Support

Questions

How does following a person work?

Search a name (a host, a guest or a subject) and open their page. Guestrell looks up episodes that credit or mention them across the whole podcast catalog, not only the shows you subscribe to. Tap Follow to keep up with them. You can follow up to 3 people for free; Guestrell Pro lets you follow as many as you like. Results depend on how shows describe their episodes, so a person who isn't named in an episode's title, description or credits may not show up for it.

A show I want isn't in search. Can I still add it?

Yes. Any RSS feed works: add it by its feed address, or import an OPML file from another podcast app.

I paid on another device. How do I get Guestrell Pro back?

Open Guestrell, go to Settings and tap the Guestrell Pro button at the top (the same screen also appears when you tap a Guestrell Pro feature), then tap Restore Purchases. Make sure you're signed in to the App Store with the same Apple Account you used to buy. This brings back a subscription and a Lifetime purchase, and one purchase covers iPhone and iPad. Lifetime can be shared with up to five family members through Family Sharing, and they restore it the same way; subscriptions are for one person. The Apple Watch app and CarPlay are free, so they need no purchase.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Subscriptions are managed by Apple, so you cancel them in Apple's settings:

• iPhone or iPad: open the Settings app, tap your name, then Subscriptions, then Guestrell, then Cancel Subscription.

Cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period (or the free trial) to avoid the next charge. You keep Guestrell Pro until the period ends. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription. Lifetime is a one-time purchase, so there's nothing to cancel.

How do I get a refund?

Apple handles all payments, so refunds go through Apple: visit reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in, and choose "Request a refund". We can't see or refund App Store payments ourselves.

What's free and what's Guestrell Pro?

Playing, downloading, sorting, skip intro and outro, skip amounts, jumping between chapters, Trim Silence, Clear Voice, iCloud sync between iPhone and iPad, the Apple Watch app, CarPlay, and all transcripts (automatic transcripts of new episodes from people you follow included) are never behind the paywall, and you can follow up to 3 people and make two custom stacks for free. Guestrell Pro ($3.99 a month, or $29.99 a year with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan only, or Lifetime for $99.99 once; US prices; Lifetime can be shared with family through Family Sharing, subscriptions are for one person) unlocks following any number of people, Heard It (what’s new in each appearance and skipping repeats), on-device summaries and chapters, clips and unlimited custom stacks; the paywall in the app lists them with the current price.

Skip intro and Skip outro are free in Guestrell, with no subscription needed.

Does Guestrell sync between my iPhone and iPad?

Yes, and it's free for everyone. iCloud sync keeps your shows, the people you follow, your stacks, Up Next, played episodes and your listening spot the same on an iPhone and iPad signed in to the same Apple Account. It's on unless you turn it off in Settings ▸ Sync. If you're not signed in to iCloud, Guestrell keeps working and everything stays on that device. Per-show settings, downloads, transcripts and clips stay on each device. The Apple Watch follows your iPhone, so it shows what iCloud sync brings to the iPhone.

Does Guestrell remove ads?

No. Guestrell plays the creator's file; you can skip intros and outros and jump between chapters. Many shows offer a private feed for their supporters; you can add its address in Guestrell like any RSS feed.

For podcasters: how does Guestrell treat my show?

Guestrell plays your file as published. It fetches your audio straight from the address in your feed, from the listener's own device, and it never re-hosts, edits or re-uploads it. Its requests name Voicepage (the app's earlier name) in the User-Agent. Nothing is skipped unless the listener sets it up: their skip buttons, their own intro and outro settings for your show, and jumping between your chapters (or, if an episode has none, chapters made on their device). Options like speed, Trim Silence and Clear Voice only change playback on the listener's own devices; nothing is uploaded or shared. Control playback from your Apple Watch; offline listening is coming. When it arrives, an episode on a listener's Watch will be copied from their iPhone, not fetched from your host again.

Where do transcripts come from?

Transcripts are made on your device. If a show publishes its own transcript, Guestrell uses the show's transcript and labels it "From the show". Otherwise, on supported devices, Guestrell makes one on your device with Apple's on-device speech recognition, labeled "Automatic · made on your device". Nothing is uploaded. All transcripts are free, including automatic transcripts of new episodes from people you follow.

How do I move my shows from Apple Podcasts?

Apple Podcasts can't export a subscription file itself, so it takes a few steps. Guestrell has a short guide on the welcome screen ("Bring your podcasts") and any time in Settings ▸ Your shows ▸ From Apple Podcasts. It walks you through a shortcut in the Shortcuts app (Get Podcasts from Library, Repeat with Each, Get Details of Podcasts, Text and Save File) that saves your shows as an OPML file. You can also export OPML from another podcast app. Then import the file (Settings ▸ Your shows ▸ Import OPML works any time).

After an import, Guestrell shows how many shows came in, which you already follow, which were listed twice in the file and which failed, with the reason for each. Try Again checks the shows that couldn't be reached, and Copy Summary copies the list. Shows that are only in Apple Podcasts have no public feed address, so they can't be imported.

Can I take my shows to another app?

Yes, any time: Settings ▸ Your shows ▸ Export OPML saves every show you follow as an OPML file that other podcast apps can import.

I sort new episodes in another app. Will this feel familiar?

Yes. Every new episode waits in New until you choose Up Next, Shelf, Someday or Skip, and nothing plays before you decide. If you're moving from Castro, Coming from Castro? shows how to bring your shows over and which names map to which.

Is my data private?

Yes. On your device. No account. No tracking. No ads. Your library stays on your device and, with iCloud sync, in your own private iCloud, which we can't see. See the Privacy Policy.

Supported devices

• iPhone with iOS 17 or later
• iPad with iPadOS 17 or later
• Apple Watch with watchOS 10 or later, paired with an iPhone that has Guestrell
• CarPlay, from an iPhone that has Guestrell

On-device transcripts and summaries need newer system versions and, for summaries, an Apple Intelligence device.

Guestrell is in public beta on TestFlight for iPhone and iPad: Join the public beta on TestFlight (how to join). We support the current beta build; if something isn't working, please update to the latest build in TestFlight, then try again.