Matter, an app backed by GV and in competition with Pocket and Instapaper, is introducing a novel feature called “Readable Podcasts” today. This feature enables users to save their favorite podcasts and convert their spoken content into written text. This transcription allows for various interactions with the podcast content, similar to how one would engage with a saved article. Users can highlight sections, take notes, and share quotes seamlessly while listening to the podcast. The synchronized audio transcript and text allow users to switch effortlessly between listening and reading, making it convenient to pause and revisit specific parts of the podcast or look up discussed topics.
For users aiming to navigate through lengthy podcasts more efficiently, this feature permits skimming through the transcript to quickly access key areas of interest, eliminating the need to fast-forward or increase playback speed. Matter co-founder Ben Springwater revealed that this new feature is made possible through a combination of a third-party transcription service and Matter’s proprietary system for speaker labeling and transcript quality assurance.
Notably, users do not need to abandon their preferred podcast app to utilize this functionality. Instead, they can share the podcast they wish to transcribe from their existing podcast app using the iOS Share Sheet’s Save extension. Initially, Matter supports podcast sources such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Castro, and Pocket Casts. Once shared with Matter, the podcast is transcribed into text and can be interacted with just like a saved article. This not only benefits individuals with limited time for audio content or those who want to annotate material but also makes podcast content accessible to non-auditory learners and those with hearing impairments.
Matter’s app accommodates a wide range of languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Finnish, Korean, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Matter co-founder Ben Springwater stated, “Podcasts are a gateway to expert knowledge.” He continued, “But audio is ephemeral, and much of that knowledge slips away. Readable Podcasts unlocks the knowledge in podcasts for the first time.”
Since securing its $7 million Series A funding in 2021, Matter has grown its user base to “tens of thousands,” with thousands of paying subscribers for its premium product. Subscribers, priced at $7.99 per month or $59.99 per year, can enjoy features like listening to articles at 2x speed using realistic-sounding voices, integrating Matter with various note-taking apps, Kindle, Gmail, and other services, and now, benefiting from advanced AI transcription for both podcasts and YouTube content.
While Matter is actively working on supporting private podcast feeds, it currently cannot transcribe Spotify exclusives due to their limited accessibility.
Matter’s app is accessible on iOS devices and through web browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
