Pocket Casts was created by independent Australian mobile app developer Shifty Jelly, founded by Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson.

[3] With Nathan Swan and Simon Sams working as designers,[4] Shift Jelly launched Pocket Casts for iOS and Android in 2011,[5][6] eventually releasing for other platforms.

[2][10] A January 2021 article by Current newspaper reported that the companies owning Pocket Casts agreed to sell it after NPR stated it lost over US$800,000 throughout 2020 due to the app.

[16] After six months of development,[17] the Android app received a 4.0 version update in 2013 with additional features such as cross-device syncing and a redesign compliant with Google's guidelines.

[21] The iOS app was rewritten in the Swift programming language with the launch of version 6.0 in July 2016, introducing interface changes and features such as multitasking, automatic volume boosting and silence trimming.

[41] Users can browse podcasts online on the Discover tab through a search bar, a feed including popular and featured shows,[9][42] or categories based on genre or region.

[45] Customizable filters with multiple conditions allow the user to visualize episodes by release date or category, such as download status, playing progress, or media type.

[45][46] While a podcast is playing, the user is provided with settings such as playback speed,[47] automatic voice volume boosting and silence trimming, skipping the audio some seconds forward or backward,[45] and a sleep timer.

[8] In November 2019, a freemium model was introduced to the app, making it free to download with an optional monthly subscription, Pocket Casts Plus, with additional features.

[18] Engineering & Technology's Bryan Betts and Kris Sangani remarked that it was faster than most RSS readers and that its "neat" audio speed settings generally managed to maintain the tone.

[54] In a 2015 The Verge article, Chris Welch considered the main advantage of the Android app its design, which featured "fluid animations" and shifting color schemes.

[7] That year, the app's design and "comprehensive" features were praised by Engadget's Billy Steele, who highlighted the ease of podcast searching and settings navigation.

[35] Carrie Marshall of MacLife complimented the filtering and syncing functions of Pocket Casts 7.0 and found the design simple and attractive, despite criticising the interface on the iPad.

[59][60][61] Two days before the removal, the developers were reportedly contacted by Apple on behalf of the CAC with a statement that it included content infringing China's speech laws.

[59][60] GreatFire, an organization advocating against censorship in China, considered it a part of a "worrying trend" and criticized Apple's role as a negotiator between the CAC and app developers.