iOS 18: Podcasts App Now Shows Chapter Segments When Scrubbing

In iOS 18, Apple's Podcasts app now shows chapter segments of a podcast when you scrub through a currently playing episode, making it easier to browse through the audio content.

podcasts scrubbing chapters ios 18

Image credit: Reddit user Wristnut

As spotted by Redditor "Wristnut," navigating the timeline across the chapter segments shows the chapter name above the line. Note that this behavior appears in the Podcasts app proper, and it is not currently reproducible on the Lock Screen media controls in ‌iOS 18‌ beta 2.

While the ability to scrub through chapter segments is new, chapters themselves are not. Some podcast listeners may not be familiar with them because creators have to manually add chapters, and many shows have not adopted them. Creators must specify chapters in the header of an MP4 file or by modifying the ID3 tags of MP3 or AAC files using third-party tools.

When creators do support chapters, listeners can find them by swiping up on the Now Playing screen on iOS and iPadOS or by clicking the Chapters button located in the top-right corner of the Podcasts app for macOS. Creators can also provide chapter-specific artwork that is displayed on the Now Playing screen and on the Lock Screen on iOS and iPadOS, providing a timely visual supplement to the podcast.

Apple Podcasts supports chapters for MP4, MP3, and AAC files, whether they are available from the directory or manually added to the Library via an RSS feed. Some of the tools used to add chapters include Ferrite on iOS and iPadOS, Forecast by Overcast, Podcasts Chapters on macOS, and Vizzy on the web.

‌iOS 18‌ is currently in its second developer beta, with a public beta expected in July, followed by a general release in the fall.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...

Top Rated Comments

profets Avatar
10 months ago
That’s a nice little addition. Wish the chapter markers were visible before you started to scrub though.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tonywalker23 Avatar
10 months ago
Ever so often I try to use Apple Podcasts like I did back when I synced my iPod with iTunes… when everything worked fine. Now, trillions of dollars later, instead of my devices staying in sync with a FireWire cable,

They all wirelessly act as if they are supposed to be as out of sync as possible to torture me. iPhone, 8 unplayed episodes… Mac, 30 unplayed episodes… make all of them played and start from scratch… and BOOM! old news broadcast of an hourly update from 2022.

Difference OSes, different iPads, different phones, different Macs… not a single thing has made a difference in the last few years now. It completely baffles me how an app can be so bad for me. There has to be something going on with some server somewhere with my account being not quite right. I don’t know enough about computers to know what's going on, but I wish that the same syncing in Apple Music was used in Apple Podcasts...

Apple Music: we can tell the immediate split second you hit play on your MacBook Air and we will stop your MacBook Pro from playing another half-second of your song.

Apple Podcasts: we don’t even know what year it is, here's an old episode of a podcast you have hit "mark all as played" dozens of times on, even deleting everything in your library and resubscribing won’t fix. listen to this old show from years ago while we can somehow keep mail, and finder, and reminders, and notes, and voice memos, and photos, and basically everything else synced up.

It makes Marco's 9.99 a year for Overcast such a great deal. he saves me frustration and according to the settings has saved me 470 hours of my life using smart speed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheMacDaddy1 Avatar
10 months ago
Worst podcast app ever.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chungry Avatar
10 months ago

Ever so often I try to use Apple Podcasts like I did back when I synced my iPod with iTunes… when everything worked fine. Now, trillions of dollars later, instead of my devices staying in sync with a FireWire cable,

They all wirelessly act as if they are supposed to be as out of sync as possible to torture me. iPhone, 8 unplayed episodes… Mac, 30 unplayed episodes… make all of them played and start from scratch… and BOOM! old news broadcast of an hourly update from 2022.

Difference OSes, different iPads, different phones, different Macs… not a single thing has made a difference in the last few years now. It completely baffles me how an app can be so bad for me. There has to be something going on with some server somewhere with my account being not quite right. I don’t know enough about computers to know what's going on, but I wish that the same syncing in Apple Music was used in Apple Podcasts...

Apple Music: we can tell the immediate split second you hit play on your MacBook Air and we will stop your MacBook Pro from playing another half-second of your song.

Apple Podcasts: we don’t even know what year it is, here's an old episode of a podcast you have hit "mark all as played" dozens of times on, even deleting everything in your library and resubscribing won’t fix. listen to this old show from years ago while we can somehow keep mail, and finder, and reminders, and notes, and voice memos, and photos, and basically everything else synced up.

It makes Marco's 9.99 a year for Overcast such a great deal. he saves me frustration and according to the settings has saved me 470 hours of my life using smart speed.
Apple has no business making a podcast app if all they are gonna do is half-ass it and offer a drip feed of enhancements every so often. They approach levels of not groking what a podcast player should be and what people want that is close but not quite eclipsing their institutional wonkiness with games as a medium. The fact that Marco out-Apples Apple in terms of programming prowess should concern them. If they arent gonna throw the same attention into this get out of the way and let some folks better-suited to catering to those needs step up and make some money in the space. Apple Podcasts remains a dumpster fire of inconsistency and I don’t understand why anyone would use it when so many great alternatives exist. Another example of Apple’s terrible, institutional inability to walk and chew gum.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Avery1549 Avatar
10 months ago
What about the ability to create podcasts playlists?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macvicta Avatar
10 months ago
A welcome improvement.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)