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I really like Pocket Casts. I have basically used it every day since 2014.i don't really like that I bought it years ago, then they switched to a subscription m

I really like Pocket Casts. I have basically used it every day since 2014.i don't really like that I bought it years ago, then they switched to a subscription model and I lost access to the one feature I cared about, which was syncing to their webapp. Always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and it really made me not want to support any more young companies.

rdegges 4y ago
Exactly... I've been using Pocket Casts since forever. I bought the full featured version and was soo happy... Until they killed it off. Now I'm on an iPhone and Apple Watch and it's ridiculous to pay to subscribe just to be able to control it from my watch. Feels ridiculous. If they brought back even an expensive, $80 one-time purchase fee I'd be more than happy to support.
- scarface74 4y ago
  Software development in the age of mobile requires continuous development. Who is going to pay for development of new features?
  - Karsteski 4y ago
    I mean, that's all fine and well. Just don't sell products then take them away after because you can. Imagine buying physical goods and having the business owner come to your house and take it away because it was costing them too much. Insanity.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - scarface74 4y ago
      So should they be obligated to keep supporting their servers forever? The better analogy would be like me expecting NordicTrack to service my exercise equipment for free forever. They aren’t going to take my physical equipment away. But they also aren’t going to keep sending me replacement parts and service techs out anytime I call them unless I keep paying the annual warranty. And before anyone replies that it must be shoddy equipment to keep needing repairs, heavily used exercise equipment constantly has moving parts that wear down.
      - Karsteski 4y ago
        I think you're missing my point. I don't mind that they switched to a subscription service, I fucking hate being lied to. Given that they eventually came around to grandfathering the purchasers (who I guess had to go click a button somewhere), they obviously knew they were wrong on that front. Don't sell products then change them afterwards. I paid for a thing. Then they made it so that the thing I purchased required more payment indefinitely. That's bullshit.
      - tomrod 4y ago
        Yes, they are obligated because that's what a lifetime subscription means even if they added snotty fine print in a EULA.
        scarface74 4y ago
        And what court is going to force them to run servers forever and keep updating the software?
        tomrod 4y ago
        Federal courts, and probably state courts. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_advertising#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_advertising#United_State...
        scarface74 4y ago
        And the federal court is going to force a provider never to shut down a service?
        tomrod 4y ago
        You can't Socrates your way into a philosophical win here, especially by repeating the same tapped vein of questions. A bait-and-switch of lifetime service for a fee to a monthly service for a fee for the same feature set is not some precedent setting benchmark nor a useful time spent arguing on the internet about. Some people are rightfully still upset by the switch. Let me suggest we move on since you've not realized we can agree to disagree yet.
  - doublepg23 4y ago
    I think you were absent when this happened years ago. Part of their marketing was “No subscription fees” and the premium was marketed as “lifetime”. It was a pretty big bait-and-switch and the r/PocketCasts is a good example of bad customer relations.
iscrewyou 4y ago
I paid for Pocket Casts back in the day. When they switched to subscriptions, they grandfathered me to the Pocket Casts Plus as a lifetime user. I have access to the web app and it syncs the podcasts as well as the play position. Are you referring to something else?
- tunnuz 4y ago
  Same.
- reustle 4y ago
  > When they switched to subscriptions, they grandfathered me to the Pocket Casts Plus as a lifetime user. iirc we were only grandfathered in for 3 years.
  - tapoxi 4y ago
    they fixed that and made it permanent.
    - nxte 4y ago
      really? my 3 year period just ended and they asked me to pony up.
      - tapoxi 4y ago
        https://blog.pocketcasts.com/2019/09/19/we-heard-you/ https://blog.pocketcasts.com/2019/09/19/we-heard-you/ I'm still on my lifetime plan, maybe open a support ticket?
- Karsteski 4y ago
  I didn't get grandfathered in. I never saw whatever notification or email they sent out. I only saw last year that that was what happened, and by then I was obviously too late. Obviously, having paid for an online product and having it stolen from me is something I will never forget.
rubslopes 4y ago
This must be an error. I bought it years ago and I was grandfathered for life. Get in touch with them; they are great devs, I'm sure they'll solve this.
- Karsteski 4y ago
  I actually will try that, thanks
  - fermentation 4y ago
    Just FYI I got in touch with them (I had purchased the app in 2014) and they told me to pay up.
- roumenguha 4y ago
  I think you had to purchase the web app for an additional fee back then, to be grandfathered for life.
nataz 4y ago
I'm the same. Long time paid app user, then when the switch happened I got reverted back to the free tier. I still use the app, but like you said, it does still irk me to this day.

rdegges 4y ago

Exactly... I've been using Pocket Casts since forever. I bought the full featured version and was soo happy... Until they killed it off. Now I'm on an iPhone and Apple Watch and it's ridiculous to pay to subscribe just to be able to control it from my watch. Feels ridiculous. If they brought back even an expensive, $80 one-time purchase fee I'd be more than happy to support.

scarface74 4y ago
Software development in the age of mobile requires continuous development. Who is going to pay for development of new features?
- Karsteski 4y ago
  I mean, that's all fine and well. Just don't sell products then take them away after because you can. Imagine buying physical goods and having the business owner come to your house and take it away because it was costing them too much. Insanity.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - scarface74 4y ago
    So should they be obligated to keep supporting their servers forever? The better analogy would be like me expecting NordicTrack to service my exercise equipment for free forever. They aren’t going to take my physical equipment away. But they also aren’t going to keep sending me replacement parts and service techs out anytime I call them unless I keep paying the annual warranty. And before anyone replies that it must be shoddy equipment to keep needing repairs, heavily used exercise equipment constantly has moving parts that wear down.
    - Karsteski 4y ago
      I think you're missing my point. I don't mind that they switched to a subscription service, I fucking hate being lied to. Given that they eventually came around to grandfathering the purchasers (who I guess had to go click a button somewhere), they obviously knew they were wrong on that front. Don't sell products then change them afterwards. I paid for a thing. Then they made it so that the thing I purchased required more payment indefinitely. That's bullshit.
    - tomrod 4y ago
      Yes, they are obligated because that's what a lifetime subscription means even if they added snotty fine print in a EULA.
      - scarface74 4y ago
        And what court is going to force them to run servers forever and keep updating the software?
        tomrod 4y ago
        Federal courts, and probably state courts. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_advertising#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_advertising#United_State...
        scarface74 4y ago
        And the federal court is going to force a provider never to shut down a service?
        tomrod 4y ago
        You can't Socrates your way into a philosophical win here, especially by repeating the same tapped vein of questions. A bait-and-switch of lifetime service for a fee to a monthly service for a fee for the same feature set is not some precedent setting benchmark nor a useful time spent arguing on the internet about. Some people are rightfully still upset by the switch. Let me suggest we move on since you've not realized we can agree to disagree yet.
- doublepg23 4y ago
  I think you were absent when this happened years ago. Part of their marketing was “No subscription fees” and the premium was marketed as “lifetime”. It was a pretty big bait-and-switch and the r/PocketCasts is a good example of bad customer relations.

iscrewyou 4y ago

I paid for Pocket Casts back in the day. When they switched to subscriptions, they grandfathered me to the Pocket Casts Plus as a lifetime user. I have access to the web app and it syncs the podcasts as well as the play position. Are you referring to something else?

tunnuz 4y ago
Same.
reustle 4y ago
> When they switched to subscriptions, they grandfathered me to the Pocket Casts Plus as a lifetime user. iirc we were only grandfathered in for 3 years.
- tapoxi 4y ago
  they fixed that and made it permanent.
  - nxte 4y ago
    really? my 3 year period just ended and they asked me to pony up.
    - tapoxi 4y ago
      https://blog.pocketcasts.com/2019/09/19/we-heard-you/ https://blog.pocketcasts.com/2019/09/19/we-heard-you/ I'm still on my lifetime plan, maybe open a support ticket?
Karsteski 4y ago
I didn't get grandfathered in. I never saw whatever notification or email they sent out. I only saw last year that that was what happened, and by then I was obviously too late. Obviously, having paid for an online product and having it stolen from me is something I will never forget.

rubslopes 4y ago

This must be an error. I bought it years ago and I was grandfathered for life. Get in touch with them; they are great devs, I'm sure they'll solve this.

Karsteski 4y ago
I actually will try that, thanks
- fermentation 4y ago
  Just FYI I got in touch with them (I had purchased the app in 2014) and they told me to pay up.
roumenguha 4y ago
I think you had to purchase the web app for an additional fee back then, to be grandfathered for life.

nataz 4y ago

I'm the same. Long time paid app user, then when the switch happened I got reverted back to the free tier. I still use the app, but like you said, it does still irk me to this day.