iOS 26.2 Adds Three New Features to Podcasts App - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 26.2 Adds Three New Features to Podcasts App

by

With iOS 26.2, Apple is updating the Podcasts app to add a trio of new features and updated tools for podcast creators.

Apple Podcasts Award
All English podcast shows will now get automatically created chapters, which makes it easier to navigate through them. Apple says that automatic chapters will also make it simpler for users to understand an episode's structure and return to specific sections that interest them.

Apple will use podcast chapters submitted by creators if they're available, but if not, Apple Podcasts will generate them by default. Podcast creators can turn off the setting in ‌Apple Podcasts‌ Connect.

ios 26 2 podcasts
When a podcast episode mentions another podcast, there will be an option to view the mention in the podcast player and the transcript, making it easier to find recommendations. Podcast pages will also show links shared in a podcast on the episode page.

On the creator side, podcasters can offer links to Apple Music, Apple News, ‌Apple Podcasts‌, Apple TV, and more. Links that are timestamped and included in show notes or through an RSS feed will appear in line with the transcript and the player while the link is being discussed. Apple says that links may also be automatically created for any podcast that's mentioned.

iOS 26.2 is limited to developers right now, but Apple will likely provide a public beta later this week. iOS 26.2 will launch in December.

Tag: Apple Podcasts

Popular Stories

apple back to school sans airpods 2

Apple's 2026 Back to School Offer is Coming Soon

Sunday July 12, 2026 7:29 am PDT by
Apple's stores will be rolling out Back to School marketing materials this week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This suggests that the offer will begin in the U.S. in the next few days. Last year, college students and educational staff could receive a free accessory like AirPods 4 or an Apple Pencil Pro with the purchase of a qualifying Mac or iPad model. The Back to School offer is in...
Read Full Article • 14 comments
Waze logo

5 New Waze Features Rolling Out Now: Here Are All the Details

Monday July 13, 2026 3:42 am PDT by
Google today announced that Waze is getting a handful of new features, including some Gemini-powered personalization enhancements for Conversational Reporting. Conversational Reporting already uses Gemini when users report traffic incidents like slowdowns, but now you can use it to suggest map updates like road closures or outdated addresses. Saying something like "The road is closed here"...
Read Full Article • 48 comments
Mac Pro Feature Teal

Apple's M7 Ultra Chip Designed to Match a 2019 Mac Pro Feat

Sunday July 12, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple's M7 Ultra chip coming in 2028 is designed to support up to 1.5TB of unified memory, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. However, whether such a configuration is offered may depend on the state of the ongoing memory chip shortage. In 2019, Apple released an Intel-based Mac Pro with up to 1.5TB RAM....
Read Full Article • 99 comments

Top Rated Comments

John.B Avatar
John.B
9 months ago

I can see podcasters disabling this if it turns out that chapter markers == skipping commercial breaks.
Podcasters who disable automatic chapter markers deserve an unfollow.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
Cheesehead Dave
9 months ago
I can see podcasters disabling this if it turns out that chapter markers == skipping commercial breaks.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
svish
9 months ago
Small but will be very useful if the automatic chapters works as advertised. Will check it out once I update.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Happy_John Avatar
Happy_John
9 months ago

Chapters, or at minimum a listing of topic times in the description is beneficial for podcasts that talk about tv shows or movies so you can skip ahead without getting spoilers, and then find the segment someday after you have watched the show and are curious about what they said.
It’d also be very useful if it put ad breaks as separate chapters, rather than having to fast forward through them in 30 second increments. (E.g. Stuff You Should Know)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
comment7795
8 months ago
I recently gave Apple Podcasts another chance, but their Home Screen is a crap. Instead of allowing me to listen to my podcasts, they want me to subscribe to new ones. Even the Up Next feature is cluttered.

While I appreciate the new features, I won’t use the app until they prioritize displaying my latest episodes on the front page and reduce (so much) the number of recommendations.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
NightStorm
9 months ago
Would love if they made chapters more accessible in CarPlay... maybe that'll come in 26.3.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments