App version: 3.5.0
Problem you may be having, or feature you want:
After downloading an episode, the next course of actions would be Playing the episode in the Downloads List.
Currently one has to open the episode and play it from the detail page of the episode.
Suggested solution:
Please replace the “Delete” Icon/button for each episode/row in the Downloads List with “Play” Icon/button so that we can play any episode in the list directly and quickly.
Screenshots / Drawings / Technical details:
The Delete option can be configured in the Swipe actions of Downloads List.
And episodes can be automatically Deleted after being Played based on Settings/one’s Preferences.
Please help us understand the rationale for routinely playing episodes from Downloads. I never even look there unless I want to delete something that didn’t auto-delete for some reason, so the delete button is the logical default button.
The Queue has play buttons next to episodes because that’s the logical place to play them.
2 Likes
Yes, I noticed there is Play button in the Queue List, I don’t use the Queue list that much, if not at all.
Here is my use case:
- Each morning, I look at the new episodes in Inbox List, download the ones manually I intend to listen; some are automatically downloaded by the specific Podcast’s setting.
- Go out of home and have a morning walk while listening to the podcasts, so I open the app and go to the Downloads List to choose which one to play first, then choose the second once the first one played and auto deleted. By doing so, I’d save my mobile data and listen to downloaded episodes only.
I do like the simple course of actions: Browse - Download - Play. If for some reasons, the played downloads were not auto deleted, I could just Swipe it for manual deletion.
I understand there are other use cases in which the Delete button may be the logical default action in the Downloads List.
If we don’t want the replacement, can we consider:
- make the default button configurable in Downloads List, it would be Delete or Play button
- make “Play” option available for Swipe action configurations
- make “Play” and “Delete” both visible in Downloads List
Thank you for sharing your use case. It actually sounds just like mine except that you manage your queue from Downloads and I manage it from the Queue.
The most straightforward way to meet your goals might be to simply disable most or all options in the Mobile Updates configuration. That is the way I have configured mine too, so I can save my mobile data.
Thank you for mentioning the Mobile Update configuration and I have disabled all options.
I listen to podcasts mostly on the move and play downloaded episodes all the time - hence the Downloads list is central for me - of course from time to time I do download the episodes over mobile data.
So for all the offline(mobile data off) listeners like me, the default action in Downloads List is to Play.
I can imagine that before the Swipe for deletion and auto-delete-played functions were supported in the app, to delete a downloaded episode is necessary and its obvious placement is in the Downloads List.
As a new user of the app and longtime Google Podcast user, with fresh pair of eyes, the default button of Play in Downloads List is more useful than Delete.
The default button in Inbox is Download. The default button in Queue is also Download, after downloaded, the button will be changed to Play.
By the same action flow, the default button in the Downloads should be Play. By the same app behaviour pattern, Play can be changed to Delete after an episode has been played in the Downloads List if auto-delete-played is not in effect. If users do want to Delete an unplayed/unfinished episode, just Swipe it left or right.
The whole purpose of the app is to Play - the more places to access it, the better.
Currently on Home screen, the default button in the Downloaded List is “Play”.
When users open the full Downloaded List to play items other than the first two on the homescreen, all of sudden, the default button is changed to “Delete” for all the items.
From there, users have to either switch to Queue List or open the item in the Downloaded list in order to Play - more clicks and scrolls to take - unnecessary friction and frustration for users.