This is so ridiculous. My settings are:
Sync podcasts: off
Refresh: manually
Limit episodes: off
Download episodes: off
Delete played episodes: on
Use cellular data: off
There is NO REASON for my 4S to be talking to Apple's back end. Flipping your phone to airplane mode is not a good solution, I can hardly wait for someone to have a car accident and be in shock and unable to call emergency services because of a stupid software problem. I did today's 7.1.2 iOS update, and it's not a fix, we're back to where we were last week.
I spent a bucket getting a 64 gig 4S. This really tempts me to get a 64 gig iPod and go to a base model Android phone, at least then Verizon would give me free tethering with a basic data plan (or so I understand it). I'm not going to do that, I haven't liked my experiences with the Android OS, but it tempts me. If I could find a basic flip phone that had a built-in hotspot, I might seriously consider it. Yesterday I unearthed my Motorola StarTac flip phone, it was awesome seeing it again.