Contact
For help, bug reports, or questions about testing Podback, email raj@atelieradvani.com. Support comes directly from Atelier Advani LLC. We aim to reply within two business days.
Include your iPhone model, iOS version, and Podback version and build number from Settings → About. Tell us what you expected, what happened, and the steps that led to it. A show name, episode title, and approximate timestamp help with playback issues.
Please do not send your OpenAI API key, passwords, or a private podcast feed URL.
Getting started
The current build requires an iPhone running iOS 27 or later. Find a show by name, paste an RSS feed address into search, or use Settings → Import and export → Import shows to bring in an OPML file from another player.
You can listen without an OpenAI key. To use the companion, add your own key in Settings → OpenAI key and allow microphone access when prompted. AI features use your OpenAI API account and may incur charges from OpenAI.
Asking a question
Tap Ask during an episode, or say “wait”, then speak after Podback is ready to listen. Pressing your AirPods only pauses the episode. Ask about what you just heard, follow up, or say “keep going” to return to the episode. Adjust the short rewind in Settings → Playback → Rewind on resume.
If Podback cannot hear you, check its microphone permission in iPhone Settings and that your headphones are connected. The Listen for commands setting, in Settings → Voice commands, keeps the microphone open during playback on supported headphones, and on the phone’s speaker where the iPhone supports echo cancellation, so you can start a conversation by saying “wait”. You can turn it off there.
If the key is marked Refused, open Settings → OpenAI key and check or replace it. Also check your network connection and the billing, permissions, and usage limits on your OpenAI API account. Listening still works without the companion.
Transcripts and chapters
Podback uses a transcript from the publisher when one is available. Otherwise, it transcribes downloaded episode audio on the phone. The current on-device transcription uses an English language model, which may need to download first. If the transcript is still preparing, allow the episode download and transcription to finish. Availability depends on the device and language support.
For shows without published chapters, Podback can generate an outline. Topic generation uses Apple Intelligence on the device when available, with OpenAI as a fallback when you have supplied a key. Write chapters is on by default and can process a completed transcript ahead of playback.
Turning off Write chapters limits that advance generation; topic generation while listening can still use OpenAI. To stop all OpenAI requests, remove the key in Settings → OpenAI key → Remove the key. See the privacy policy for details.
Downloads and playback
If an automatic download is waiting, check Settings → Downloads: Wi-Fi only, the default for shows, each show’s own rule, and the automatic download limit can affect when an episode arrives. You can also download an episode manually.
Settings → Storage shows downloaded audio and lets you choose when finished downloads are removed. Deleting a download removes the audio file, not the saved listening history or conversations.
For a private feed that stops refreshing, get the current feed address from the publisher and check that the subscription is active. Keep subscriber links private. For a video that will not play, check the network connection and whether the publisher still allows that video to play in an embedded YouTube player.
Sending diagnostic files
Settings → Send feedback opens the share sheet with two files: conversation statistics and a diagnostic log. You choose whether and where to send them. To send them to us, choose your mail app and address the message to raj@atelieradvani.com.
The log can include the words you spoke, episode information, and technical details. Review the files before sharing and remove anything you do not want us to receive. The export excludes the stored API key and redacts private feed URLs.
Privacy and your data
The Podback privacy policy explains local storage, microphone use, OpenAI, podcast providers, YouTube, TestFlight, and how to manage your data. For a privacy request, email raj@atelieradvani.com.
Read about Podback, or return to support for all Atelier Advani applications.