Free up Pocket Casts storage

Pocket Casts keeps downloaded episodes and a streaming cache on the phone. Follows, playlists, listening history, and stats stay on your Pocket Casts account after you sign in. Official help documents Clean Up and Auto Archive. Removing a download only deletes the file on this device.

See how much space Pocket Casts is using

Official storage tools start at Profile > Downloads.

iPhone

Open Pocket Casts and tap Profile > Downloads.
You can also open iPhone Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Pocket Casts.

Official help says iOS reports extra cache that Pocket Casts cannot see. The system total can stay higher than the Downloads screen until iOS reclaims the space.

Android

Open Pocket Casts > Profile > Downloads.
The system total is also in phone Settings > Apps > Pocket Casts > Storage or Storage and cache.

If storage is under 10%, official help shows a banner on Downloads. Tap Manage downloads if you see it.

Use Clean Up

Go to Profile > Downloads.
Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right.
Tap Clean Up.
On Downloaded Files, select statuses such as played or archived.
Tap Clean Up, then Delete.

Official help says deleting downloads is permanent on the device. The episode stays in the podcast and can be downloaded again. To remove one file, open the episode card and tap the green tick, then confirm REMOVE DOWNLOADED FILE? > Remove.

Archive and stream instead of downloading

Open Up Next, tap Select, pick episodes (or Select All), then tap Archive.
Archiving removes the download. The episode can be downloaded later.
To stream by default: Profile > Settings cog > General > set Row Action to Play.

Auto Archive after playing also deletes the downloaded file. Official help says there is no “older than a year” filter. Use Clean Up by status instead.

Clear Pocket Casts cache on Android

Open your phone Settings > Apps > Pocket Casts.
Tap Storage or Storage and cache.
Tap Clear cache.

Official forum help says this does not affect account, subscriptions, or playback progress. Do not tap Clear storage / Clear data unless you mean to reset Pocket Casts on this phone. That signs you out and removes local downloads. Follows stay on the sync account.

iPhone does not offer a separate Pocket Casts cache button. Use Clean Up inside the app. Official help notes iOS may not show the freed space right away.

Reinstall the app if storage is still high

If you already cleaned media and Pocket Casts still looks huge, a fresh install can clear leftover cache and temp files that are hard to reach by hand.

Sign in first. Official help says sync keeps follows, listening history, playlists, and stats, but not most settings or downloads. Downloads need to be fetched again.
Delete the app from your phone.
Restart your phone.
Install Pocket Casts again from the App Store or Google Play.
Sign in and restore from backup if the app offers it.

This often frees a lot of space. You may need to download some media again after restore.

What to do next

After Pocket Casts is lighter, check your photo library for duplicates and similar shots. That is what Dedupo is for.

More app guides: Free up app storage.