Try The App

How HearCandy Works

⏩  How SmartSkip™ Works

🎧 The Big Idea

When you skip ahead, HearCandy learns what you didn’t want to hear. When others skip in the same spot, the app figures out it’s probably an ad or intro — and starts skipping it automatically for everyone.

It’s like a community ad blocker for podcasts, built entirely from listener feedback.

🚀 What You’ll See

1. Manual Skip

When you tap ⏩ skip during playback, the app briefly shows a panel that says:

“🎯 You’re marking a skip segment!
Skip again to extend, or tap ‘Mark Start’ when the content begins.”

This tells HearCandy you’re identifying the start and end of something worth skipping.

2. Refinement Panel

After a skip (manual or automatic), you’ll sometimes see a quick message:

“✂️ We skipped 30 seconds. Was this helpful?”

You can respond:

  • ✅ Yes – confirms it was a good skip
  • ❌ No, take me back – returns you to where you were and marks it as a mistake
  • 📍 Mark Start – if it’s close but still the end of an ad, Mark Start tells the app exactly where real content begins.
  • ⏪ Jump Back and Mark Start -You also can skip back a bit if it wasn’t quite right and they tap Mark Start at the exact moment the content really starts. This is very helpful for everyone and refines the original.

If you don’t respond, HearCandy quietly assumes the skip worked well and closes the message after a few seconds.

3. Automatic Skips

Once a skip has been confirmed by enough users, HearCandy starts skipping it automatically for everyone. When that happens, you’ll see:

“⏩ Skipped 45 seconds (ad segment)”

You stay in the flow — no ads, no extra tapping.

4. Community Validation

If a skip is new, HearCandy might test it with a few listeners. You’ll help validate it by saying Yes or No, take me back when it triggers. Each vote helps refine the system so only accurate skips stay active.

🧠 Behind the Scenes (Simplified)

  • Every skip you make becomes a suggestion (a “candidate”).
  • When enough users agree it’s correct, it becomes a confirmed segment.
  • Confirmed segments auto-skip for everyone.
  • Listeners who consistently make accurate skips earn trust, which lets their future skips go live faster.

🪄 Why It Works

  • Community-driven: Skips are discovered and refined by listeners.
  • Self-correcting: If something is skipped incorrectly, anyone can roll it back with one tap.
  • Privacy-first: Only anonymous data about skip times is collected — never personal info.
  • Always improving: Each play, skip, or rewind helps fine-tune the system.

💡 Pro Tips

  • When you hear an ad or long intro, just skip and tap Mark Start when the content returns.
  • If HearCandy skips something you wanted, tap No, take me back — it instantly learns from your correction.
  • You can view your own skip history in Settings → Activity Log.

🌍 Built by Listeners, for Listeners

Every skip makes HearCandy smarter. The more people use it, the better it gets — no tracking, no moderation queues, no tricks. Just a community quietly removing the boring bits from podcasts.

🎧 How SmartQueue™ Works

A simple, unified way to manage Podcasts, Music, and Books — without interrupting what’s playing.

SmartQueue™ is your personal listening queue for podcasts, music stations/streams, and audiobooks. It automatically organizes what’s next, keeps playback smooth, and lets you switch between content types without losing your place.

🔊 One Player, Three Modes

SmartQueue supports three types of listening:

1️⃣ Podcast Mode

Your personalized SmartQueue™ of podcast episodes.

2️⃣ Music Mode

A reorderable queue of your favorite music streams or stations.

3️⃣ Books Mode

Your audiobook shelf, with chapters and progress tracking.

Each mode has its own queue — but there is only one “Now Playing” area at the top.

🎛 The Now Playing Mini-Controller

At the top of the screen, the mini-player shows whatever is currently playing.
It stays visible at all times and never changes when you switch tabs.

Depending on the content type, it shows:

Podcast

  • Episode title
  • Podcast name
  • Progress bar (visual only)
  • Play/pause & skip

Music

  • Station or stream name
  • Tagline/genre/location
  • Live indicator (if applicable)
  • Play/pause & next/previous stream

Books

  • Book title
  • Author and chapter
  • Reading progress
  • Play/pause & chapter skip

Switching tabs never interrupts playback — the mini-player only updates when you start new audio.

🗂️ Podcast SmartQueue™

Your always-updating personal queue of podcast episodes you’re most likely to want next.

SmartQueue automatically includes:

  • New episodes from your favorite shows
  • Episodes you’ve partially played
  • Episodes you starred
  • Recommendations based on what you typically finish

You can also:

  • Reorder episodes with drag & drop
  • Remove or unstar items
  • Tap for quick options (Play Next, Play Last, Remove, etc.)

If you’re currently listening to a podcast, the Podcast tab becomes active and SmartQueue becomes Up Next.

🎵 Music Queue

Music Mode replaces the old Radio Mode — but works the same way behind the scenes.

Your Music Queue is a list of music streams or stations you follow or star.

Each item shows:

  • Station/stream name
  • Location/genre
  • Artwork/logo
  • (If available) what’s currently playing

This queue powers swipe-to-next and swipe-to-previous behavior in the full player.

You can reorder, star, or remove stations the same way you manage podcasts.

📚 Books Queue

Books are now fully implemented.

Books Mode acts like a hybrid between a queue and a bookshelf.

Each entry shows:

  • Book title
  • Author
  • Current chapter
  • Progress bar
  • Estimated time remaining

You can:

  • Reorder books
  • Tap for options
  • Star favorites
  • Remove from your shelf

The currently listening book becomes the active queue, showing Up Next.

🔀 Switching Between Modes

SmartQueue supports clean mode switching with no playback interruptions, ever.

Example:

You’re listening to a podcast → you tap “Music”:

  • Podcast keeps playing
  • The Music tab opens
  • You see your Music Queue
  • The mini-player still shows the podcast

You can browse freely without losing your spot.

🧠 How the Three Queues Work

You have three independent queues, one for each mode:

  • SmartQueue™ (Podcasts)
  • Music Queue
  • Books Queue

Only the queue matching what’s playing becomes “active.”

Active Queue

Up Next (N) — items that will play after the current one.

Inactive Queue

Shows the mode name instead:

  • Podcasts → “SmartQueue™ (N)”
  • Music → “Music Stations (N)”
  • Books → “Bookshelf (N)”

Switching tabs only changes which list you’re looking at, not what’s currently playing.

🏠 Navigation Behavior

From the main bottom navigation:

Tapping Podcasts

Opens the SmartQueue screen on the Podcasts tab
(But doesn’t stop your music or book if one is playing.)

Tapping Music

Opens the screen on the Music tab
(But doesn’t stop your podcast or book.)

Books aren’t shown in main nav — you access them through this screen’s tabs.

🎚️ User Controls

Every queue item supports:

Tap

  • Play Next
  • Play Last
  • Remove
  • Favorite

Long Press

  • Enter reordering mode
  • Drag and reorder with haptic feedback

Remove (✕)

  • Clears from the queue
  • In podcasts, counts as a downvote
  • In music/books, simply removes the item

Star (☆)

  • Podcast → boosts episode or show priority
  • Music → highlights your preferred stations
  • Books → marks favorites in your shelf

📦 In Short — What SmartQueue Does for You

✔ Podcasts: a smart, evolving Up Next queue

✔ Music: a customizable playlist of stations & streams

✔ Books: a tidy shelf of audiobooks with chapter awareness

✔ Playback never stops when you browse

✔ Your current audio is always visible

✔ Reorder anything, anytime, with simple gestures

🔍 Explore The Features

The easiest way to fall in love with podcasts.

🚀 Playback & Control. Simple, Friendly Listening

  • Keep listening while messaging or browsing
  • Big buttons, easy controls — nothing confusing
  • Ultra-fast swiping between episodes — no taps needed. Just press play — we take care of the details
  • Smart resume remembers exactly where you left off. Your place saved automatically
  • Full-power queue control: drag-reorder, jump ahead, delete noise
  • Dial in your speed — optimize every minute
  • Auto-advance and background playback — frictionless flow

🔍 Discovery That Doesn’t Waste Time. Discover Your New Favorites

  • Search across the entire podcast universe. Search by topic — find exactly what interests you
  • Actually good recommendations — based on how you listen. Starter playlists to get into podcasts instantly
  • “Continue Listening” and “Recently Played” always one tap away. “Continue Listening” helps you finish shows later
  • Favorites and custom playlists built for power users. Explore popular shows by category

⚡ Intelligent Skip System. Skip The Boring Parts

  • Automatic ad-skip based on real listener behavior. Ads and long intros? Gone. Automatically.
  • Skip intros/outros before they annoy you. You stay on the interesting part of every show
  • Approve/refine skip points — level up the system
  • The more you listen, the smarter it gets. If something doesn’t sound fun → swipe to the next!
  • Network effect: millions of skips → pinpoint accuracy

🏆 Gamified for Experts. Have Fun While You Learn the App

  • Earn status for helping improve segments. Earn points for simple actions like skipping ads
  • Achievements that actually represent engagement. Unlock badges as you explore more shows
  • “Smart Listener” badge Flex 💪. A progress screen that celebrates your listening

📊 Deep Listening Analytics. Light Insights (Nothing Complicated)

  • See which shows you enjoy most. Total listening time, skip behavior, session history
  • Track how much life you’ve reclaimed by skipping ads and how much time you’ve spent listening
  • Real stats. Real productivity gains. Feel good — you’re learning and growing.

⚙️ Power Preferences. Helpful Guidance Built In

  • Full auto-skip control
  • Theme options (OLED-friendly dark mode)
  • Privacy: device-based identity and local-first storage
  • Swipe hints and tips that fade when you get the hang of it
  • No registration required to start
  • Everything works automatically behind the scenes

This isn’t a podcast app — it’s a listening upgrade.