Apple Celebrates Best Podcasts of 2021
Apple has today shared a press release celebrating the best and most popular podcasts of 2021, as curated by the Apple Podcasts editorial team.
Apple named "A Slight Change of Plans" with Maya Shankar as "Best Show of the Year." The show combines storytelling with cognitive and behavioral science to help listeners navigate change in their lives, including real-world stories about change when navigating the foster care system and undergoing medical treatments. A Slight Change of Plans features conversations with Riz Ahmed, Kacey Musgraves, Tommy Caldwell, and more.
"Anything for Selena" with Maria Garcia has been awarded "Newcomer of the Year." The show explores Latino fatherhood, belonging, identity, and language through storytelling and cultural analysis.
In addition to Best Show of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, Apple recognized a large number of shows and episodes that have "defined and reflected" 2021:
Shows
- "A Kids Book About: The Podcast" with Matthew Winner
- "Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain"
- "Good Inside with Dr. Becky"
- "Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang"
- "Pantsuit Politics" with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers
- "Teenager Therapy" with Gael Aitor, Kayla Suarez, Mark Hugo, and Thomas Pham
- "The Experiment" with Julia Longoria
- "The Midnight Miracle" with Talib Kweli, yasiin bey, and Dave Chappelle
- "This Land" with Rebecca Nagle
- "U Up?" with Jordana Abraham and Jared Fried
Episodes
- "A Friendly Ghost Story" from "Invisibilia" with Yowei Shaw and Kia Miakka Natisse
- "Bubba Wallace" from "Club Shay Shay" with Shannon Sharpe and Bubba Wallace
- "Glorious Basterds" from "Storytime with Seth Rogen"
- "How Do I Love Someone?" from "WILD" with Megan Tan
- "My Parents, Ellen and Tom" from "Forever is a Long Time" with Ian Coss
- "The Body Mass Index" from "Maintenance Phase" with Michael Hobbes
- "The People in the Neighborhood" from "Still Processing" with Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris
- "The Symphony" from "The Midnight Miracle" with Talib Kweli, yasiin bey, and Dave Chappelle
- "The Unwritten Rules of Black TV" from "The Experiment" with Hannah Giorgis
- "This Strange Story" from "9/12" with Dan Taberski
For more information about Apple's nominations and the top new shows, free channels, and subscriptions in Apple Podcasts, see the full press release.
Popular Stories
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3.
AirDrop
Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts.
iOS 26.2...
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others.
During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time.
Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois.
The announcement confirmed that the...
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features.
OLED Display
The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip.
The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad.
There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...
