Amazon will add podcasts to its Amazon Music and Audible services, according to a confidential email obtained by The Desk.
Amazon said in the email that it would soon allow Amazon Music and Audible users to subscribe, download, and stream free podcasts on the services. Podcasts will also be available to customers of Amazon Music's ad-supported free tier, in addition to its premium paid service. The launch date of podcasts in Amazon Music and Audible was not stated in the email.
The email was reportedly sent to some podcast producers on Monday, with the offer to submit a podcast feed before the feature becomes publicly accessible. This is needed to allow the new podcasts feature to launch with popular shows already available.
During submission of a podcast feed, producers are required to agree to terms and conditions. Strikingly, one term in particular stated that podcasts on the platforms could not include comments that disparage Amazon or its products.
Podcast features would allow users of Echo smart speakers and Fire TV devices to stream podcasts through Amazon's default apps, rather than via third party apps. Amazon Music had 55 million subscribers as of January, just five million less than Apple Music's 60 million.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Apple is working on original podcasts that will be exclusive to its Podcasts app. Podcasts are increasingly becoming an area of competition between major tech companies, with Apple, Spotify, Google, and now Amazon heavily investing in the sector.
Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by Juli Clover
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line.
Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors
This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system.
In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad.
Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value.
...
Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead.
Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors.
Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
Thursday September 25, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions.
MacRumors has also seen evidence of iOS 26.0.1 in its visitor logs in recent days.
It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's...
Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about.
New Apple Intelligence Languages
Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.
AirPo...
Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device.
Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors.
Likely Features
N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7
Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation.
The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false.
In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...
I always felt like podcasts, even after being named for the iPod, never got the level of respect they deserved from Apple. It seemed like a movement they should have supported more strongly. I'm not sure how exactly, but at least a better app to manage them and more public mentions and support for podcasters.
Trying to tie podcasts exclusively to Apple, or making it feel like an Apple only medium would have doomed them, so there's a line to walk, but it feels like a revolution that didn't get the attention it should have. I hardly ever listen to live radio anymore.
Of course, with so much less driving these days, I hardly ever listen to podcasts anymore either...
I always felt like podcasts, even after being named for the iPod, never got the level of respect they deserved from Apple. It seemed like a movement they should have supported more strongly. I'm not sure how exactly, but at least a better app to manage them and more public mentions and support for podcasters.
Trying to tie podcasts exclusively to Apple, or making it feel like an Apple only medium would have doomed them, so there's a line to walk, but it feels like a revolution that didn't get the attention it should have. I hardly ever listen to live radio anymore.
Of course, with so much less driving these days, I hardly ever listen to podcasts anymore either...
The only problem I have with Apple is that I dislike their podcast app. Other apps like Pocket Casts and Castbox are so much better for management.
I do like that podcasting is an open platform but that is now dying with podcasts now commonly becoming exclusive to platforms. In hindsight, the podcast market was Apple's to lose. They could have developed a subscription service where ads were removed or helped podcasters monetize their work. They started the podcast scene and they could have become the dominant platform.
The open platform was a good ride while it lasted.
If podcasters don’t like the amazon term about disparaging it’s products, at least there are plenty of other competitors like Spotify for podcasters to turn to
