Subscription counter option for "Number of new episodes since podcast last opened"

[summersab]

Checklist

• [X] I have used the search function for OPEN issues to see if someone else has already submitted the same feature request.
• [X] I have also used the search function for CLOSED issues to see if the feature was already implemented and is just waiting to be released, or if the feature was rejected.
• [X] I will describe the problem with as much detail as possible.
• [X] This request contains only one single feature, not a list of multiple (related) features.

App version

5.5.2

Where did you get the app from

F-Droid

Problem you may be having, or feature you want

This feature request may seem odd or obscure, but I think it would be more useful than you would think at first glance. Currently, the only way to get subscription notifications is to rely on auto-download or the number of unread episodes. These two options are limiting depending on different scenarios. Let me try to explain the use-cases.

Use case 1

I have a number of podcasts that are full of interviews and stories. One of them is the Shawn Ryan Show. It is a lot like Joe Rogan - the episodes are separate from one another (i.e. you don't have to listen to them in order), and they aren't always about current events (so they don't lose meaning if I don't listen to them as soon as they are released).

I prefer to listen to the most recent episodes when they are released, so the podcast is set to auto-download. I didn't subscribe until episode 54, so I have left these older episodes as "unplayed" and am slowly working my way through older episodes when I can.

I can set the subscription counter to "Number of downloaded episodes," and it will show a notification on the podcast logo in the subscription view. This works great.

Use case 2

There are other podcasts that I subscribe to that are basically broadcasts of radio shows. Sometimes, I am able to listen to these shows live with something like RadioDroid. When new episodes come out that I heard live, I just mark them as played when Podcini refreshes. When I miss the live show, I can download the podcast and listen later with Podcini. Because I often already listened to the live broadcast, I don't have these podcasts set to auto-download.

Since these podcasts aren't set to auto-download, using the "Number of downloaded episodes" option won't show a notification when my subscriptions are refreshed. I could use the "Number of unplayed episodes" option, but this would conflict with the previous use case. My only option is to open the podcast's list view to see if the podcast has published new episodes, yet.

Use case 3

Some users like my father have phones with small internal storage. As a result, he does not use auto-download to avoid filling up his storage. He also listens to Shawn Ryan. Just like me, he prefers to listen to the newest episodes first and is slowly working his way through old episodes. Because he doesn't use auto-download, he can't use the "Number of downloaded episodes" setting to see that new episodes have been released.

Also like me, he has older episodes marked as unplayed so he can listen to them later, but he primarily wants to be alerted of new episodes. Using the "Number of unplayed episodes" doesn't help - he would have to remember what the number was before his subscriptions were updated and see if it changed.

Suggested solution

It would be nice to have either of these options. Both of them would be nice, but I would be happy with just one if it is easier to implement):

1. Number of new episodes since podcast last opened (meaning the number will be reset when the user opens the podcast page). This would be my preferred option.
2. Number of new episodes since the last time an episode was played

This would allow notifications of new episodes without requiring the use of auto-download or having to mark old episodes as unplayed.

Please let me know if this didn't make sense or was confusing. I am happy to clarify.

Lastly, thank you so much for being responsive to my recent feature requests. The AntennaPod team always brushed off my suggestions, yet you added them. I know I'm not actively helping to write code, but I hope my suggestions are helping you build the best podcasting app out there (I think it is, at least).

Screenshots / Drawings / Technical details

No response

[summersab]

Looks like this feature has been removed altogether in v6, and the Subscriptions page shows the total number of podcasts next to each subscription. I'm hoping this feature is just being reworked?

Congrats on the launch of v6, by the way! I'll be letting you know about a few bugs I found soon (none of them are major). The new functionality is great!

[XilinJia]

I arranged a new way to do the thing of the old Counter. Basically, related info is shown on Feed in Subscriptions (list layout only) based on the option feeds are sorted. Check out 6.1.3.

[summersab]

I checked it out. It's somewhat of a solution, but it's not ideal since it depends on how the subscriptions are sorted. I prefer sorting alphabetically because I like my subscriptions to always be on the same order - I get used to where they are, and it becomes muscle memory when I want to open a particular subscription.

Also, always showing the total number of episodes on the counter isn't always useful to some users. Some people may want to see this number, but others may want to see the total number of downloaded episodes, unplayed episodes, new episodes since last refresh (or since opening the subscription's list view), etc.

Yes, the new version allows this by both a) using list view and b) changing how the subscriptions are sorted, but I think it would be much more useful to be able to change the counter itself instead of having to use a different layout and sorting method just to get this separate counter.