Podopolo: Mobile App Release Notes28 min read

Podopolo: Mobile App Release Notes28 min read

Reading Time: 19 minutes

March 18, 2022

Improvements

• Updated Onboarding : We have adjusted the onboarding for new users to the app, creating an easier, frictionless experience.
• 2FA for Onboarding: When registering for Podopolo, adding a phone number is no longer required.
• Phone Number Adjustments: If a user wants to invite friends or add users to manage their podcasts and their phone numbers are not in the system, users are now required to add their phone number to use these features.
• Removed “Claim” Language: Podcasters can no longer “claim their podcasts” on Podopolo. That language didn’t feel right. Instead, podcasters can “feature their podcast.” When a podcaster verifies their ownership of a podcast, it is immediately featured prominently on the app home screen so all Podopolo users can find new, great content.

Bug Fixes

• Added a success message after a user adds their phone number
• When opening the keyboard within the DM screen and going back no longer results in a black box on other screens
• Deleted users now appear as intended within episode comments
• Both the share and notification buttons on the podcast screen are now properly aligned
• Restricted profile image upload to only accept image filetypes
• Share sheet no longer registers more than one click action to avoid multiple share sheets opening
• Removed show details button from podcast screen
• Fixed login screen flow “safe area” padding
• App no longer freezes when viewing contacts

March 8, 2022

Improvements

• New App Update Deployment System: In order to ensure continuous updates and improvements in a timely and non-intrusive manner, we have adjusted the app update deployment system utilizing a global CDN.
• New JS Rendering Engine: Podopolo is now much faster and more responsive. With this update, CPU usage has been dramatically reduced, ensuring you get the most time out of your battery life.
• Improved App Analytics: to ensure your experience on Podopolo is always top-notch.
• Refactored Google and Facebook Logins: Reducing our dependence on third parties.
• Removed Facebook SDK: Improving our security, your privacy, and reducing the size of the app.
• Adjusted Listening Progress: Listening progress is now stored locally on your device, improving the playback experience.
• Improved Video Podcast Playback: Animation and performance improvements.
• Audio Progress Bar Improvements: The touch area is now bigger making it easier to grab the handle and scrub your listening location.
• Saving Your Place: When an episode is playing, the system automatically saves progress every 30 seconds.
• Episode Completion: The app now considers all podcasts, “played,” 90 seconds before they are complete.
• Push Notifications: These are now registered and synchronized with our servers immediately on login.
• Update Logic: Refactored the method in which the system calculates the last time the app was updated.
• Third Party Libraries: Several have been updated, including our library for native animations, gesture handling, and native screen support
• Clip Changes: Added a button to dismiss the trim bottom sheet on the “create a clip” screen.

Bug Fixes

• White screen issue on player when auto-playing next episode has been removed
• Fixed error which displayed inconsistent audio progress between the lock screen/notification center/control center and the Podopolo player screen at audio playback speeds greater than 1x
• Prevented double audio playback in rare instances
• Fixed occasional quote issue when sending silent app update push notifications
• [Android] The app no longer crashes when minimizing and re-opening the app on the player screen
• [Android] Fixed Google login issue

February 27, 2022

New Features

• DM Message Requests: Send DM’s to anyone on Podopolo. If they accept your message request you can have a discussion, share podcasts, episodes, and more!

Improvements

• New Discover Banners: Banners can now open external URLs along with their existing ability to deeplink to podcasts, playlists, and internal links.
• Improved Clip Accuracy: Create more accurate clips using the timecode option in the clips creator.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Facebook login crash on Android devices
• Realigned ‘Discover’ button in the main navigation
• Repaired crash that occurred when viewing a podcaster’s referral code
• Region and language lists now scroll as expected
• Clips no longer continue to play in the background after being created

January 26, 2022

New Features

• Block Users: Now that Podopolo has social features, people will probably take full advantage of them and in some cases – abuse the privilege. To allow you full control over your own experience in the app, you can now block users within the DM’s and in episode comments.
• Comment & Clip ‘Likes’: We’ve added the ability to react to comments and clips without having to reply with a comment. When you show appreciation for a comment or a clip, it helps the Podopolo recommendation engine find better podcasts for you!

Improvements

• Clips Feature Refactor: We performed a full refactor of the clips feature to support stability and performance.
• Improved Audio Progress: Frustrated losing your place when listening to episodes on Podopolo? Us too! Podopolo now saves your progress through episodes every 60 seconds.

Bug Fixes

• Removed the ability for a podcaster to follow their own podcast from a clip
• Ensure main navigation appears when viewing podcast and episode details from the player
• Fixed inaccurate published date on episode screen
• Hardware back button fixed on Android when interacting with clips feature
• Fixed automatic “go back” behavior at the end of a single podcast episode

January 5, 2022

New Features

• [Limited Release] Podcast Clips: Listeners and podcasters can clip portions of podcast episodes and share them within the app through DM’s and across social media. The clips function in a “Reel” type format, creating an opportunity to introduce you to new and exciting content.
  • Interested in joining our group of early adopters testing podcast clips? Email support@podopolo.com or DM us on Instagram or Twitter to get in on the early action with your community.
• Share Search: Too many connections on Podopolo to simply scroll and click on your friend of choice? Now you can search for people by name or username within the share bottom sheet to quickly find the friend you’re searching for.

Improvements

• Episode Progress Bar: We’ve made it easier for you to click, drag, and move the episode audio progress bar.
• Read More: Improved rendering of the “read more” rendering/positioning on the podcast and episode screens.
• Pinned Mentioned Comment: If a comment is opened through a notification, the comment appears pinned to the top of the relative comment section.
• Comment Identifier Tags: Podcast hosts, guests, and contributors are identified next to their names when they comment within their own podcast episode.
• Playback Speed: If you adjust your audio playback speed, it will now persist on your device until you end your session or update the speed of playback.
• Notifications: All notifications are now marked read when you view and exit the notifications screen.
• Dynamic Picks and Banners: Podopolo picks are now always fresh each day, helping you to find more content that is interesting to you.

Bug Fixes

• Show search input in the share modal, even when results are empty
• Hid the ability to follow a podcast for the host of the podcast
• New alert to notify a user when you share content successfully
• Screen no longer reloads after navigating away from the DM screen
• Fixed issue showing “comments are disabled” when navigating to comments from a push notification
• Fixed follow button not updating after following podcasts
• Updated follow list to change real-time when a podcast is unfollowed
• Adjusted rely arrangement in comments
• Fixed occasional crash on Android when the app updates
• Discovered and remediated high CPU usage on the podcast detail screen
• Fixed the ability to unfollow a podcast from the MyPods screen

December 8, 2021

New Features

• Podcast Ingest Supercharge: In order to ensure Podopolo has the latest, greatest episodes as soon as they drop, we’ve added 7 additional query methods to our ingest engine, including blockchain.
• New Episode Notifications: Speaking of the newest episodes, we’ve added push notifications that can be set per-podcast to receive updates at the moment a new episode is released, a monthly update, or no notifications at all. 
• Podcast “Pull to Refresh”: If somehow, someway you do not have the latest episodes for your favorite podcast, simply pull the podcast screen down and we will grab the latest from the RSS feed at that moment.
• [Limited Release] Episode Comments: A select few of our closest podcast partners now have the ability to host discussions within each episode. This feature amplifies the social connections that Podopolo can provide, and the conversations that lead to learning and engaging.
  • Interested in adding commenting to your podcasts? Email support@podopolo.com or DM us on Instagram or Twitter to get in on the early action with your community.

Improvements

• Episode Sleep Timer: Refactored this feature to be optimized for the latest versions of Android and iOS.
• Image Loading Optimizations: Episode image loading library has been replaced with a custom solution that includes a cache system for improved episode list scrolling.
• Continue Listening: Let’s cut to the chase, nothing is more frustrating than listening to a great episode when suddenly, something goes wrong and you lose your progress in a flash. In case of ‘disaster,’ we’ve adjusted episode progress to store in one minute intervals, providing you the ability to jump right back in.
• Playlist Autoplay: Podopolo featured playlists now play each episode sequentially, mimicking the behavior expected of a content playlist.
• Community Guidelines: Added access to community guidelines from the app about screen in settings, and within onboarding

Bug Fixes

• Tapping the podcast title from the episode screen now links back to the podcast screen
• Fixed autoplay and episode repeat issue that was widely reported
• Fixed follow button when opening a podcast from external link
• Updated video tag styling
• Fixed request contacts permission on Android and contact loading on iOS
• Added a display message after successfully editing a podcast
• Fixed podcast follow count to not include the owner of the podcast
• Fixed height of explicit banner overlay
• Fixed playback of episodes on Android player and Notification Drawer mini-player where the episode would pause when loaded
• Fixed bug when listening to an episode already in progress/continue listening, where the episode would start from the very beginning before jumping to the correct time
• Improved styling of the Follow button on podcasts when followed
• Center aligned episode title text to the image in the episode list improving legibility

November 1, 2021

New Features

• Video Podcast Player: Do you love a certain podcast that has a video feed but have not seen it on Podopolo? Well, look no further! Podopolo now plays video podcast episodes seamlessly within the same experience you have grown to love. Want to explore the app or use other apps while watching? Not a problem, Podopolo provides an integrated picture in picture mode allowing you to multitask and not miss a moment.
• Import Your Existing Podcast Library: Now you can import any OPML file from your current podcast listening apps to make sure you can listen to your favorite podcasts on Podopolo.
• Export Your Podopolo Podcast Library: Don’t lose your library, no matter where you listen to podcasts. You can also share your podcast library with your friends, just share your exported OPML file.
• Private Listening: Although podcasts are more fun with friends, sometimes its better to listen in private. Simply click “follow privately” on any podcast and it will appear in your library, but will not appear publicly on your profile.
• Enhanced Content Reporting: Ever come across a podcast that contains inappropriate or explicit content with no indication that it may be offensive? Report any content to be marked as sensitive directly from the podcast screen. Our team will review all reported content to ensure it is aligned with our community guidelines and we keep Podopolo a safe space for all podcast enthusiasts.
• Landscape Mode Support: Podopolo can now be used in landscape mode. This improves support and usability on iPads and other tablets.
• OLED True Black: If you have an OLED device, you know the pain that comes with intensity of color support. True black is now supported on all OLED devices when using Podopolo.
• Podcast/Episode Artwork – Image Zoom: That cover artwork looks amazing! I wish I could see it more clearly… Well, you can now! Click on that cover image to zoom and see all the details.
• New Episode Player: In order to provide a superior listening experience for podcast fans, our team has worked tirelessly to replace the existing episode player with a new, custom player that not only supports audio, but video podcasts as well! 
• Persistent State: Ever feel frustrated when you leave an app, come back and you lost your place? So do we. That is why we added a persistent state feature to the app so when you refocus Podopolo, it will load back up where you left off.
• Additional Podcast Owner Roles: Are you a podcaster who has a few people or a whole team that helps to manage your podcast? If so, our team has made it easy to add all contributors to your podcast so your team can help manage your content on Podopolo.
• Onboarding Update: In order to ensure Podopolo remains a safe place for suers of all ages, we now require new users to add their birthday on registration. This information will never be shared. More information about how we treat personally identifying information can be found in our Privacy Policy.

Improvements

• Javascript Engine Replaced on iOS: This has made the app faster and easier to work with and use.
• Launch Speed: Podopolo now launches 10x faster.
• Podcast Player: Brought back the initial podcast player fullscreen UI.
• Improved Support: Both tablets and iOS have improved support.
• Discover Screen: Improved and optimized performance for the discover screen.
• Direct Messages: Improved logic for message separators.
• User Onboarding: Performance has been improved.
• Content Sharing: When users share content, additional calls have been added to track activity for better analytics.
• Episode Progress: Podcast episode progress has been adjusted to be more precise.
• Followers & Following: Loading and performance improvements.
• Sorting: Additional sorting and filtering options added to the podcast screen.
• Simple Referral Code Reference: Podcasters can now find their referral code right on their discover screen.

Bug Fixes

• All libraries have been updated to reflect most recent versions
• [Android] New player implementation should improve many of the issues experienced by our Android users
• Improved notifications implementing a “smart” update feature
• Padding and spacing within animated navigation elements has been improved
• Added a navigation bounce-back for deleted accounts
• Fixed a bug that was crashing the connections screen

October 8, 2021

New Features

• Direct Messages: Send DM’s to your friends and fans through our brand spankin’ new messaging system. Share your favorite podcast episode with someone who needs to hear it and let ’em know what inspires you.
• Autoplay Next Episode: Ever driving in the car or doing the laundry while listening to a great podcast when the episode ends and suddenly… silence? Not anymore! When you play an episode from the podcast screen, the next episode will automatically start playing when your current one ends providing you with nonstop entertainment and inspiration.
• Adjust Episode Play Order: Since podcast episodes now play the next one automatically, they should play in the order the episodes make the most sense, right? We thought so too. Adjust your play order by changing the order in which they display right on the podcast screen.
• Report Offensive Podcasts: With 4.3m podcasts at your fingertips, there is bound to be content that is not appropriate for all ages. Let us know by clicking on the ‘…’ in the top right of a podcast or episode and selecting the reason we should review the content so we can make sure Podopolo is a safe place for everyone.
• Podcaster Charities: If you’re a podcaster and you have a specific charity that you support and want your audience to support as well, add it to your podcast page and get the word out.
• Profile Image Zoom: Boy, those profile pics are real small… good thing you can now click on all profile images to see them more clearly.

Improvements

• Improved Podcast Loading: Podcasts now load immediately when you click on them.
• Always Fresh Discover Screen Content: We have adjusted the way banners at the top of the discover screen rotate ensuring you always see the newest, most exciting podcasts and playlists on Podopolo.
• Played Filter: Now you can filter podcast episodes by what you have played and are in progress to ensure you can always find what you are looking for.

Bug Fixes

• Bottom sheets now have a dynamic height to better fit on all phone sizes
• Improved downloading feature for episodes
• Refactored the “mark as played” feature across the app
• Included UserAgent header for in-app player when playing podcast episodes
• Fixed sponsor logo on playlists to fit within the background on the screen
• Repaired referral modal opening from a deep link
• Stopped crash when opening the notification preference modal
• Fixed an issue with the “go back” button affecting Android
• Fixed issue displaying empty results on podcast/episode/people search

September 22, 2021

New Features

• Add Co-Hosts & Guests on Podcasts and Episodes: Highlight your co-hosts and guests by inviting them to be featured on your Podopolo podcast and episode pages. Add all of the contributors that have helped make each episode unique. One of your hosts or guests isn’t on Podopolo? Just invite them through the app by adding them to as a contributor
• Podcaster Referral Codes: Listen up Podcasters! Bring your community into Podopolo and make sure you provide them with your referral code (found in your profile or in your settings) and get rewarded when your fans join the app
• Sensitive Content Settings: Don’t want to see or hear content that may be upsetting or offensive? Just toggle your settings to hide sensitive content and badda-bing that’ll do it! sensitive content is gone! Disclaimer: some unwanted content may sneak through since we rely on the information shared with us from the RSS feed. If you discover offensive material, let us know by submitting feedback within the app and we will update it in our system
• Playlists: Discover content curated by your favorite podcasters, Podopolo and brands that combine the best episodes related to exciting themes. Follow and share your favorite playlists and stay on the lookout for new playlists, added weekly
• Podcaster Profile Social Media: Podcasters – add your social media accounts to your profiles so your fans know where else they can find you
• Welcome to Podopolo: All podcasters who claim their podcast will be featured in the new “Recently Claimed” section on the Podopolo home screen and within their selected categories making it easy for listeners to find and engage with our newest podcast partners
• Popular on Podopolo: Now it’s easier than ever to find podcasts based on the Podopolo communities interests! Check out your favorite categories to see what Podopolites around the world are listening to – who knows, you might find a new favorite podcast
• Grid View or List View… That is the question: Customize your MyPods library by setting your view of the screen the way you prefer

Improvements

• New Daily Highlight Rotation: In order to ensure you always find fresh content on Podopolo, the banners on the home screen now update daily to provide you with new, exciting podcast discovery each day
• Verified!: Podcasters now appear with a “√” next to their name when searching for people, amplifying they are verified by Podopolo
• Search, Simplified: When searching, it is now easier to quickly search for podcasts, episodes or people. Just select which option you would like to search and type away

Bug Fixes

• Episode “played” indicator now appears upon the completion of an episode
• Updated default device language setting
• Ensured that podcast cover art appears as expected when viewing notifications
• Fixed an issue related to social logins affecting new account creation
• Loading improvements pertaining to the MyPods library
• [Android] Contextual menu improvements within the continue listening module
• Podopolo’s bottom sheet library has been updated
• Image loading performance updates affecting images across the app

September 14, 2021

New Features

• Release Notes: Access the latest updates directly in the app, located in your general settings menu. All updates will appear right here
• Added Special Themes: Keep an eye out for special themes as we introduce them! They may be time limited so make sure you check back often! Find special themes in your general settings menu
• Set your Gender: Select your gender in your account settings menu so we can continue to provide you the best podcasts for you
• Add your birthdate: Make sure you add your birthday in your account settings menu. This will be mandatory soon so get ahead of the game so we can be sure to provide you the most relevant recommendations and age appropriate content
• Share your Pronouns: Make sure people refer to you correctly by setting your pronouns in your user profile
• Explicit Tag: All explicit content now is marked with an “E” denoting that the content is explicit, notifying you before you click on the title
• Video Podcast & Episode Tags: We have added tags to make it easy to know right in search or on discover if a podcast is video content or audio content
• Continue Listening Controls: Ever get tired of seeing boring and irrelevant episodes appear in your continue listening quick access section on the discover screen? We did too! Now, quickly remove, restart or see more information about the episodes you’ve started by clicking the “…” on the right side of the episode card

Improvements

• Contact Invites: Users who invite their friends now get notifications when they join. Invitees are urged to follow the Podopolite that originally invited them so they start their experience on Podopolo with connections
• More Contact Invites: If you haven’t already started sharing Podopolo with your contacts, we have added easy access to share with your contacts right from the discover screen
• Native Navigation: We have moved away from js navigation and refactored Podopolo to use the native navigation of your operating system improving app performance
• Adjust Layout in MyPods: Now you can select how you would like to view MyPods, either as the default list view, or let the Podcast covers really shine by switching to a grid view
• Improved Onboarding Experience: We made uploading your profile image more obvious and easier to do within the onboarding experience
• Splash Screen: Updated experience when the app is initializing by adding a visual loading graphic
• Improved Error Messaging: More clear error messages have been added in order to enhance your experience on Podopolo
• Real-time Changes: Podcast and episode updates now change in real-time
• Search Screen: Performance of the search screen has been improved to work faster and more effectively
• Image Loading: Podcast images now fallback to a lower resolution thumbnail before loading the full size version to improve performance and stability across the app

Bug Fixes

• “Following” list now appears as expected when accessed
• Improved the visibility of the contextual menu when open
• Search loading issue has been resolved
• Adjusted verbiage within MyPods library
• Fixed an issue related to following users
• Resolved a design flaw within the bottom sheet
• Fixed date input
• Rectified loading issue related to the podcast detail screen
• Adjusted followers/following to display accurate values
• Fixed incorrect header behavior after leaving the search screen
• Removed podcasts that appeared empty
• Added expected functionality to the unplayed filter in MyPods library

August 24, 2021

Improvements

• New Discover Row: Added “Popular on Podopolo” Row to the Discover screen so users can see what the most listened to podcasts on Podopolo are and listen to something new

August 20, 2021

New Features

• Edit Podcasts and Episodes: Podcasters with claimed podcasts can now update their podcast and episode title, description, and imagery directly within Podopolo. Note that this will only affect the Podcasts and Episodes within Podopolo as we do not have control over the RSS feed.

Improvements

• We temporarily removed the, “add a title” feature on the users profile until we have time to revisit and mature the feature
• Optimized the performance of HTML rendering for podcast & episode descriptions
• Optimized list scrolling performance across the app
• Removed the podcaster from the list of users following their own podcast
• Updated the system color defaults for the app to improve readability and accessibility
• Updated text and redesigned the alert system to align with the look and feel of the app
• Improved the performance of animated headers across the app
• Removed AWS Amplify package (smaller app bundle size!)
• Implemented new custom translucent notification banners for in-app notifications
• Redesigned the splash screen removing text, and adding a new custom animated loader to ensure a fresh, clean look consistent with Podopolo’s branding

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug where search hides when typing in MyPods
• Fixed a bug where navigating to a users profile failed to load when accessed from the ‘invite my contacts’ screen
• Fixed spacing within the user profile
• Fixed typos (Edit screen, error messages)
• Fixed a bug that affected the top padding on some of the new user onboarding screens
• Ensured that device information gets cleared on logout

August 18, 2021

New Features

• Podcaster profile: Podcasters now have their own profile that sets them apart from listeners within Podopolo. Add additional details about yourself and make your podcasts front and center for your fans. Have an episode you are particularly proud of or is most relevant? Make sure you highlight it within your profile so all of your fans will see
• Join Now, Why Don’t Ya: We are no longer invite only. This means anyone can sign up for Podopolo and immediately become a member of our community
• Invite Your Contacts: Invite your friends and family to join Podopolo with the click of a button! Allow Podopolo to access your contacts list and send invites directly through Podopolo as SMS messages. Find this exciting new feature within your inbox tab on the App
• Sign up/Sign In with phone number: We have added the ability to register and/or login utilizing your mobile number, rather than email
• Discover Podcasts Others Love: View Podcasts that are followed by others within the Podopolo community and find something new to listen to

Improvements

• Continue Listening: The continue listening section on your Discover screen got a facelift. We have listened to you and made some visual adjustments to improve your experience while using the app. After seven consecutive days of not listening to an episode, it will be removed from your continue listening section so only podcast episodes you engage with are front and center to pick up where you left off
• Color Improvements: Theme colors (light & dark) have been modified to improve usability and accessibility
• Podcast & Episode Details: We have removed extraneous mark-up that was appearing within some of the podcast and episode screens on the descriptions. We also have re-formatted the descriptions to improve readability and accessibility
• Episode Player: Now when the duration of an episode is complete, the episode player will automatically be removed from the screen in both the full screen and minimized states
• Episode Played Indicator: All episodes now reflect ‘played’ once completed within Podopolo. If you wish to mark an episode as played manually, you can do so by clicking the ‘…’ next to the episode and clicking, ‘mark as played’
• Updated App Store Images: The App store and Play store images have been updated to promote our fresh look and newest features

Bug Fixes

• Header Animation has been smoothed and simplified
• Replaced old alerts with new alert system
• Removed the ‘episode notes’ title from episode page
• Continue listening duration, display and core functionality have been improved for performance
• Removed arrows from user profile on non-selectable sections
• Improved the performance of image upload for profile images, banner images and podcast/episode images
• Ensured that episodes listened to multiple times display correctly within the continue listening section
• Fixed bug related to automatic updates that sometimes crashed the app immediately after opening right after initial download

July 6, 2021

New Features

• Delete Your Account: All users can now delete their accounts directly through the app. This action is a final and irreversible action that will remove all personally identifiable data from the Podopolo database and related systems
• Deactivate Your Account: All users can now deactivate their accounts. This will immediately hide the user from all search results, subscriptions, and follows. A deactivated user can reinstate their account at any time by logging back into Podopolo. This action is reversible
• Share Podcasts & Episodes: Find a podcast or episode you need to share with your friends and family members? Now you can! With the click of a button, you can share the link to your favorite content within Podopolo to social media or directly message using your favorite messaging application and even within Podopolo

[Website] New Features

• Podcast Page: All podcasts in the Podopolo database have publicly accessible pages on the Podopolo website! This means that you don’t need to be an app user to discover Podopolo content directly through the web
• Episode Page: All podcast episodes in the Podopolo database have publicly accessible pages on the Podopolo website! This means that you don’t need to be an app user to discover Podopolo content directly through the web
• Social Media Sharing: Podcasts and episodes can now be shared to social media directly from the website! When both app users and guests discover a great podcast on the Podopolo website, they can share with their network
• Web Player: Find a great podcast or episode on Podopolo.com? Shared an episode with your friends or on social media and wondering how your friends can listen before they get mobile app access? Through the web player feature, visitors to Podopolo.com can listen to their favorite episodes directly through the website, before they get on the mobile app
• Direct Invite Registration Link: Send prospective users directly to sign up, avoiding the noise from the rest of the website using a direct link to the ‘request and invite’ form

Improvements

• Language filtering: Language settings now affect the search results that are returned when a user searches for their favorite podcast or episode
• Interest Settings: Users can now update, add and remove categories from their interests within the ‘edit my profile’ screen. Ensuring your interests are up-to-date and accurate will help Podopolo to provide you with the best recommendations and personalized experience
• Search Accuracy: Many updates have been made to the algorithms that control and deliver search results when searching for podcasts and episodes within Podopolo. Now, search results should deliver better quality results and direct matches to the search term will appear at the top of the returned results

Bug Fixes

• “See all shows” list in category search results now shows a full list of podcasts, not the same three podcasts over and over
• [Android] Upon return to the app from viewing the ‘terms of service,’ the app no longer crashes
• Subscribers count on podcasts should no longer show negative values 
• Podcast screen metrics now update in real time when there is a new subscriber or someone likes a new episode

June 18, 2021

New Features

• Claim My Podcast: Podcasters can now claim their podcast on the Podopolo app identifying them as a podcaster within Podopolo and giving them full ownership over their presence within the Podopolo ecosystem. 
• Introducing your Inbox: Someone followed you? A new episode has come out from one of your favorite podcasters? Stay in the know with your new Podopolo inbox! Providing up to the minute notifications about activity andactions that occur within Podopolo ensuring you never experience FOMO.
• Download Episodes: Going to be without wifi/data service, traveling, or love an episode and want to make sure you never lose access to it? Download your favorite episodes directly to your device and access them within your “MyPods” library.
• Region & Language Settings: On our never-ending pursuit to provide you with the best and most interesting podcasts for you, we now grab your language and region while onboarding to ensure search results and recommended podcasts match your personal preference. Update these settings at any time within your settings panel accessible through your profile within the Podopolo app.
• MyPods Filter & Sort options: Do you listen to so many podcasts that your MyPods library is feeling a bit cluttered? Introducing filter and sort functionality that is aimed at helping you to find podcasts within your library quicker and easier.
• Host Details: Host details will now appear on all podcasts claimed within Podopolo. This gives listeners direct access to the podcasters profile to follow their favorite inspirational leaders, accessing their latest releases as soon as they are published.

Improvements

• MyPods Filtering: Now you can filter podcasts within MyPods giving easier and more convenient access to the podcasts at the top of your mind
• Edit profile styling updates: Styling updates to improve usability and readability within the edit profile screens
• Profile loading speed improvements: Speed enhancements while viewing and navigating within user profiles within the Podopolo app
• Podcast details update in real-time: If the RSS feed of a podcast is updated, Podopolo will now reflect those changes in real-time
• Updated Facebook Integration: Removed a sneaky, hidden script within the Facebook SDK that tracked our users for advertising purposes. This is against our Privacy Policy so we removed this script upon discovery
• User avatar now appears on search: While searching people, user avatars/profile images now appear next to their name in the search results
• Add validation on signup: Validation has been added on the registration process to ensure the Podopolo app is as secure and user friendly as possible
• Follow Toggle Improvements: Now when you Follow/Unfollow a user, this action updates across the platform in real-time. This contributes to loading and user experience improvements
• Follower Interactions: Now you can click on a follower or a user you are following and view their profiles, giving you more access to connect with a broader array of users within the Podopolo community
• App waitlist form updates: We now collect the real name of users who register for the Podopolo waitlist so we can better communicate with them while waiting to use the app and once converted to an early access participant
• Animation improvements: Various animations and interactions have been enhanced to work more seamlessly and improve app performance
• Webview loading improvements: The webview which supports some of the screens on the app have been optimized to increase performance and accessibility

Bug Fixes

• Interests on your own user profile now display correctly
• Music controls now stop when logging out
• Episode durations now displaying correctly for updated episodes
• Bottom player no longer missing when playing episode from subcategory or interest
• Form validations previously wouldn’t fire on Android