FAQ — Localcaster

Localcaster is a full-featured podcast player. Search for a show by name and subscribe in one tap, paste an RSS URL, or import an OPML file — the same way you'd add a podcast in any other app. It also has a capability most podcast apps don't: point it at a network share (NAS or file server) and add shows you've archived or self-hosted there, right alongside your regular subscriptions.

No. Searching for a show by name and downloading its episodes works exactly like any other podcast app — the network-share feature is optional, for people who already have podcasts archived elsewhere.

Download first, always. Localcaster does not stream — an episode must be downloaded to your device before it will play. This is intentional: local files play reliably without depending on network conditions, and your listening is never interrupted by a hiccup in your Wi-Fi.

No. There's no account, and your library lives only on the device it's installed on. If you use multiple devices, each one keeps its own separate library.

A network share accessible over SMB2 or SMB3 (a NAS, a home server, or any Mac/Windows/Linux machine sharing a folder), and at least one podcast folder created by podcast-dl using --include-meta and --include-episode-meta. Localcaster reads those JSON files to identify episodes and feed metadata. Without them, the folder won't be recognized as a feed.

SMB2 and SMB3 only. Very old servers that support only SMB1 are not compatible. AFP, NFS, WebDAV, and FTP are not supported.

Only in the iOS Keychain on your device — the same secure storage used by Safari and system apps. Passwords are never stored in the app's database, in any log, or sent anywhere over the network. If you delete the connection, the Keychain item is deleted with it.

Your server is configured to reject passwordless (guest or anonymous) connections. This is the default on Windows and some NAS operating systems. Turn off the "Connect without a username/password" toggle and enter a username and password for the share instead.

Localcaster looks for at least one audio file paired with a matching *.meta.json file in the same folder. If you downloaded the podcast without --include-episode-meta, those JSON files won't be there. Re-run podcast-dl with both --include-meta and --include-episode-meta to generate them, then browse to the folder again.

Web subscriptions pick up new episodes automatically when you refresh. For a network-share feed, re-run podcast-dl on your server to download new episodes into the same folder, then open the feed in Localcaster and pull to refresh (or tap the refresh button in the toolbar).

The episode's audio file is no longer present in the source — either the RSS feed dropped it (web feeds) or it's missing from the folder on your share. If you already downloaded a copy to your device, that copy stays until you choose to delete it.

The Wi-Fi-only setting (on by default in Settings) blocks downloads when the device is not on Wi-Fi. Turn it off to allow cellular downloads.

Yes. Tap Pause on any in-progress download and Resume to continue. For web (RSS) downloads this usually picks up where it left off. For network-share downloads, resuming restarts from the beginning of the file — the protocol used doesn't support resuming partway through — so it's labeled "Restart" in the UI to make that clear.

The full player includes a scrubber, skip-back and skip-forward buttons with intervals set independently from 10 to 120 seconds each, variable speed (0.8× to 2.0×), a sleep timer with fade-out (set a duration or stop at the end of the current episode), a volume slider, and an output picker for AirPlay, Bluetooth, or the built-in speaker. Lock-screen and remote controls (including Control Center) are fully supported; headphone and car-stereo track buttons skip within the current episode rather than changing tracks. Tapping a timestamp in the show notes jumps playback to that position.

Yes. When an episode finishes, Localcaster automatically plays the next one in the same feed. The order is controlled by Settings → Playback → Next episode order (newest-first or oldest-first).

Chapters appear automatically for episodes that have them — embedded in the audio file or listed in the show's feed — each with its own artwork when the show provides it. Transcripts appear on a dedicated tab: web shows that publish their own (in any format) load automatically, and when a show doesn't provide one, an iPhone on iOS 26 or later can generate a transcript on-device from any downloaded episode. Tap a line to jump playback there, or search the transcript with matches highlighted.

If a web show publishes its own transcript, Localcaster just displays it. If it doesn't, an iPhone on iOS 26 or later can generate one from the downloaded audio using Apple's on-device speech framework — it runs locally, works offline, and no audio or text ever leaves your device. Generation is something you start per episode; it's never automatic. On-device transcription works for network-share feeds and manual files too.

Yes. Every show's episode list has its own sort (by date, title, or duration) and a status filter (all, unplayed, played, downloaded, not downloaded). You can search within one show, or search your entire episode library at once from the "New Episodes" screen.

It lets you browse a saved network-share connection and download individual audio files one at a time, without setting up a whole feed — useful for a one-off recording. It also shows per-show storage totals and a "Delete Played Downloads" action that clears every finished download in one tap.

CarPlay support is built into the app but currently switched off, pending Apple's approval of the CarPlay-audio entitlement. It will turn on in a future update once that's granted.

Yes. Full VoiceOver support (including the player's scrubber and transport controls), Dynamic Type, and Reduce Motion are supported throughout the app.

Yes, for web (RSS) subscriptions. Turn on notifications and scheduled background checks in Settings → Web Feeds, with optional auto-download so new episodes are ready to play without opening the app. Off by default — opt in per your preference. Network-share feeds only check for new episodes when you manually refresh them.

Playlists are dynamic queues built from your downloaded library. You can draw from whole shows or pick individual episodes, filter by played status (unplayed / in-progress / played), and sort by date, title, duration, or feed. "Play All" from a playlist or an episode list builds an Up Next queue you can reorder on the fly, or you can add episodes to it one at a time from any episode's menu.

Tap the bookmark button in the player to save a timestamp with an optional label. Bookmarks appear in the episode's detail view sorted by time. Tap one to jump to that position; long-press to delete it.

Only in one specific, opt-in case: the Archive to Share feature, which you trigger yourself to write a web subscription's episodes to a folder you pick, in podcast-dl format. Every other part of the app — browsing, adding feeds, refreshing — only reads from your share, never writes or modifies anything there.

No — you always browse to and pick the folder yourself. Localcaster never scans a share root and subscribes on its own.

Everything — downloaded audio, episode metadata, subscriptions, settings, playlists, and bookmarks — is stored locally on your device. Nothing is uploaded to any cloud service. Passwords are in the iOS Keychain. Deleting the app removes all stored data. There is no account system and no sync across devices.

Not currently — Localcaster is iPhone-only. Basic Siri commands (play latest, resume, pause) work out of the box.

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