Apple Podcasts

With iOS 26 (currently in beta), Apple has finally caught up with rival podcast apps like Overcast by adding more fine-grained playback speed controls to the Podcasts app. While competitors have long offered precise speed adjustments, Apple's rigid presets often left you caught between speeds that felt either too slow or uncomfortably fast. In previous versions of iOS, Apple's stock...

Apple has finally caught up with rival podcast apps like Overcast by adding an Enhance Dialogue feature to the Podcasts app in iOS 26 (currently in beta). The new audio processing option isolates voices and makes them sound clearer, which should prove ideal for any mumbled true crime episodes or echo-heavy interview shows you listen to. How to Enable Enhance Dialogue The setting is...

In iOS 17.4, which is now available, Apple has added audio transcripts to the Podcasts app for iPhone, meaning you can now read along to your favorite podcasts as they are spoken. In iOS 17.4, Apple has added support for auto-generated transcripts in its Podcasts app, offering users another way to enjoy podcast content rather than simply listening to what is being said. (To update your...

In March 2023, Apple made changes to the Up Next section of its Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad, including adding the ability to remove episodes from the queue. Keep reading to learn what's different and how to access the new features. In iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, Apple improved the way the Up Next queue works in the Podcasts app, by including episodes you may have saved to your Library and ...

In iOS 15.5, Apple added an option that lets iPhone and iPad users automatically limit the number of episodes stored on their device. This article explains how it works. Downloading podcasts to your iPhone or iPad is a great way to ensure that you have something interesting to listen to on your commute or on your travels, regardless of whether you have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection....

In iOS 14.5, Apple has made some notable changes to its native Podcasts app. Some of these changes reflect the fact that Apple announced an optional paid podcast subscription service (beginning May 2021), while others are interface improvements to make it easier to find, follow, and listen to new episodes. One example of these changes is the new Smart play button, which is designed to help...

The Podcasts app gets a number of improvements in Apple's recently released iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates, including the new, systemwide Shared with You feature, personalized recommendations, new keyboard shortcuts, and more. This guide walks through all of the main new features and improvements added in the ‌iOS 15‌ and iPadOS 15 Apple Podcasts app, in what makes for a modest update for...

Starting today, Apple Podcasts creators have access to a new Subscription Analytics dashboard that provides an overview of how their podcast subscriptions are performing. The free tool is available via the Apple Podcasts Connect website. On the Overview tab, creators can view how many listeners started a free trial, how many listeners are paid subscribers, the percentage of listeners who...

Apple today announced it has enhanced the search functionality of its Podcasts app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV by adding nine additional subcategories to the Search tab. This makes it easier to discover new shows across various genres and topics. The new subcategories:Mental Health Relationships Self-Improvement Personal Journals Entrepreneurship Documentary Parenting Bo...

Apple in iOS 17 has revised several elements of its stock apps, including the Podcasts app. There are a few noteworthy changes to the functionality and design of the app with the update, as detailed below. The biggest change is a slick new design for the Now Playing screen, which allows the podcast's full show page art – or any episode chapter images – to take over the entire screen. ...

iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS 13.3 were released today with several new features for Apple's Podcasts app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and CarPlay. First, a new Channels menu in the Podcasts app provides a list of podcast channels all in one place on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. A channel allows a creator or brand to list all of their podcasts in one place for listeners to easily discover. ...

Apple today revealed the top podcast episodes, shows, channels, and subscriptions that listeners engaged with in the Podcasts app throughout 2022. Crime Junkie, The Daily, and Dateline NBC were the top three overall podcasts of 2022, and among new shows, The Deck, Fly on the Wall, and The Thing About Helen and Olga topped the charts. Shows with the most subscribers include Morbid, SmartLess, ...

Apple today announced that Slate's narrative podcast series "Slow Burn" has won the first-ever Apple Podcasts Award for Show of the Year. Apple says the podcast won the award in recognition of its latest season "Roe v. Wade," in which Slate executive editor Susan Matthews explored the events leading up to the landmark Supreme Court decision in 1973. The four-part miniseries was released...

Apple's paid podcast subscription service has been seeing notable growth, increasing more than 300 percent since June 2021. The metric was shared today by an Apple spokesperson who spoke to Digiday about a new Dateline subscription podcast offering. More than 25 percent of the top 100 shows from the "Top Shows" chart offer a subscription option more than a year after subscriptions first...

Apple has stepped up its investment in original podcast content by signing an agreement with Pulitzer Prize-winning production company Futuro Studios, Bloomberg reports. The deal with Futuro Studios, maker of the criminal-justice series "Suave," stipulates that Apple will fund development and production of podcasts, and then have the first option to turn them into a film or TV show for its Ap...

Apple today announced several new features for the Podcasts app, including downloaded episode controls, annual subscription plans, partnerships with hosting platforms, and more (via TechCrunch). iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5, and macOS 12.4 will feature new tools to easily remove accumulated downloads and free up storage space. In the Settings app on iOS and iPadOS under Podcasts, users will be able ...

Apple today announced a Podcasts update for creators, introducing follower metrics and other features that are designed to help podcast makers track their audience and monetize their shows. Under the Analytics tab in Apple Podcasts Connect, creators will be able to view followers per show and track followers across shows. The interface will display new followers gained over the last week,...

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 ...

With the launch of iOS 15.1, Apple introduced a new prompt for the Podcasts app that asks customers to rate it, and as it turns out, confusion over what's being rated has led to an artificially inflated App Store rating for the Podcasts app. Prior to the October 25 launch of iOS 15.1, the Podcasts app had 1.8 stars and plenty of negative reviews from customers unhappy with the design of the...

Apple today debuted "Hooked," a true-crime podcast, seemingly as the company's first wholly standalone original podcast series. While Apple has already begun its venture into original podcasts with the likes of "Oprah's Book Club" and "For All Mankind: The Official Podcast," Hooked is the first Apple Original podcast that is seemingly not tied to an Apple TV+ series in any way. "The Line" ...

In celebration of International Podcast Day, Apple today revealed the most popular free and paid Apple Podcasts Subscriptions worldwide from June 15 through September 15. Apple said Top Subscriptions is ranked in order of total subscribed listeners worldwide over the three-month period and includes both individual shows and channels with multiple shows, while Top Free Channels is ranked in...

Update: Apple has now announced that Apple Podcast Subscriptions for shows and channels is rolling out worldwide, showcasing a large number of new shows, groups of podcasts, and channels. When listeners purchase a subscription to a show, they automatically follow the show and the page is updated with a Subscriber Edition label so it is clear that they have access to the premium experience. As...

Apple will make Podcasts subscription options available starting on Tuesday, June 15, Apple said today in an email that was sent out to podcasters (via The Verge). Support for Podcasts Subscriptions was introduced with the iOS 14.6 update, but in late May after releasing the update Apple said that the rollout of the feature would be delayed until June to make sure that the "best experience"...

Apple today informed podcast creators that use the Apple Podcasts platform that the rollout of Podcasts Subscriptions and channels will be delayed until June to make sure that the "best experience" is being provided to creators and listeners. We're writing to provide an update on the availability of Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and channels. We've been delighted by the response to last month's ...

Apple has announced a new affiliate program for its upcoming Apple Podcasts Subscriptions platform that will allow users to earn a commission when a podcast link they share leads to a new subscriber. Launching this month, Apple Podcast Subscriptions will allow users to subscribe to podcasts to receive perks, such as an ad-free listening experience, early access to episodes, and exclusive...

Apple has added a number of features to its Podcasts app in the third beta of iOS 14.6, seemingly in an attempt to address some of the useability problems introduced in iOS 14.5. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser spotted the Podcasts app changes in iOS 14.6 beta 3 and its source code, which include new features for marking all episodes as played, removing downloads, and recovering episodes. ...

Amazon's podcast subscription service Wondery+ will be available through the Apple Podcasts Subscriptions platform, which launches in over 170 countries later this month, according to a report today from The Hollywood Reporter. Wondery+ offers dozens of ad-free podcasts, with early access and exclusive episodes for subscribers, making it a natural fit for Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. The...