I switched from iOS/Overcast to Android/PocketCasts and I found it had a number of benefits which I struggle to recall now... batch downloads might be one of them.
My main bug bear is how how some screens are drawers and some screens are pages which makes navigation confusing. Even after years of use, I still keep accidentally closing the drawer screens when trying to scroll and trying to navigate backwards which isn't allowed. Please... just make them all pages so they behave consistently with the same navigation and gestures.
I use PocketCasts on iOS and agree about the sheets, I think the theory is that your "Now Playing" page is basically an overlay that can exist anywhere in the app, so you can go around looking at other podcasts while you listen but quickly pop back in to what's playing. Apple Music is set up the same way, I wonder if that was the inspiration for that layout.
My main bug bear is how how some screens are drawers and some screens are pages which makes navigation confusing. Even after years of use, I still keep accidentally closing the drawer screens when trying to scroll and trying to navigate backwards which isn't allowed. Please... just make them all pages so they behave consistently with the same navigation and gestures.