Free Android podcast app — search that works, personal picks, offline listening, no ads
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Most podcast apps call an open API, do word‑for‑word search, show Apple charts, and call it a day. Misspell a show name and you get nothing. Ask for a topic and you get title matches that miss the point. And once you’re in, the home screen rarely feels like yours — same rails for everyone, little that learns from what you actually play.
boxlore is built around both gaps. Find a show when the spelling is messy, or find shows and episodes by idea when you only know the vibe. Then the app gets personal as you listen: Home, Explore, queue, and downloads re‑rank on‑device from your taste — daypart rails, Because You Like, and For You picks, plus curiosity cards when you want something you’d never search for. Taste stays on your phone. Stream or download for offline, manage a real queue, and skip the ads and paywalls for the stuff that matters.
The smart catalog covers popular chart podcasts and grows daily — not every show on earth yet. Outside that index, boxlore still works as a normal podcast client (subscribe, play, download, OPML).
New features and improvements for the next release are currently in development.
AI-generated summary; may contain mistakes.
Verify details in the changelog and linked pull requests.
🆕 New features:
- Add home‑screen widgets for now‑playing, playback controls, and scrollable Subscriptions and New Episodes lists.
- Redesigned Subscriptions screen with genre filters, hide‑played toggle, and direct‑open setting for quicker access.
- Updated button copy and fixed loading placeholders so suggestions appear correctly during searches and onboarding.
AI-generated summary; may contain mistakes.
Verify details in the changelog and linked pull requests.
Two jobs. Same Explore search bar (and onboarding when you already know your shows).
| Find a show | By idea |
|---|---|
| Type a podcast name — typos welcome. Fast, typo‑tolerant lookup via Meilisearch. Primary hits under Matches; extra coverage under Also found. | Describe a topic or mood. Concept search via Qdrant returns related shows and episodes by meaning — e.g. “stories about startup failure” finds the conversation, not just shared keywords. |
| Personalization | On‑device learning re‑ranks Home, Explore, queue, and downloads as you listen. Taste stays on your phone. Daypart rails, Because You Like, and For You. How it works → |
| Curiosity cards | Swipe question cards that point at episodes you’d never search for. Right to queue · left to dismiss · tap to play. |
| Listening | Mixtape queue, mini/full player, speed, sleep timer, chapters, transcripts, video, Android Auto. |
| Library & offline | Subs, downloads, history, likes. Launch offline → land on downloads. OPML / full JSON backup. |
| Daily briefing | Optional region‑aware AI news audio with script, sources, and chapters. |
| No ads | No banners, no sponsored inserts, no premium tier to unlock search or recommendations. |
Smart automation (defaults off)
- Smart Downloads — curated offline pool within limits you set
- Per‑podcast auto‑download — new drops download automatically (notifications required)
- New episode notifications — per‑podcast bell
| New to podcasts? | Switching apps? | Know your shows? |
|---|---|---|
| AI onboarding — short chat → matched shows from the catalog → subscribe before you enter. | Import library — OPML from Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, AntennaPod, or similar. Similar‑show suggestions after import. | I know my shows — search during setup, or Skip Setup and explore. |
Export anytime: Profile → Backup & Restore (OPML or full JSON).
|
Onboarding AI · OPML · search 
|
Home Mixtape · For You 
|
Search Name or idea 
|
Briefing AI news audio 
|
|
Curiosity Swipe to discover 
|
For You Personalized picks 
|
Library Subs · downloads 
|
Player Artwork‑matched 
|
Use the GitHub APK button at the top of this page (latest release asset) or get it on Play:
Enable Install from unknown sources for sideloading.
git clone https://github.com/boxcreate/boxlore.git
cd boxlore
./gradlew assembleDebug
./gradlew installDebugRequirements: Android Studio Ladybug+ · Android SDK 35+ · JDK 17 · Kotlin 1.9+
Modules & stack
| Module | Role |
|---|---|
:core:catalog |
Repositories, mappers |
:core:designsystem |
Themes, shared composables |
:core:model |
Domain models |
:core:network |
Catalog API client |
:feature:explore |
Search, For You, curiosity |
:feature:home |
Mixtape, charts, briefing entry |
:feature:player |
Playback UI |
:feature:briefing |
Daily briefing |
:feature:library |
Downloads, subs, history |
:feature:info |
Podcast & episode detail |
:feature:onboarding |
First‑run paths |
| Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Kotlin · Compose · Material 3 | App UI |
| Coroutines & Flow | Async state |
| Retrofit · Room · Media3 · Coil | Network, DB, playback, images |
| Meilisearch | Typo‑tolerant show search |
| Qdrant · Qwen3 | Concept search & multilingual recommendations |
Agent notes: AGENTS.md · architecture: ARCHITECTURE.md · testing: docs/TESTING.md
- Bugs — Issues
- Ideas — Discussions
- PRs — Fork, change, open a pull request
Source‑available under the PolyForm Strict License 1.0.0. Noncommercial use of the code is allowed; redistribution and derivatives are not. See LICENSE.