Frequently Asked Questions

AppStories is a podcast produced by MacStories and hosted by Federico Viticci, its Editor-in-Chief, and John Voorhees, its Managing Editor. Each week, the show explores the world of apps and the cultural impact they and Apple’s App Store have.

Since its launch in 2017, AppStories has been free and supported by advertising. With the introduction of AppStories+, we are offering fans of the show a wide variety of exclusive perks that won’t be available to listeners of the free version.

Each episode of AppStories+ will include more of the show you love, with longer episodes that expand on weekly topics, explore additional apps we’re using, and cover of current app events and what’s happening at MacStories.

AppStories+ episodes are delivered ad-free a day earlier than the free version most weeks, allowing you to listen before everyone else or make sure you’re ready to start your week with the show. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally we will be unable to release an episode early due to product review embargoes or similar constraints.

The all-new AppStories website is built using the same technology that underlies Club MacStories. For AppStories+ subscribers who are also Club Premier subscribers, that means you’ll be able to search and filter episodes and show notes the same way Club members can search and filter Club content.

Finally, AppStories+ is delivered at 192 kbps, which is higher than the bitrate of the free version. Both shows are distributed as MP3 files, so they are not lossless, but the AppStories+ version is noticeably better in quality than the free version, providing a superior listening experience.

There are several exclusive benefits to subscribing to AppStories+:

• Extended episodes. More of the show you love every single week, with extended versions of over 15 of our most recent episodes available at launch.
• Episodes are delivered a day early (with the very occasional exception of times when we are under a press embargo that dictates when we can release an episode).
• Ad-free. Enjoy AppStories uninterrupted by advertisements.
• High-bitrate audio. AppStories+ is delivered at 192 kbps for superior sound quality.

No. AppStories will continue to be available for free as an ad-supported podcast but will not include the new perks described above.

First of all, thanks for being part of the Club already. You can subscribe to AppStories+ two ways:

First, you can upgrade to a Club Premier membership here, which is the best value we offer. Club MacStories+ is $10/month or $100/year. Club Premier adds AppStories+ to the mix for an additional $2/month or $20/year. That’s a great deal and better than you’ll find for most other weekly podcasts offering subscriptions.

Second, if you don’t want to upgrade your Club subscription, you can bundle AppStories+ with your existing, original Club membership for a more modest savings of $9/month or $90/year.

To upgrade to Club Premier or add AppStories+ to an existing Club membership, visit club.macstories.net/plans.

AppStories+ is also available through Apple Podcasts for $8/month or $80/year, which costs more and has fewer benefits than subscribing directly through us. Please see the separate question about Apple Podcasts Subscriptions below for details about what is not included in an AppStories+ subscription purchased from Apple through its Podcasts app.

No. You can upgrade your existing Club MacStories account to the new Club Premier membership; visit the Plans page here to get started. Please note, however, that because the Club and AppStories websites are separate, you will need to manually log into both sites even though your credentials for the two are the same.

Subscriptions to AppStories+ and Club MacStories are handled by the same Memberful system that handles the Club. If you only purchase an AppStories+ standalone subscription, you will not be charged for a Club one too. However, by being part of the Club system, if you ever decide you want to join Club MacStories, you can use your existing AppStories+ login details to upgrade from the Club plans page to take advantage of our upgrade pricing.

You can sign up for the Club Premier membership, which includes AppStories+, at club.macstories.net/plans.

If you’d prefer a standalone subscription to AppStories+, you can sign up on the AppStories website.

Yes. As long as you subscribe to AppStories+ through us (and not Apple Podcasts), you can join Club Premier at any time. Just visit our plans page, where you’ll see an option to upgrade to Club Premier.

Yes! The process works just like it does for Club MacStories, which we cover in this article.

Your AppStories+ subscription is unique to you and managed through Memberful and our system. When you sign up, you’ll be given links to add your subscription to the podcast player of your choice, including Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Castro, and Pocket Casts.

You can also sign in at AppStories.net anytime and open the Account page to copy your feed for the show and manage your account.

Yes. Subscriptions are handled with a Memberful integration, which supports HTTPS and is GDPR-compliant. Memberful uses Stripe to securely process payments.

Credit card data is sent securely to Stripe before the payment form is submitted. Memberful, and we never see your credit card data – only Stripe does. Stripe is PCI- and GDPR-compliant and secure. You can read the Memberful security FAQ here.

When you subscribe to AppStories+, you are assigned a feed to the show that includes a unique identifier. We monitor downloads from each feed issued to subscribers to ensure that feeds aren’t being shared with people who haven’t subscribed to the show. If we discover a pattern that indicates a feed is being used by someone who is not a subscriber, we reserve the right to revoke access to the feed and cancel your membership.

Club Premier members get the most out of AppStories+ for the best price. That’s because, with a Premier membership, Club members will enjoy the full menu of AppStories+ perks for just $2/month or $20/year more than a Club MacStories+ membership. That’s a fantastic bargain compared to other subscription-based weekly podcasts.

That said, not everyone wants to be a Club MacStories member, so we’re also offering AppStories+ as a standalone subscription that you can purchase directly from us. An AppStories+ subscription purchased directly from us costs $5/month or $50/year. If you’re an AppStories fan, but not interested in the Club, this is the best way to experience AppStories+.

We’re also offering AppStories+ as an Apple Podcasts Subscription for $8/month or $80/year. The reason we’re doing so is because a substantial part of the show’s audience listens using Apple Podcasts and prefers the convenience of subscribing through Apple. However, please keep in mind that the Apple Podcasts subscription is run by Apple, not us. That means that if there’s a problem with your subscription, you’ll need to contact Apple because we don’t have the information necessary to help.

Also, subscribing through Apple Podcasts costs more to offset what Apple charges us for offering the show through Apple Podcasts, and you will have access to fewer perks than direct subscribers that we can’t offer through Apple. Specifically, if you subscribe through Apple Podcasts:

• You will only be able to listen to AppStories+ in the Apple Podcasts app
• Audio will be delivered at a lower bitrate
• There will be no way for you to upgrade to Club Premier or search past episodes of AppStories+ or its show notes because we do not manage Apple Podcasts Subscriptions

Send us an email at podcast@macstories.net, and we’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Yes. We are fully GDPR-compliant, and you can read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Absolutely not. We promise we won’t resell or share your email address with any third party. Your email address will only be used to deliver AppStories±related communications.

The MacStories team: Federico Viticci, John Voorhees, and Alex Guyot.

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, who’s been writing about Apple and apps since 2009. John Voorhees is a MacStories’ Managing Editor and co-host with Federico of the AppStories and MacStories Unwind podcasts. Alex Guyot is a MacStories Editor who has been writing for MacStories since 2013 and, as MacStories’ Senior Software Engineer, built the technology stack on which AppStories+ runs.

So, yes, we are people, MacStories is an indie website about Apple, AppStories+ is one of the podcasts we produce, and this is what we do every day.

You can log into your AppStories+ account at appstories.net.net/account and cancel your subscription if you no longer wish to subscribe.