With Autoplay enabled, and provided that your Up Next queue is empty, Pocket Casts will automatically start the next episode from an episode list once the current episode finishes. Autoplay is supported on the iOS, Android, web, and desktop apps.
Autoplay was introduced in the following app versions:
- Version 7.43 of the iOS and Android mobile apps
- Version 3.6.8 of the web and desktop apps
The Autoplay feature should not be confused with continuous playback, where episodes on your Up Next queue—otherwise known as the app’s playlist—are played one after the other.
To start using Autoplay, the following must be true:
- Your app version already includes Autoplay. We also advise that you keep the app updated to the latest version available for your device.
- Your Up Next queue is empty.
- Autoplay is enabled from the following places:
- In the mobile apps: Profile > Settings (gear icon) > General
- In the web and desktop apps: Profile (your profile photo) > Settings > Playback
- You’ve started playing an episode from an episode list, which can be one of the following:
- Podcasts > the podcast of your choice
- Playlists > a particular playlist
- Profile > Downloads
- Profile > Starred
You can disable Autoplay from the following places:
- In the mobile apps: Profile > Settings (gear icon) > General
- In the web and desktop apps: Profile (your profile photo) > Settings > Playback
If a podcast episode finishes and another one starts playing automatically for you even with Autoplay turned off, what you are experiencing is unlikely to be an issue with the Autoplay feature. Rather, you are getting continuous playback from the Up Next queue. To confirm, please check if there are episodes in your Up Next queue.
How can I prevent the next episode from automatically starting after I finish playing one episode in Pocket Casts?
There are two ways you can prevent subsequent episodes from automatically starting after you finish playing one episode in Pocket Casts:
- If you have episodes in your Up Next queue – you can use the “Sleep Timer” feature. This will allow you to set the sleep timer to “End of Episode.”
- If your Up Next list is empty – you can disable the “Autoplay” feature from Profile > Settings (gear icon) > General
No. If you have an Up Next queue and you finish playing all the episodes in it, nothing will be autoplayed.
For Autoplay to work, you’ll want to have a completely empty Up Next queue the moment you play any episode from an episode list.
If an episode is finished, but the next episode won’t play automatically, first confirm that Autoplay is active. Go to Settings > Playback > toggle-on Autoplay. Next, check if the Up Next queue has any episodes available. If you start an episode while Up Next is empty, Autoplay will continue playing episodes from that podcast or list. If none are available no episodes will play.
No, this is not possible. If this is something you wish to see, however, do let us know!
Autoplay currently works with the following:
- Apple Watch, but only when using “Phone” as the play source
- CarPlay
- Android Auto
- Android Automotive
- AirPlay
- Chromecast, but only when casting from an Android phone
Autoplay does not yet work with Wear OS.
The Autoplay list is currently not part of Pocket Casts Sync. So, if you start listening to an episode from one device using Autoplay, and then continue listening to the episode on a second device, the second device won’t have information on which episode list the episode was autoplayed from.
