# Pocket Casts privacy rating

Podcast player from Automattic for Android, iOS, the web and desktop, with syncing across devices, discovery and a paid Plus tier. The mobile apps are open source.

## Summary

Pocket Casts scores 25 out of 100 (grade F) on the media and podcast players criteria. It partly meets open source and no ads or data sales. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry and independent audit. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.

- Website: https://pocketcasts.com
- Source code: https://github.com/Automattic/pocket-casts-android
- License: MPL-2.0
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Platforms: Android, iOS, Web, Windows, macOS
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Media and podcast players](https://privacyratings.com/media-players/)
- Grade: F (25/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Partial | The Android and iOS apps are MPL-2.0, but the sync server and web player are closed source. | https://github.com/Automattic/pocket-casts-android/blob/main/LICENSE.md |
| No trackers or telemetry | No | The Android app contains Google Firebase Analytics and Sentry. In-app analytics can be turned off in settings. | https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/au.com.shiftyjelly.pocketcasts/latest/ |
| No ads or data sales | Partial | The free app shows banner ads that Plus removes, and the privacy policy states personal data is not sold or shared for targeted advertising. | https://support.pocketcasts.com/article/privacy-policy/ |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published. |  |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/media-players/pocket-casts/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/media-players/pocket-casts.md