Quick Play

Quick Play commands provide a way to automatically play episodes matching a specific search keyword. When starting Quick Play, you provide (either type or speak) a search phrase and BeyondPod will try to match it against any available categories, feeds and episodes. If it finds a match it will automatically start playback of the matching episodes.

Quick Play can be started:

  • Using a (new) home screen shortcut (pre ICS - long press on Home screen > Add Shortcut > BeyondPod Quick Play, ICS – add BeyondPod Quick Play Widget). When creating a shortcut, you will be prompted to enter a search keyword and optionally a name for the shortcut.
  • From 3rd party application like Tasker/Llama that can send Android intents. (For example you can start specific Quick Play when phone connects to car’s Bluetooth).

Quick Play currently uses the following logic when looking for matches:

  • It will first search for a category matching the keyword and play all local episodes in that category sorted using the "Global Episode Sort Order" (General Settings > Sort Local Episodes By).
  • If it can’t find a matching category, it will try to find the first feed whose name matches the keyword and play all local episodes in the feed sorted using sort order set for that feed.
  • If it can’t find a matching feed it will try to find episodes whose name (or show notes) matches the keyword and play them sorted using the "Global Episode Sort Order".

There is a way to optionally limit the search to only a category, feed or episode scope by providing the "scope" as first part of the keyword (for example “category news”, or “feed news” or “episode science”).

There is also a way to optionally specify a specific sort order of episodes. You can use something like: “oldest in news”, or “latest in science Friday” (supported "sort" phrases are: “oldest in”, “latest in” or “random in”)

Several "reserved" words can be used to explicitly start Smart Play. You can use any of the following keywords: "smart play", "smart" or "playlist".

Here are some examples

  • news - BeyondPod will play any category, feed or episode matching the keyword "news" (according to the logic above)
  • Feed Science Times - will play episodes for feed named "Science Times" (will not look for category or episodes)
  • Episode stem cells - will play episodes that have the words "stem cells" in their title or show notes
  • Playlist or Listen to smart play - will start Smart Play
  • Random in Music - will try to find category or feed (normal or virtual) named "Music", randomize the episodes and start a playback of the first one.
  • Oldest in Science - will try to find a category or feed matching "Science" and play the episodes starting from the oldest.
  • If you often listen to episodes in a given category, you can create a shortcut using "latest in [category name]" as keyword (for example "latest in sports"). When you tap on the shortcut on your home screen will start playing latest episodes in the category.
  • To create a shortcut starting SmartPlay use "smart play" as a keyword when creating the shortcut.

Quick Play is still an experimental feature. If you find it useful, and have any suggestions for improving it, please share your feedback on our support forum www.beyondpod.com/forum/.