Pocket Casts does not insert ads into episodes. So, it doesn’t matter if a user has Pocket Casts Plus or Patron.
Any ads you hear would be from the podcast author adding them to their podcast. These are the two common methods authors use to insert ads into their episodes:
- Recording the ad with the rest of the podcast – to listeners’ ears, this sounds the most natural, as there are well-defined transitions for when an ad starts and ends.
- “Dynamic Ad Insertion” (DAI) – if you hear ads that sound very local and rather out of place compared to the rest of the episode, it is often a sign that DAI is being used. This is because DAI serves ads based on your phone’s IP address. However, it’s important to note that Pocket Casts does not provide your location for these ads. It’s actually the podcast hosting providers who figure out your location based on where your phone requests downloads from.
No. Pocket Casts never asks for your device’s location, so the app does not appear under Location in your phone’s permission settings and there is nothing to switch off. This applies to both the iOS and Android apps.
Local or region-specific ads reach you through dynamic ad insertion, described above. When your device downloads or streams an episode, it connects directly to the podcast’s hosting provider, and that provider can see your device’s IP address – which is enough to place you in a general area. Pocket Casts never sends your location, and revoking a permission the app does not hold would not change what the hosting provider sees.
If you want to avoid ads altogether, see How do I get ad-free listening? below.
No, Pocket Casts does not insert any ads into episodes.
No, subscribing to Pocket Casts Plus or Patron will not make episodes ad-free. This is because we do not insert the ads ourselves, and we respect the choices made by podcast creators to support themselves through ads.
Although ad-blocking or removal is not included with Plus or Patron, a subscription gives you access to many other benefits that you can view here.
Some podcast authors provide members-only or private versions of their podcasts that are ad-free. Podcast creators may also refer to these as paid premium feeds that contain bonus content.
Listeners can often access these premium feeds by being patrons or subscribers through platforms like Patreon and Memberful.
