Who we are
PodWhale is a service of Thinkaholic, a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) at Coolsingel 104, 3011 AG Rotterdam, the Netherlands (Chamber of Commerce 65338340, VAT NL002271788B29). You can reach us at support@podwhale.app. These terms apply to the PodWhale app and the website podwhale.app. By using PodWhale, you agree to them. Read them together with our Privacy Policy, which explains what we do with your data.
What PodWhale is
PodWhale is an app to find, follow and listen to podcasts. It is free to use and contains no ads from us. The PodWhale Plus subscription adds extra features, such as reading along with episodes, subtitles and translations into your own language. Which features are part of Plus is shown in the app when you subscribe.
Podcasts belong to their makers
The podcasts, images and descriptions in PodWhale come from public podcast feeds and belong to their makers. We do not make them, do not check them in advance and are not responsible for what is said in them. You may listen to them for your own, non-commercial use. Links to other websites fall under the terms of those websites.
Have you found something in PodWhale that you believe is illegal, or are you a maker who wants us to change or remove something? Email support@podwhale.app with the name of the podcast or episode and the reason. We review every report carefully and let you know what we do with it. This address is also our point of contact for authorities and users under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA); you can write to us in English or Dutch.
Texts and translations
The texts you read along with, the subtitles and the translations are made automatically with speech recognition and artificial intelligence (AI). They are meant as a listening aid and can contain mistakes: misheard words, the wrong speaker, an inaccurate translation, or an ad break that is or is not marked as an ad. Do not rely on them for important decisions; when in doubt, what is said in the episode itself counts. Not every episode and not every language has a text.
The texts and translations are only for your own use in the app. You may not copy, export or distribute them, or use them to make something else, such as training AI. A maker who does not want texts of their podcast in PodWhale can tell us at support@podwhale.app, and we will stop showing them.
Your account
The first time you open the app, it creates an anonymous account for you. You can later sign in with Apple, Google or email, so your subscriptions, playlists and progress stay with you when you change phones. If you remove the app without signing in, that data is gone. You are responsible for what happens with your account; let us know if you think someone else is using it. You can delete your account at any time in the app, under Account.
PodWhale is meant for people aged 13 and over. If you are under 16, you need permission from a parent or guardian. You may only take out a subscription if the law allows you to do so yourself, or with permission from a parent or guardian.
What is not allowed
You will not use PodWhale to:
- disrupt, attack or overload the app, our servers or other users, for example with scripts, bots or mass automated requests;
- copy, imitate or reverse-engineer the app, or get around its security or limits, except where the law expressly allows it;
- collect or resell texts, translations or other content from the app on a large scale;
- share or resell Plus or other paid features;
- infringe the rights of others or do anything against the law.
If you do not follow these rules, we may limit, suspend or end your access. With a paid subscription we only do that for serious or repeated misuse, and we tell you why.
PodWhale Plus
Price. You see the price of Plus in the app before you subscribe, in your own currency and including VAT. You pay through Apple's App Store or Google Play, with the account and payment method you use there. Payment goes through that store; we never see your payment details.
Free trial week. With a yearly subscription, new subscribers get the first 7 days free if the app offers it when you subscribe. You get the trial once per store account. If you do not cancel, the paid subscription starts automatically after the trial and you pay the yearly price. Cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends if you do not want to pay.
Renewal. Plus runs per month or per year, depending on what you choose, and renews automatically at the end of each period for the same period at the price that applies then, until you cancel. The store charges the amount within the 24 hours before the period ends.
Cancelling. You cancel in the subscriptions of your Apple account or in Google Play, under Payments and subscriptions. The app has a button under Plus that takes you there. After cancelling you keep Plus until the end of the period you already paid for. If you live in the Netherlands and your yearly subscription has renewed automatically, you may then cancel it at any time with at most one month's notice; email us and we will refund the part of the year after that month.
Right of withdrawal. As a consumer in the European Union you may withdraw from a paid subscription within 14 days of taking it out, without giving a reason. Because Plus starts right away, you then only pay for the days you already had Plus, as far as the law allows. You request a refund from the store you paid: at Apple through reportaproblem.apple.com, at Google through your order history in Google Play. If that does not work, email us and we will find a solution together. Your statutory rights always apply.
Price changes. We may change the price of Plus. A new price applies from the first period after the change, never to a period you have already paid for. We let you know about an increase in advance, through the app or the store; where the store or the law requires it, you must agree first, and otherwise your subscription ends at the end of the period.
Fair use. To keep Plus affordable, there are daily limits on new texts and translations, and after very heavy use in a month they come more slowly for a while. When it is very busy, making new texts can take longer or wait for a while. Texts that already exist stay available. With normal use you will not notice this.
Free use. Without Plus you can read along for free for a few minutes every day, currently 5 minutes. This offer may change.
Earlier support. If you have a support subscription from the Podcast Kiosk days (Friend, Helper or Partner), it also gives you Plus for as long as that subscription runs.
Apps from the App Store
If you got PodWhale from Apple's App Store, the following applies. These terms are an agreement between you and us, not with Apple. We, not Apple, are responsible for the app, its maintenance and support, and for claims about the app, including product liability claims, claims that it fails to meet legal or consumer protection requirements, and claims that the app infringes someone else's rights. If the app fails to conform to a statutory warranty, you can notify Apple and ask for the purchase price back; beyond that, to the extent the law allows, Apple has no warranty obligations for the app. You also use the app in line with the App Store rules. Apple and its subsidiaries may enforce these terms against you.
Availability and changes to the app
We do our best to keep PodWhale working well and without interruption, but we cannot promise it always will. Podcasts can disappear when a maker takes them offline. We improve the app regularly and may change or stop features. If a feature you pay for with Plus disappears and it is important to what you bought, we tell you in advance and you may cancel and ask for the unused part of the period back.
Liability
Our liability is limited as far as the law allows. We are not liable for the content of other people's podcasts, for mistakes in automatically made texts or translations, or for indirect damage such as lost profit. Where we are liable, it is for at most the amount you paid for Plus in the 12 months before, with a minimum of 100 euros. These limits do not apply in case of intent or gross negligence on our part, nor to rights you always have as a consumer under the law.
Changes to these terms
We may change these terms, for example when the app or the law changes. We put the new version on this page, with the date. If a change is to your disadvantage, we tell you in the app at least 30 days in advance. If you do not agree, you can stop using PodWhale and cancel your subscription; if you keep using the app after that, the new version applies.
Law and disputes
Dutch law applies to these terms. If you live in another country, you keep the protection your country's consumer law gives you. If you have a complaint, first email support@podwhale.app; we reply within 14 days and try to solve it together. If that does not work, you can go to the competent court in the Netherlands or, as a consumer, to the courts of the country where you live.
Other
If part of these terms is not valid, the rest still applies and we replace that part with a rule that comes as close to it as possible. These terms are published in several languages. If the translations differ, the English version applies, unless another language is more favourable to you.
Contact
Questions about these terms? Email support@podwhale.app.
Last updated: 31 October 2026.