Is Pocket Casts safe to install?

What data it declares

The developer declares that it collects these kinds of data:

• Location such as region, IP address or GPS coordinates
• User activity such as clicks, scrolling, keystrokes or network monitoring

The developer also certifies that your data is not sold to third parties outside approved uses, not used for purposes unrelated to the extension's core function, and not used to decide creditworthiness or lending.

The listing links to a privacy policy.

This is the developer's own declaration in the Chrome Web Store. We cannot check it against what the extension does.

What Chrome asks you to allow

When you add it, Chrome asks you to allow it to:

• Read and change your data on public-api.wordpress.com, api.pocketcasts.com, and play.pocketcasts.com

Derived from the manifest by Chrome's documented rules; the dialog's exact wording depends on your Chrome version and language. Chrome asks again if an update requests more.

What it can reach

Specific sites only: 3 match patterns.

• https://public-api.wordpress.com/* only public-api.wordpress.com
• https://api.pocketcasts.com/* only api.pocketcasts.com
• https://play.pocketcasts.com/* only play.pocketcasts.com

Worth knowing

• Sign you in with a Google account identity
• Run its own code on the pages it can access scripting

Routine for an extension

• Act on the current tab, but only after you click it activeTab
• Store data in your browser storage

How usual this is for its category

In Lifestyle · Entertainment, 12% of extensions ask for access to every site. This one: Access to specific sites only.

The typical extension there declares 2 browser permissions; this one declares 4 browser permissions.

Counted over the live extensions of the same category after our latest full pass of the store. A share is context, not a verdict: what is normal depends on what the extension is for.

Who uses it and how it is kept up

710 users

• Not updated in the store for over a year: the last update was on 2024-06-05.
• No new version in the last 90 days.

What the store shows

• Established publisher The store's badge for publishers with a good record and no history of violations.
• Trader The publisher has declared itself a trader under EU rules.

Has it asked for more over time?

This is the question a permission list on its own cannot answer. An extension that shipped narrow and widened later is a different proposition from one that always asked for the same thing.

The permissions this extension requests have not changed since we started watching it.

Who publishes it

Automattic Inc., who publishes 2 listings we track. This listing has been in the store since 2024-03-18 and was last updated on 2024-06-05.

Similar extensions that ask for less

Listings close to this one in what they say they do, which declare less reach. Less reach is not a verdict on either: compare what each needs for the job.

1. Airing Pods - Audio Podcast Player App No permissions at all · No permissions declared 2k users ★ 3.7
2. Podcast Search Runs its code on every site · No permissions declared 15 users
3. Podsmaster - Podcast Aggregator No site access · 1 permission 2k users ★ 5.0

How to check or remove it in Chrome

1. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar and find the extension in the list.
2. Open its details. The site access setting shows where it can run; set it to run only on click and it reaches a page only after you press its icon.
3. To uninstall it, choose Remove on the same page.

Questions people ask

What can Pocket Casts access?

Specific sites only: 3 match patterns. It declares 4 browser permissions.

What data does Pocket Casts collect?

The developer declares that it collects these kinds of data: Location, User activity. This is the developer's own declaration in the Chrome Web Store. We cannot check it against what the extension does.

Has Pocket Casts asked for more permissions over time?

The permissions this extension requests have not changed since we started watching it.

Does Pocket Casts publish a privacy policy?

Yes, the store listing links to a privacy policy.