Podracer

A React Native podcast player with real-time WebGL shader visualizations that react to audio.

Features

Podcast Management

• Search and subscribe to podcasts via iTunes Search API
• Import podcasts via RSS URL
• Auto-refresh feeds
• Episode filtering (show/hide played episodes)
• Mark all episodes as played
• Episode-specific artwork support

Audio Playback

• Background audio playback
• Lock screen and notification controls
• Playback speed control (0.5x - 3x)
• Sleep timer with preset options
• Skip forward/backward (configurable)
• Queue management with drag-to-reorder
• Chapter support
• Progress persistence across sessions

Visualizations

• Full-screen WebGL shader visualizations
• Multiple MilkDrop-inspired presets:
  • Waveform displays
  • Spectrum analyzers
  • Kaleidoscope patterns
  • Tunnel effects
  • Plasma animations
  • Geometric fractals
• Real-time audio reactivity (bass, mid, treble)
• Swipe to change presets
• Auto-transition mode

Downloads

• Download episodes for offline playback
• Download progress tracking
• Storage management

Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Framework	React Native + Expo
Language	TypeScript
Audio	react-native-track-player
Storage	expo-sqlite + expo-file-system
State	Zustand
Navigation	React Navigation
Visualizations	WebView + WebGL shaders
RSS Parsing	fast-xml-parser
Podcast Search	iTunes Search API

Screenshots

Coming soon

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn
• Expo CLI
• iOS Simulator (Mac) or Android Emulator

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/iamrodnunez/podracer.git
cd podracer

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Start the development server:

npx expo start

4. Run on your device:

• Press i for iOS Simulator
• Press a for Android Emulator
• Scan the QR code with Expo Go app on your physical device

Building APK

Local Build (Recommended)

1. Install prerequisites:

# Install Android SDK (macOS)
brew install --cask android-commandlinetools

# Install Java 17
brew install openjdk@17

# Accept SDK licenses and install required packages
ANDROID_HOME=/opt/homebrew/share/android-commandlinetools sdkmanager --licenses
ANDROID_HOME=/opt/homebrew/share/android-commandlinetools sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-34" "build-tools;34.0.0"

2. Generate native project:

npx expo prebuild

3. Build the APK:

cd android
JAVA_HOME=/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17/libexec/openjdk.jdk/Contents/Home \
ANDROID_HOME=/opt/homebrew/share/android-commandlinetools \
./gradlew assembleRelease

4. Find APK at: android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

EAS Build (Cloud)

npx eas-cli build --platform android --profile preview

Project Structure

/src
  /components
    /player          # Playback controls, progress slider
    /visualizer      # WebGL visualization components
    /podcast         # Podcast cards, episode lists
    /common          # Shared UI components
  /screens
    HomeScreen.tsx
    DiscoverScreen.tsx
    PodcastDetailScreen.tsx
    EpisodePlayerScreen.tsx
    VisualizerScreen.tsx
    QueueScreen.tsx
    DownloadsScreen.tsx
    SettingsScreen.tsx
  /services
    audioService.ts       # Audio playback management
    audioAnalyzer.ts      # FFT/waveform extraction
    podcastService.ts     # RSS fetching, iTunes API
    downloadService.ts    # Episode downloads
    storageService.ts     # SQLite operations
  /store
    usePlayerStore.ts     # Playback state
    usePodcastStore.ts    # Subscriptions, episodes
    useQueueStore.ts      # Queue management
    useSettingsStore.ts   # User preferences
  /shaders
    presets/              # GLSL shader presets
  /hooks
    useAudioAnalysis.ts   # FFT data hook
  /utils
    rssParser.ts
    timeUtils.ts
    audioUtils.ts
  /types
    podcast.ts
    audio.ts
  /db
    schema.ts             # SQLite schema

Download

Build the APK locally using the instructions above, or check the Releases page for pre-built APKs.

License

MIT

Author

@iamrodnunez