The only feature missing compared to my previous podcast player is the option to disable audio focus, so that I can listen to my favourite podcasts whilst still having background music playing.
would be great to see something like this in future version if possible
Try disabling Pause for interruptions (in Settings/Playback) and see if that does what you’re looking for.
No, that’s not the same thing. For example, the option you mentioned ensures that Spotify continues to run while Antennapod starts playback. This allows you to listen to your playlist in the background during your podcast session. With the setting you mentioned, playback is paused or muted when a system notification appears and then resumes. As far as I understand the description, starting playback requests the system’s audio focus. If this option is disabled, I can, for example, first start Spotify, which requests the focus and stops all other playback, and then start the podcast, at which point both will continue to play.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)