Junco is officially live on the App Store.
We started building this because newsletters were piling up unread. Not because the writing was bad — because the day didn't have a "sit down and read" slot anymore. The idea was simple: turn the newsletters you already subscribe to into a podcast episode you can listen to on a walk, on the train, or while doing the dishes.
That idea is now a real app you can download.
What shipped
The launch version of Junco does what we set out to do:
- Turn your newsletters into audio. Connect Gmail, pick the senders you care about, and Junco generates a daily episode from whatever lands in your inbox.
- A real podcast player. Queue, lock-screen controls, background playback, sleep timer, and offline downloads.
- Mixtapes. Combine a few newsletters into one longer listen.
- A personal inbox address. Subscribe directly to
you@listen.tryjunco.comwithout giving anyone your real email. - RSS support. Not every feed lives in Gmail.
- Push notifications. Get told when your morning episode is ready, not when yet another unread email arrives.
It feels like a podcast app because that is what it is. The newsletters are just the content source.
Why we went through CASA Level 2
If you connect Gmail to an app, Google requires a security review. For anything beyond basic scopes, that review is the Cloud Application Security Assessment, or CASA. Level 2 is the deeper tier. It is not a quick form. It is not cheap. It takes time, documentation, and a real security review.
We did it anyway.
The reason is simple: Junco touches sensitive data. Not because we want to — because the product only works if it can read the newsletters you ask it to read. That means we are responsible for handling that access carefully. CASA Level 2 forces you to prove, in detail, that you have the right controls around data storage, access, authentication, encryption, and incident response.
Going through it meant slowing down. It meant spending money we would rather have spent elsewhere. It meant a lot of back-and-forth with assessors. But it also meant that when we launched, we could honestly say the app meets a meaningful security bar for the kind of data it handles.
That matters to us. It should matter to you too. If you are letting an app read your email, "we take your privacy seriously" is easy to say. Having an independent assessment that backs it up is harder, and more useful.
10,000 minutes already converted
Since launch, Junco users have converted over 10,000 minutes of newsletters into audio.
That number surprised us. Not because we did not think people would listen, but because it happened fast. It means the problem we were trying to solve is real, and the format shift actually works. People are taking newsletters they would have skimmed or archived and listening to them instead.
The best feedback we have gotten so far is some version of: "I finally caught up." That is the whole point. Not a fancier inbox. Not better sorting. Just a way to get through the writing you already care about without needing to carve out reading time that does not exist.
What happens next
Launch day is a milestone, not a finish line. We are already working on the next set of improvements: better voice options, smarter episode formatting, and the reading view for moments when you do want eyes on the screen.
If you subscribe to newsletters and keep falling behind, download Junco and try turning them into a daily listen. It is free to start, and it might finally solve the pile of unread issues sitting in your inbox.
Thanks to everyone who tested, gave feedback, and waited while we got the security and experience right. The app is live because of you.
For details on Gmail data access and security, see Google's Workspace API user data and developer policy.