CalmCast review by ArmchairSetup

ArmchairSetup · May 10, 2026, 12:41pm

CalmCast — Community App Review
Version: 1.1.4

CalmCast is a minimal mindful podcast app built to work on de-googled E-ink devices utilizing the Mudita Mindful Design library.

“Let’s make technology useful again.”

thilodus · May 22, 2026, 8:00am

One of the very few apps that have made their way onto my Kompakt. I am so enthusiastic about CalmCast that I would recommend it to everyone—even to those using a “normal” smartphone. It may not have a lot of features, but it has exactly the few that I need.

I feel much more at ease using CalmCast than I ever did with Podcast Addict on my Xiaomi.

T9Pilot · May 23, 2026, 9:57am

even if i switched to a DAP and i now download my podcasts using mp3 and store them there, this app is one of the best i’ve used and seen on the kompakt.

TechVampire · May 24, 2026, 10:58pm

CalmCast has been an excellent addition to my Kompakt and it’s been wonderful to listen to my favorite podcasts without breaking the mindful flow of the phone. My only complaint is that the app randomly shuts down mid-episode sometimes if I’m doing something else on the phone or have it closed, but it’s a pretty simple matter to open the app again and hit play, so it’s not that much of an issue, though I do hope a future update fixes the bug.

urszula · June 17, 2026, 3:27pm

This is one of my all time favorite apps. I can’t say enough about it. I REALLY enjoy using it.

nilss · June 18, 2026, 9:55am

Noice.

One thing: is it me, or can’t you skip 30s by using the forward button on the headset?

michalplaza · July 5, 2026, 5:22pm

@ArmchairSetup thank you for this app, it’s great! I don’t need to use Spotify anymore for podcasts!

EDIT: @davidray - thank you for this app! @ArmchairSetup thank you for review and screens:)

ArmchairSetup · July 5, 2026, 8:29pm

@davidray is the developer of the app, I just posted the review! But glad you like it!

Stelios · July 18, 2026, 11:36am

No, this is happening to me too. The app looks so beautiful on the Kompakt, but I still can’t use it because of the previous/next buttons on my headset skipping to the previous podcast instead of going back 15 seconds. I get easily distracted and use the previous button a lot so it’s a bummer having to unlock the phone every time to go back 15 seconds. I’m gonna have to stick with antenna pod till this is fixed but I’m crossing my fingers that it won’t take long, because once this feature is implemented, the app will be perfect!

Krevbot · August 16, 2026, 3:08am

Overall I really like the app. It handles my needs for podcasts really well. I have about 5-8 shows that I bounce between and listen to regularly.

It’s easy to get in there, find what I want, and go about my day.

My biggest complaints right now are 1. what I think may be a bug and 2-3. what are probably feature requests.

When I listen to an episode, and get to the end, on some shows it has the black line all the way across indicating that I listened to it. However, with some shows, it never gives me that black line, so it’s a bit harder to find the episode that I last listened to, especially if I’m listening to oldest first.
I would love the ability to sort a show by oldest first or newest first. Some shows I prefer to go chronologically, and other shows I just want the most recent episodes.
I would also really like some sort of ability to archive episodes that I’ve listened to, which would make it easier to find the episode that I’m on. Many shows I listen to have hundreds or thousands of episodes, so getting to the current episode for me can be a bit tricky.

Little-User · August 25, 2026, 2:03pm

[FYI I’m not a heavy podcast listener.]
Excellent design, follows MMD when it makes sense. This app does precisely what I expect, and nothing more. Great work.

Little-User · August 28, 2026, 2:23pm

@davidray This is not a bug/issue but do you know what URL i can use to get episodes from https://freshairarchive.org/guests/winnie-winston?

I’ve tried putting in the URL as-is, a direct link to the mp3 file etc. I don’t know how podcasts “broadcast” their availability, but I suspect this is a limitation on the website or the user’s part. Thank you.

nico.n · September 23, 2026, 10:39am

I love this app, and use it daily.

Yesterday night, I found an interesting thing:

Switching Offline+ on resulted in the player constantly switching between pause/play, for something like 30s, when I was able to stop it using the pause button. Afterwards, it behaved alright.

Henrik_J · October 2, 2026, 9:40am

Great app but one flaw (for me)

I need to see what episodes Ive already listened to and preferably be able to just see unplayed ones. “Mark as played” or similar feature.
If thats changed Ill give it 5 stars.

Henrik_J · October 2, 2026, 9:41am

Exactly the same points as me

hanswilli · October 9, 2026, 12:18pm

Calmcast used to work perfectly fine for me, but since about some weeks it sometimes randomly closes and it sometimes says that there is no internet connection, while the internet connection is just fine. Is the first problem because of Duraspeed and should I disable Duraspeed for Calmcast? I am a bit hesitant because of battery drainage… Anyone else facing those issues? Besides that, still a great app, which I use on a regular basis!

Lavurso · October 9, 2026, 12:43pm

I have the same issue, but I do not know way it is this way.