Hi @thatsnice, if you look at the pricing on the ChinesePod website it clearly mentions that access to the iOS and Android app are for the premium subscription.
http://chinesepod.com/pricing/monthly/
I used to be a subscriber to the basic plan as well and never had access to the CPod mobile app(new or old) until I became a premium subscriber. Perhaps you were lucky and there was a bug with your account that allowed you to use the app while on a basic subscription?
I do agree that having the mobile app just for listening and downloading and listening to the lessons should be available to all levels, perhaps this is something that they are looking to change for the new app? I can’t really say, we would have to get a more definite answer from the CPod team. I guess the convenience of using the app, along with the other features is what justify that extra fee over the basic subscription. If you want to listen to the lessons on your device while still keeping the basic subscription then perhaps download the audio files manually and load them on to your phone or tablet for future listening, that’s what I did when I had a basic subscription.
Perhaps @GwilymJames can provide some clarification on what access to the app you should be getting for your basic subscription.