AdSkipPro
Consumer and social
podcast player
SHOW HN2019
124points
267comments
#369of 2,195 in 2019
Top 17%of 2019 by points
How HN took it
RoastedHalf or more of the comments are critical
12 positive, 28 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 49 critical, out of 91 comments about the project. Thread score -0.39.
Idea: 10 for, 25 againstPricing: 0 for, 14 againstDocs: 0 for, 4 againstExecution: 2 for, 0 againstPrivacy: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Useful for listeners tired of repetitive ads.
From 2 comments
My problem with podcast ads is how repetitive they are. I'm at a point where I hate squarespace so much because nearly every podcast I listen to is sponsored by them. Same goes…
antimatter on HNAds are terrible regardless of whether they are “nice, inoffensive privacy protecting ads” or “unethical spyware web ad network ads”. This is a great tool and saves people their…
sneak on HN
Congratulations on the release.
From 1 comment
You're getting a lot of hate for it but congrats on the release. Can you comment on how you are identifying ad content?
president on HN
Objections
Automatic skipping hurts podcasters' ad revenue and independent podcasting.
From 4 comments
Cool idea? Yes. Good idea? No. If we do stuff like this, the podcast industry will switch to a closed system which would require you to install proprietary apps to listen to…
rahuldottech on HN> Why isn't that happening? Because most podcasters make no money and don't have the skills to write an app or service to do it for them. Larger companies like NPR and BBC…
whitehouse3 on HNNo, what's going to happen is that this will kill independent podcasting and make it unsustainable to run a podcast without agreements with Spotify or Apple or someone.
PascLeRasc on HNSure, because some percentage of the users will still listen to the ad, especially if it's the first time they're hearing it. Make it automated, that guarantees that no one is…
rahuldottech on HN
Paid app with boilerplate terms that prohibit linking.
From 3 comments
I find it interesting that their terms of use attempts to place restrictions on linking to their homepage: https://adskippro.com/terms.html I also find it interesting that this…
saagarjha on HNIt has just about the ridiculous ToS I've ever seen, including stating that you can't post links to it! https://adskippro.com/terms.html
smcleod on HNYou want me to pay $1.99 for an app I can’t try, which doesn’t have any other features that other podcast player apps have, and also prohibit linking to your product anywhere in…
newscracker on HN
Ad skipping is morally wrong or unethical.
From 3 comments
I think this is wrong morally.
bwb on HNThis is why we can't have nice things. Podcasts rely on advertising for revenue, and given the static nature of pre-recorded ads, they are the least intrusive in this era of AI…
throwGuardian on HNThis is simple fraud.
frankydp on HN
Users can already skip ads with the 30-second button.
From 2 comments
Seems odd... Most podcasts are pretty grassroots without financial backing, I think. I don't really mind the ads, and most podcasts apps seem to have skip buttons anyway. I…
spike021 on HNPersonally, I'm OK with ads in podcasts. They are based on the general audience for the show and doesn't have any intrusive tracking or personalization. If I'm really tired of…
vsskanth on HN
Requests
Offer ad-free subscriptions via podcasts or Patreon instead.
From 3 comments
A good percentage of the ad-supported podcasts I listen to also have an ad-free feed for their Patreon subscribers. I'd say look there first if you're looking to spend money to…
mumblemumble on HNPodcasters should probably provide ad-less versions of podcasts for subscribing users, e.g. using Coil or similar extension for monetization.
butz on HNI'm still shocked that Google has not made a podcast platform wherein they manage the ads and subscriptions. Host the audio, inject ads at the breaks, allow paid subscriptions…
ortusdux on HN
Be more open about how ad detection works.
From 2 comments
Cool project, interesting decision to monetize something like this though. I made SponsorBlock (https://sponsor.ajay.app/), which is a similar premise for YouTube videos except…
ajayyy on HNWould you mind sharing what approach did you use to trim the ads? Did you manually detect the ads and then trimmed the file or are you using an automatic (perhaps ML-based)…
mersenne on HN
Questions
How does the app identify ads?
From 3 comments
So how does it really do the skipping feature? Do you transcribe the podcast and look for standard advertising copy for companies like Squarespace, hello fresh, etc? Would it…
abhisuri97 on HNYou're getting a lot of hate for it but congrats on the release. Can you comment on how you are identifying ad content?
president on HNWould you mind sharing what approach did you use to trim the ads? Did you manually detect the ads and then trimmed the file or are you using an automatic (perhaps ML-based)…
mersenne on HN
Will Apple allow this on the app store?
From 2 comments
Very cool idea, I'm curious about how this was built and works. I'm also curious if you think you'll face any challenges or if Apple will allow this to live on the play store?
dickjocke on HNda wut??? apple actually allowed this?
sevkih on HN
Alternatives named
Apple Podcasts 30-second skip button
From 2 comments
Seems odd... Most podcasts are pretty grassroots without financial backing, I think. I don't really mind the ads, and most podcasts apps seem to have skip buttons anyway. I…
spike021 on HNCan you elaborate please? Apple's own Podcasts app lets you skip the ads with a button. This app does it automatically.
adskipprod on HN
Patreon ad-free feeds
From 2 comments
A good percentage of the ad-supported podcasts I listen to also have an ad-free feed for their Patreon subscribers. I'd say look there first if you're looking to spend money to…
mumblemumble on HNI'm still shocked that Google has not made a podcast platform wherein they manage the ads and subscriptions. Host the audio, inject ads at the breaks, allow paid subscriptions…
ortusdux on HN
SponsorBlock
From 1 comment
Cool project, interesting decision to monetize something like this though. I made SponsorBlock (https://sponsor.ajay.app/), which is a similar premise for YouTube videos except…
ajayyy on HN