps are using a purpose-built algorithm and that's the route I'll need to go down. If you could eMail me a couple of small samples that would be helpful. Thanks!
Re: Playback Speed
Hi Hubert,
Just adding my voice to say I'm seeing this too. The audio degradation you're describing matches what I'm hearing at higher speeds.
One thing I've found that helps somewhat is disabling both Voice Boost and Silence Skipping. It noticeably reduces the level of degradation for me. That said, it doesn't eliminate it entirely; I can still hear some artifacting even with those turned off, just less pronounced.
The beta is now invite only
Please note, the public TestFlight link has now been removed and the beta will be operated on an invite-only basis going forward. This is due to a couple of reasons.
Recently, I have been receiving some truly vile eMails from members of the VI community in particular. I am in the fortunate position of not being someone who is easily offended. I appreciate that an app may not be to everyone's liking, and that's oK. The choice of apps available is vast, and there is something out there to fit almost every need. Yet people who feel the need to be so personal, even going as far as to suggest that somebody would be better off 'unaliving' themselves over bugs in a beta iPhone app speaks to the way a small minority of this community chooses to act.
I have been developping for years, well over a decade, though not generally in the VI community. I have created, published, and contributed to many open source projects, and developped applications professionally. I have been putting myself out there online for well over a decade. And i have never seen, nor experienced, the level of pettiness, or disgusting behaviour, as I have since I decided to become more involved in the VI community.
I appreciate that this is a minority who ruin things for everyone. But when these clever keyboard warriers are allowed to act in this way, it's no wonder developers don't take accessibility seriously. I dread to think how these people may have treated other app developers in the past, and the opportunities that may have been lost because of them.
I, even as a blind developer, will be more cautious in future when it comes to involving the VI community in betas, likely opening betas towards the release candidate stage, rather than early beta. I've met some great people along this journey and will always welcome their input on new apps, as well as anyone who joins with good intentions. But I'd think twice before making any beta app available to the wider VI community, and that saddens me.
To those of you who have submitted helpful, informative, and kind feedback, bug reports, and feature suggestions, I appreciate every one of you and am glad to have you onboard. Without those people, who represent approximately 7% of over 300 testers, Simulcast wouldn't be the app it is becoming. Simulcast isn't going anywhere, and I am working through a list of bug reports to push out a super stable new build at some point this week. The new build will bring plenty of Voiceover fixes, and tester requested GPodder sync support. I still hope to have the app in the store by the end of this year.
to those threaten you they are ass holes
the subject states it clearly. On Applevis people are allowed to be attacked all that is done is to smack them on the hand and tell them to not do it again. I am most likely going to close my account once Simulcast is released I have vastly cut down on how much I contribute. Moderation is not consistent. There are no standards.
To Ashley you have done an awesome job of developing this app. Don't let the haters ruin it for you your app is now the only app on my phone. So excellent job.
@Dennis Long
In total fairness I can't attribute any of these people to Applevis directly, since the app has been publicised elsewhere so communications may well have come from people picking it up on Mastodon etc. I'm not active over there, nor do I really care to be. I do also have public websites. I just think that some in this community need to grow up and act their age, and have no interest in dealing with their BS regardless of whether it personally affects me or not. I think the majority of the VI community are good people, but like any minority group the ones who aren't tend to make themselves known.
that is a fair statement
Yes and it is the bad actors that ruin it for everyone. Ask for what you want nicely. State nicely why you want it. If it isn't right the first time give the dev nice feedback. I expected X it did Y. I'll give a perfect example from this app. Shazam was a bear to get working. I could've flew off the handle at you. What would that have solved? Nothing. I was nice about it and it eventually got resolved.
Responding to Dennis
Hi Dennis,
I would like to respond briefly to the points raised, after which I would ask that we please allow this thread to return to its original subject.
Thanks,
Michael Hansen
Director | AppleVis
For what it's worth
Anybody, sighted or otherwise, can spend five minutes with the Simulcast application, and see the level of commitment, experience, thoughtfulness, and creativity you put into the development of your software. Unfortunately, the blind community, majority speaking, are a bunch of whining, self entitled monkeys.
There are a number of reasons for this, one such reason is because in certain countries, there are agencies who applaud citizens for being blind, who in fact actually strive to convince the blind community, how much of a privilege it is to, B, blind in this day and age.
There are also agencies that go so far as to provide any piece of hardware or software to a blind person, depending on needs, for free. While I do not think this is necessarily a bad thing, everything should be done in moderation.
Regardless, these are just a few of the reasons why many folks in the blind community tend to be so demanding of freebies. It also breeds a sense of self entitlement amongst the community, which is why we have such, colorful, discussions on forums such as The ones here on AppleVis.
In the end, you should do what works best for you. You know your own worth, and your software speaks on that. Those of us who appreciate you, and developers like you, will continue to enjoy the end result of the hard work and dedication you provide to the world.
Those who do not respect what you do, well, there are plenty of other applications on the App Store for them to download and complain about. 😇
@Brian
Thank you. I couldn't agree more regarding free software and hardware. It certainly needs to be moderated and there should be some requirement to earn that free product, and not to simply expect it by virtue of being disabled. Whether that is through the sharing of skills, as many blind people are skilled in some area, through supporting others (kind of like community service, but not punitive), or as a shift toward loan programs rather than outright ownership. We need to move toward a culture where things remain accessible to people without financial means, but where there is some requirement to earn or contribute to the support received.
I was lucky and privilaged as a child in that my parents in particular, and also many of my teachers and other influential figures supported my interests, and I had access to technology and material things to enjoy my hobbies, computing, music and electronics included. But I was still raised with a mindset that things had to be earned, that you work for what you've got, and that money doesn't grow on trees. Now as an adult, I neither expect handouts nor would I want them. If I can't afford something, and I'm not prepared to take on a financial debt for it, I don't have it. And the same goes for a lot of people in general society, because that's simply how the world works.
There are a lot of VI people who want to work, who want to earn, and who want to contribute. There are a great many who do. But there are also many who don't, and too many who have no intention of doing so. And freely supporting the latter with handouts and no expectation helps no-one, least of all them. I get that employment is hard, especially for us. But we all have skills we can put to use, and every skilled person has value.
Anyway. I have no wish to turn this thread political so I'll leave it there. This may be worth a thread of its own at some point if it can be kept a civil discussion, though sadly I don't see such a discussion bringing about real change.
@brian
all I'll say is @Brian I agree with you.
Re: Playback Speed
I'm thrilled to report that the audio degradation at higher playback speeds is gone for me in the latest TestFlight build. This was the one thing standing between me and using the app full time, so I've now moved all of my subscriptions across from Overcast to give it the thorough, real-world test I've been waiting to do.
Many thanks to Ashley for the tremendous work on this — really appreciated.
Re: Playback Speed
That is brilliant news, thanks for following up on this. Please let me know how you get on with using the app more, in particular if there is anything from Overcast you miss.
Simulcast Beta Testing Invitation Request
Hi Ashley,
I saw your post about Simulcast becoming invite-only. I tried joining the public TestFlight previously, but I understand that the public link has now been removed.
I’d really appreciate the opportunity to test Simulcast if you’re still accepting new testers. I’m a blind VoiceOver user and a music student, and I’m particularly interested in testing the app’s accessibility, audio features, radio, and podcast experience. I’d be happy to provide detailed and constructive feedback and bug reports.
I completely understand if you’re keeping the beta limited at this stage. Thanks for all the work you’re putting into Simulcast.
In case you accept me as a tester, here is my email: [email protected]
@titogvalle
Thank you for your interest. I'm going to push a new TestFlight build either later today or tomorrow at the latest, and I will add you to the beta. Expect an invitation soon :)
Thank you
Thank you so much for considering me for your beta. I really appreciate it, and I’ll look forward to the invitation. I’m happy to help in any way I can and contribute whatever useful feedback I’m able to provide. Thanks again!