Pocket Casts announced that both the Android and iOS apps are now free. The main reason for this change appears to be thanks to their partners.

In May of 2018, Pocket Casts was acquired by NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life. At the time, Pocket Casts stated that it would operate as a joint venture, with founders Philip Simpson and Russell Ivanovic in leadership roles and the existing staff and developer teams remaining in place.

After many months of hard work, we’re excited to share version 7.5 of our Android and iOS apps. The Android version is currently rolling out, and the iOS version is in review with Apple and will be available soon. We also have updates for our web and desktop versions rolling out today.

Some things to know:

If you have already paid for the Pocket Casts app, you will still have access to all the features you paid for. They are not locking any existing features behind a paywall. Pocket Casts will continue to update the free tier with new features and functionality. They believe that the vast majority of users will access the free app.

Those who have paid for the web and desktop Pocket Cast apps will be gifted with three years of Pocket Casts Plus. The next time you log in, you’ll be upgraded automatically and can keep using the apps as you always have, including all of the features that were added in the new release.

Pocket Casts Plus is a new subscription tier. It is not free. There are two plans. The Monthly plan is US $0.99. The Yearly plan is US $9.99. Pocket Casts describes Pocket Casts Plus as “exclusive features for discerning members.”