Your questions

"STFUAI Podcasts" is short for precisely what we do: Skip The F*cking Unwanted Ads In Podcasts.

STFUAI Podcasts downloads the publisher's audio file like a normal podcast player, so the download request still reaches the publisher or hosting company. The app skips detected time ranges during playback on your device; it does not publish an edited copy. Whether an advertisement earns revenue can depend on the publisher's agreement and measurement rules, so the app cannot guarantee payment for every skipped ad. Detected segments remain visible with a short description, including a sponsor name or offer when the analysis found one.

Spread the word to your podcast-loving friends, join the Discord to give the developer (me) direct feedback, or subscribe to a paid tier inside the app under Settings > Subscription. One-off donations are available from this site's $upport STFUAI menu through Cash App, Venmo, or PayPal.
Paid subscribers can link Discord under Settings > Account > Discord for subscriber roles and support.

There's a free tier that skips ads up to a weekly analysis limit. If you hit the limit, the app keeps working as a normal podcast player until the next weekly reset or until you subscribe to a paid tier. The Subscriptions & Pricing page shows the current tiers, prices, and weekly limits. Those values may change as processing costs and usage change. I lose money on this app - I'm not trying to make a quick buck. I'm doing this because I love podcasts and want to help make them better for everyone.

I don't.

Yes - running STFUAI at current user and usage numbers costs roughly $20-$50 per day, which is about $600 per month or ~$7,000 per year.
This is significantly improved from where I started, when it was costing me more like $50,000 on an annualized basis with zero revenue. I'm continuing to try to optimize costs as the user base grows. My goal is to be able to keep the app running, including the free tier, and simply get to a break-even point. However, even if I never break even, I will continue to support and fund the app and keep it running. I am committed to this project, and to losing buckets of money on it for as long as it's useful to me and others.

That is not a question. ಠ_ಠ

Yes. I mean, I'm no fancy big-city law-chicken, but you are downloading podcast episodes (which are freely distributed to you, 'cuz that's how podcasts work) and you are choosing which parts to listen to. That's your inalienable right as a listener, as an individual - as an American*, god dammit!

We don't modify, redistribute, or interfere with podcast distribution in any way. The original files remain untouched - we just help you skip past the parts you don't want to hear.

While still not being a lawyer (regardless of what I tell my parents at Thanksgiving), based on my research, I believe that to do otherwise may be illegal - but STFUAI Podcasts does nothing more than report on where it believes the ads are, and allows you to automatically skip over them - which, again, is your right as an American*.

(*Note: I assume that freedom applies to non-Americans as well, despite their distressing lack of firearms with which to obtain said freedom; but again, I'm no lawyer.)

Well, my mum says I'm really smart and also good-looking, but - OH, you meant the APP! Oh geez, that's embarrassing.
What makes STFUAI Podcasts different is that it... skips ads (and other unwanted segments). Other than that, it's a podcast player with subscriptions, downloads, a queue, speed controls, a sleep timer, and the usual playback controls. It also generates chapters for episodes that do not provide them and has global and podcast-specific playback settings.

The best way to get in touch is through the community Discord. You can also email support@stfuai.com, though Discord is preferred and you'll get a much faster response there.

Accuracy varies by episode. Detection works best on English-language podcasts with clear speech. Heavy music, sound effects, unusual formats, non-English speech, and ambiguous promotional language can produce false positives or bad boundaries. Each detected segment shows a match score, time range, and description. Tap a segment to play it or use Re-analyze when the result is wrong or incomplete.

In the cloud. Here's the flow:

1. The episode downloads to your device.
2. The audio is securely uploaded to our servers.
3. The service transcribes the episode and looks for advertisements, self-promotion, intros, outros, closing credits, and chapters.
4. The detected time ranges return to your device.
5. The uploaded audio is deleted after processing.

The app performs the actual skipping on your device. An episode can play before analysis finishes, but automatic skipping does not start until its result comes back. Episodes that have already been analyzed keep their skip ranges for offline playback.

Android: ✅ Available now (Android 8.0+).

iOS: 🔜 Coming at some point in the future, but no release date yet. Hit me up on Discord if you want to be an iOS beta tester when we get there.

Minimal data for core functionality, including:

• Email (for account sync)
• Podcast subscriptions (to sync across devices)
• Playback state (to resume across devices)

We do NOT:

• Track your listening habits for advertising
• Sell or share your data with third parties
• Store audio files after processing

Mainly to prevent abuse, but also because we sync your subscriptions, settings, etc. to the cloud so that you can listen on more than one device or switch devices without disruption.

See our privacy policy for details. We do not use your email address, listening habits, or nudes for marketing, spam, or blackmail.

Yes. STFUAI Podcasts is a complete podcast player for Android that analyzes episodes, detects ads and other unwanted segments, and automatically skips them during playback. Download STFUAI Podcasts for Android.

Yes. STFUAI analyzes the actual episode audio, so it can detect both host-read sponsorships baked into an episode and ads dynamically inserted when the episode is downloaded. Detection is based on the content of each episode rather than relying on fixed timestamps or community-submitted markers.

Yes. In addition to advertisements and sponsor reads, STFUAI can automatically detect and skip intros, outros, self-promotional segments, and closing credits. You can control which types of segments are skipped globally or override those settings for an individual podcast.

STFUAI Podcasts is a complete podcast player for Android (and, eventually, iOS). It is not an add-on. You can find and subscribe to podcasts, manage your queue and downloads, change playback speed, use a sleep timer, and listen normally even when automatic analysis is unavailable or your usage allowance has been reached.

Yes. STFUAI Podcasts has a free Android tier that includes automatic podcast ad detection and skipping up to its current usage allowance. If you reach that allowance, the app continues working as a normal podcast player until it resets. See Subscriptions & Pricing for the current limits and optional paid tiers.

Yes. After an episode has been downloaded and analyzed, you can play it offline and STFUAI Podcasts will still automatically skip the detected segments. An internet connection is required to analyze a new episode that has not been processed yet.

Yes. Open Settings > Account > Import OPML, select the file with Android's file picker, review the feed checkboxes, and tap Import (N). OPML transfers subscriptions, not listening history, queue order, downloads, favorites, or app settings. Read the complete OPML migration guide.