Agreed, I also think local transcription is the ultimate solution. For now though, whisper.cpp is still too slow on cell phones. It may take some more time to develop.
I haven't followed listennotes' transcription feature, I'll check it out. I've tried their catalog and search API, and many popular Chinese podcasts are not included.
Look forward to Chinese podcast integration especially. TBH PRC podcast ecosystem is just so far ahead. There's nothing close to Ximalaya as an audio platform/economy. Podcast keeps getting bundled into music or video streaming platforms in west, when it should be combined with audiobooks, other spoken word content into it's own thing.
I haven't followed listennotes' transcription feature, I'll check it out. I've tried their catalog and search API, and many popular Chinese podcasts are not included.