Pocket Casts is facing user backlash after showing ads to thousands of lifetime members who paid for ad-free access. The controversy erupted when legacy users discovered banner advertisements in their apps despite being promised permanent ad-free experiences. CEO Matt Mullenweg calls it a bug that will be fixed, but internal responses suggest otherwise.
The podcast app world just got messier. Pocket Casts users who paid for lifetime ad-free access are suddenly seeing banner advertisements pop up in their apps, sparking a revolt among the platform's most loyal customers. What started as scattered complaints in early September has evolved into a full-blown crisis of trust for the Automattic-owned service.
The controversy centers on users who bought into Pocket Casts back when it was a simple purchase-only app in 2010, paying up to $10 for what they believed was permanent ad-free access. These weren't just any customers - they were the early adopters who supported the app through its startup days. When Pocket Casts switched to a subscription model in 2019 and made the app free, the company promised these legacy users free lifetime access to Pocket Casts Plus after facing user backlash.
But here's where things get complicated. After Automattic acquired the app in 2021, those lifetime memberships got rebranded to 'Pocket Casts Champion' status in August 2024. The company assured users this "would not change anything about your membership" - yet now these same Champions are staring at banner ads and being told to pay $40 annually to make them disappear.
"I just want the adverts gone - I still don't need the other Plus features," one frustrated user posted on the Pocket Casts forum. "This change makes me feel that you're trying to increase your conversion rate by making the base product worse."
The response from Pocket Casts staff made things worse. A company employee explained that the only way to remove banner ads was paying for a Plus subscription, justifying the change as necessary to "sustain the continued work and maintenance of the app." That's corporate speak for: we need more revenue.
But then came the plot twist. Matt Mullenweg, CEO of parent company , jumped into a with a completely different story. "Anyone who has ever paid for Pocket Casts, even before Automattic acquired it, should not see ads," he stated flatly. The ads appearing on lifetime accounts? Just a bug they're working to fix.