Pocket Casts Faces Backlash Over Ads Appearing to Legacy Users Amid CEO’s Assurance of Fix
Pocket Casts has come under fire for displaying advertisements to legacy users who were promised an ad-free experience. The controversy emerged early September and has persisted, with users expressing their discontent on the app’s support forum, as well as on platforms like Reddit, reports 24brussels.
Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, Pocket Casts’ parent company, categorized the advertising issue as a bug and stated that a resolution is forthcoming. “Anyone who has ever paid for Pocket Casts, even before Automattic acquired it, should not see ads,” Mullenweg announced during a discussion on Hacker News.
The app initially launched in 2010 as a purchase-only service, with a download cost that varied based on the platform. Following a transition to a subscription model and a free version offered in 2019, legacy users who had made prior payments were granted free lifetime access to the now-ad-free service, Pocket Casts Plus. However, recent reports of ads appearing have sparked frustration among these users.
The app was acquired by Automattic in 2021, and memberships previously known as ‘Lifetime’ were rebranded as “Pocket Casts Champion” in August 2024. The rebranding was accompanied by assurances that membership conditions would remain unchanged and no ads would be introduced. Nonetheless, some users are now encountering ads and are being prompted to pay a $40 annual fee to remove them.
One discontented user articulated on the forum, “I just want the adverts gone – I still don’t need the other Plus features,” further asserting that the change seems designed to increase user conversion rates by degrading the base product.
A Pocket Casts employee indicated in the support forum that the only method to eliminate the banner ads is by subscribing to Plus, arguing it was necessary for “the continued work and maintenance of the app.” This statement contradicts Mullenweg’s characterization of the ad issue as a bug and his commitment that it will be corrected.
Despite the controversies surrounding the app, Mullenweg emphasized that “lifetime” purchases were honored under Automattic, presenting a model reminiscent of a “Champions” account. He disclosed that only a few thousand users currently hold lifetime memberships and deemed it preferable to treat these memberships as gifts instead of moving users toward a more commercially sustainable model.
As the feedback from users continues to develop, questions linger regarding the resolution timeline and the adherence to promises made about ad-free usage for legacy members. The pressure is now on Automattic to maintain trust with its longstanding customer base.
