watchOS 5 introduces a new Podcasts app for Apple Watch, which is designed to let you listen to your favorite podcasts on the watch without the need for the iPhone.

Streaming podcasts works over Wi-Fi or a cellular connection, and you can also use the Podcasts app to play podcasts from a connected iPhone if desired.

Using the Podcasts App on Apple Watch

As with Apple Music, when using Podcasts on the Apple Watch, you will need to have a pair of AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones paired to your Apple Watch.

Once Bluetooth headphones are paired, you will need to tap on the Podcasts icon, which looks like a radio antenna on a field of purple, much like the Podcasts app icon on the iPhone. You can also ask Siri to open it.

The Podcasts app will open up to the most recent podcast among the podcasts you're subscribed to, and you can play it by tapping on it.

applewatchpodcasts
Music controls are available by scrolling with the Digital Crown or swiping and tapping on "Now Playing."

Viewing Your Library

To view your library of subscribed podcasts, follow these steps:

podcastlibraryapplewatch

  1. Open the Podcasts app.
  2. Scroll down with the Digital Crown or Swipe to get to the list of app options.
  3. Choose "Library."

The Library section of the Podcasts app will let you see all of the different podcasts that you subscribe to in the "Shows" section, and individual episodes in the "Episodes" section.

Scroll through each section using a swipe on the Apple Watch's face or the Digital Crown.

Adding New Podcast Subscriptions

To add new podcast subscriptions on the Apple Watch, you'll need to know the name of the podcast you want to add. You can subscribe using Siri, with a command like "Hey Siri, subscribe to Reply All" or Hey Siri, subscribe to The Daily podcast."

If you would rather listen to a podcast or a specific podcast without subscribing to it, you can ask Siri to play it with commands like "Hey Siri, Play Reply All," or "Hey Siri, Play episode 21 of The Daily."

applewatchsiripodcasts
Outside of subscribing to new podcasts using Siri, there is no way to browse through podcast content on the Apple Watch. If you want to find new podcasts to listen to, you'll need to use the Podcasts app on iPhone.

Offline Usage

Podcasts that are listed in the episodes section of the Podcasts app are downloaded to the Apple Watch and can be listened to even without a cellular or WiFi connection. According to Apple, podcasts are downloaded when the Apple Watch is connected to power and placed near the iPhone.

After an episode has been played, it will be removed from the Apple Watch to make room for new episodes.

Controlling Podcasts on iPhone From Apple Watch

If your phone is connected to your Apple Watch and there's a podcast playing, you'll see an "On Phone" section in the Apple Watch Podcasts app and there will be a little red icon on the Apple Watch's face.

podcastsiphonecontrols
If you tap on the "On iPhone" section in the Podcasts app, you'll see options for "Now Playing" with controls for the current content, a "Listen Now" section that shows recent podcasts, a "Shows" section that displays all of the shows you subscribe to, an "Episodes" section that displays all of the available episodes, and a "Stations" section that displays Podcasts stations created on iPhone.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 9
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Top Rated Comments

pjfanelli Avatar
67 months ago
Can you download podcasts to the watch to play without an iPhone or cellular connection? This post does not seem to say so.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
name99 Avatar
67 months ago
Am I reading this right? It’s only streaming? So if I don’t have a cellular Apple Watch I still need my bloody phone!
Apple appear to have in mind that they will "automatically" sync audio with the watch so it's cached on the watch; but they seem to make it impossible (or very clumsy) to force a sync of the phone to the watch.
(There is already something similar with Music where you can, in principle, sync a playlist from your Phone to be cached on your Watch; but everything about this feature is so moronically designed that it's practically unusable.)

The thinking behind it seems astonishingly stupid, like they simply cannot imagine that users might be pissed off if they cannot be SURE that their content is on the watch, and then run out of content while away from their phone.

To me it looks like one of these crazy Apple ideas where some idiot designer loses all contact with reality. Usually they fix them (eventually) but we may have a year or two of this idiocy before sanity prevails.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
67 months ago
Can you download podcasts to the watch to play without an iPhone or cellular connection? This post does not seem to say so.
Sorry, I'll add a section. It does appear to download podcasts onto the Apple Watch so that they can be listened to without a connection. I was able to listen to saved podcasts in my episodes list with airplane mode turned on. I don't see a way to force a download, but it downloads new episodes when connected to power.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
northernbaldy Avatar
67 months ago
It seems Apple balanced what is easy in a tiny screen versus battery life. So many false things in the comments... I don’t even want to start. Yes, you can create your own audio files and sync them. Yes, you can save podcasts to the watch without “streaming”. You all need help
You need help!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Mock Header With Dynamic Island

Skipping the iPhone 15 Pro? Here's What's Rumored for iPhone 16 Pro

Friday September 22, 2023 9:29 am PDT by
Are you skipping the iPhone 15 Pro and waiting another year to upgrade? If so, we already have some iPhone 16 Pro rumors for you. Below, we recap new features rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models so far:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain...
Update Your iPhone 15 to iOS 17

Warning: Update Your iPhone 15 to iOS 17.0.2 Before Transferring Data From Another iPhone

Friday September 22, 2023 6:36 am PDT by
If you are unboxing an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max today, make sure to update the device to iOS 17.0.2 before transferring data to the device from another iPhone, or else you might encounter issues. iOS 17.0.2 is only available for the iPhone 15 lineup. Apple says the update fixes an issue that may prevent transferring data directly from another iPhone...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 double tap gesture 230912

watchOS 10.1 to Enable Apple Watch's New 'Double Tap' Gesture

Thursday September 21, 2023 12:52 pm PDT by
The new Double Tap gesture for the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be enabled starting with watchOS 10.1, according to Marques Brownlee, host of the popular tech-focused YouTube channel MKBHD. The first beta of watchOS 10.1 will likely be available by next week, and Apple announced that the software update will be released next month. Brownlee shared his impressions...