Mobile devices are where the vast majority of podcast listening takes place, so as Overcast works to roll out new features and updates creator Marco Arment says the company plans to sunset its website player in 2023. “As Overcast has grown over the years, the website player hasn’t,” he says. “As a result, only a tiny fraction of Overcast customers use the website.”
Arment says most of the efforts have been to update and improve the iOS-only Overcast app and as a result he thinks the website player is “terrible.” But because it has also taken time away from working on the app, Arment says the website player has been holding him back from making improvements to the app.
“The iOS app is what Overcast customers love and overwhelmingly choose to use, and it’s what I love working on,” he writes in a blog post.
The move is expected to take place early next year. Arment says the changes will also mean other components will also be sunset. He says “very old” versions of the Overcast app pre-dating iOS 15 will stop working. And any listening done on the website will no longer sync with the app. Arment also tells users that while website pages for shows and episodes will “probably” still exist, their list of subscriptions will most likely not be available on the website any longer.
“I didn’t reach this decision lightly or quickly,” he says. “It’s what I need to do to give Overcast a great future.
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