1. Pocket Casts exists as a paid app for years (the cost is paid upfront).
2. Pocket Casts goes freemium. All current features are made entirely free. A new cloud file feature is introduced, requiring a monthly/yearly subscription called Pocket Casts Plus.
3. In response to backlash, users who paid upfront are given a lifetime of Plus access.
I get that this could be considered part of a broader trend, but in this case, paid users never lost access to the features they paid for.