About this, what I like about the streaming function is not having to wait for the episode to download it and not having to delete it when I’m finished. I wouldn’t remove the option, just transform it.
For me, the following is how I’d like it to work, in order of what I think is easiest to what is more complicated but would make the feature awesome:
The streaming function just downloads the podcast and deletes it when podcast is complete (so just sort of like a cache, but getting the complete episode rather than just some chunks)
The streaming function starts playing as soon as it has a bit of the episode, without making you wait for the full download
This way, the main different to the current streaming option would be that it just downloads it completely as soon as it can an just keeps it until you’re done or a while has passed
Your wish is granted: That’s how it already works (if you enable the Delete after playing option).
The tradeoff is that streaming can introduce the kinds of pausing and other issues discussed in this message thread. Advertising may be inserted after the streaming begins, bringing its own set of playback challenges. Slow and/or unreliable mobile data connections only make things worse.
I’d describe streaming as “I want it now” mode, and downloading as “I want it reliable” mode. It’s nice to have the choice, though I recognize that the instant gratification route is sometimes less gratifying.
Yeah, I know. As explained by @ByteHamster on other threads, the problem has to do with publishers dynamically including ads and how AntennaPod caches the playing episode.
My suggestion would work as you say, but the difference would be that I can still have the download button allow me to keep the episodes downloaded even after playback, while the stream button does what it does now, just play de episode without keeping it. The average user shouldn’t notice about the change, and the main difference would be that, instead of downloading it bit by bit as you play, you download it all at the beginning and keep it cached until playback is finished, thus making the feature work as expected with, in my opinion, no compromise in usage, and, hopefully, not much complication on the back
