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For podcasts, I use Instacast and that definitely downloads in the background, but I believe the app just can't be in suspend state. As long as a bunch of apps

by bstar77 14y ago

For podcasts, I use Instacast and that definitely downloads in the background, but I believe the app just can't be in suspend state. As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone. The trade-off is to have background downloading on all the time, which is something I hated about android in the 4 years I used it. Background processes were always killing my battery and it was never obvious what was running. I think the sane compromise that I wish apple would make is to allow for more permanent background tasks to run, but only when externally powered.

untog 14y ago
As long as a bunch of apps have not been opened after instacast, it should download everything fone. See, for me that uncertainty is a killer. I want my podcasts downloaded in the morning. I don't want to have to check before I go to bed that the app is still in memory, that's mad. There are Android apps that abuse their background abilities, but the vast majority work just fine and don't kill your battery.
jmreid 14y ago
I don't think it's a matter of other apps not running after you suspend Instacast. All apps have a limited amount of time to complete something like a download task while backgrounded. In Downcast, I have set my home as a geo fence, and tell it to fetch new podcasts whenever I leave or arrive. Downcast is allowed to subscribe to this geofence and wake itself up to fetch new podcasts, all without me opening the app at all. The only catch is if the downloads take more than 15 minutes, they get paused until I open the app again.