Apple Offers New Dedicated Podcast App for iOS - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Offers New Dedicated Podcast App for iOS

PodcastEarlier this month, it was reported that Apple would be launching a standalone podcast app in iOS 6. Instead of waiting for the next version of iOS, Apple posted the Podcast app on the App Store today. [App Store]

Podcasts app is the easiest way to discover, subscribe to and play your favorite podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Explore hundreds of thousands of free audio and video podcasts from the Podcasts Catalog, and play the most popular podcasts, organized for you by topic, with the all-new Top Stations feature.

Features:

- Enjoy all of your audio and video podcasts in a single app
- Explore hundreds of thousands of podcasts including shows in over 40 languages
- Try the innovative new Top Stations feature to find new podcast series in a variety of topics, including arts, business, comedy, music, news, sports, and more.
- Browse by Audio or Video podcasts, or see what's most popular in Top Charts
- Tap subscribe for your favorites and automatically receive new episodes for free as they become available
- Stream episodes or download to listen while offline
- Skip forward and back using simple playback controls
- Turn on Sleep Timer to automatically stop playing a podcast while listening in bed
- Share your favorite episodes with friends using Twitter, Messages and Mail
- Optionally sync your favorite episodes from iTunes on your Mac or PC
- Sync your episode playback for seamless transition between devices

screenie
The app supports streaming or downloading of episodes and offers syncing of episode playback between devices. This means that users can, for example, start listening to a podcast on their iPhone and finish on the iPad.

Update: Some users have noticed a redeem button within the Podcast app suggesting the possibility of paid podcasts down the line.

Podcasts is a free download for the iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...

Top Rated Comments

181 months ago
Why does everything have to have a separate app, most of us, well, a lot of us have upwards of 150 apps on our iOS devices I don't what good another app is going to do... iTunes as first released on iOS looked just great...anyway bs inconsequential moves by apple that aren't anything to write home about or could even be considered a step back, we should start getting used to them...

I wonder if this is a move by Apple to slowly transition to separate apps on the computer. A lot of people complain that iTunes is too bloated, maybe this will allow Apple to break it up and keep it lean.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
181 months ago
Support for podcast subscriptions!!!:D
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
181 months ago
You better believe that the Podcasts app will come standard on future shipping iPhones and iPads.

Like iBooks or Cards or Find My Friends?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
181 months ago
No iPod Touch support makes me sad :(

It works on the third-generation iPod Touch and later.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UnseenLlama Avatar
181 months ago
Wow wow wow!!! The new podcasts app isn't just good, it's the best podcasting app ever made ON ANY PLATFORM. EVER. I'm loving the seamless resume playback on all my devices. The UI is absolutely beautiful. Here's another nail in the coffin of Android. If you love listening to podcasts, owning an IOS device just became absolutely essential. Incredible work from Apple once again!

Calm yourself... :D
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mertyz Avatar
181 months ago
No iPod Touch support makes me sad :(
It supports 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touches?

Edit: fishmoose beat me to it...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)