Apple Podcasts

Podcasting is getting tougher for those who don’t already have a significant following, says a new report, as a few big names take most of the cash and get most of the audience.

Recent data shows that the top 25 podcasts reach almost half of regular US listeners, and the top 100 shows reach more than 60% of the total podcast audience. But it also shows that high-profile deals don’t always work out …

Apple Podcasts keeps getting better. The app debuted one of my favorite new features, transcripts, earlier this year. When iOS 18 arrives this fall, Podcasts will score a handful of other great upgrades.

Here are all the new features coming to Apple Podcasts in iOS 18.

When Apple changes its software, it doesn’t just impact the end user. Companies can be affected too, even by the smallest OS tweaks. According to one podcasting company, a tiny update to the Apple Podcasts app has cost them $9 million in lost revenue.

The Apple podcast transcription feature was officially launched in iOS 17.4, but the company says that it actually introduced a very limited version way back in 2018.

Apple says that it took so long to launch as a fully-fledged accessibility feature because the company wanted to make it universal, and to incorporate learnings from Apple Music lyrics …

There is no shortage of great third-party podcast clients on the App Store, such as Castro, Overcast, and Pocket Casts. But when Apple Podcasts introduced transcripts in iOS 17.4, the app immediately won me over.

Podcast transcripts are a fantastic feature for all kinds of users. For Deaf users there’s a clear benefit, since content that was previously limited to audio suddenly became accessible in written form. For researchers trying to quickly find key info, transcript search is an invaluable tool.

For me though, the biggest win with podcast transcripts has been their ability to save me significant time by filtering down the content to only what I actually want to hear.

In time for Mental Health Awareness Month, Apple Podcasts is shining light on a new category of podcasts to listen to.

The new Wellbeing category collects shows featuring health, fitness and wellness topics. As noted by AdWeek, listenership for shows in this genre has increased 40% in the last five years.

Update: The issue now appears to have been resolved and episodes are rolling out as intended once more. Original story below.

An Apple Podcasts bug is making listeners miss the newest released episodes of their favorite shows. Seemingly impacting some significant proportion of shows that released new episodes yesterday, the bug means that the Apple Podcasts app does not show the latest episode in the user’s library, nor will it automatically download it and appear in the Up Next queue.

There is a workaround that entails manually finding the exact episode in the search tab, but that requires the user to be aware that a new episode has been released in the first place …

Podcast app Castro has been saved from an uncertain future by its sale to the developer behind the Android podcast app Aurelian, Bluck Apps.

The team promises that it won’t be making any major changes to the app, and that the subscription cost will not be increasing “at this time” …

Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 17.4 today, and there are a couple of changes to the Apple Podcasts app. Most notably, Apple Podcasts now supports transcripts. Apple says that it will automatically generate transcripts for episodes after they are published, which can then be viewed in the Apple Podcasts app.

The popular podcasting app Castro appears to have ceased functioning, and the website has gone. The latter appears to be because the domain is no more, as emails also bounce.

A former employee predicted back in November of last year that the app would be shut down within two months, a prediction which now appears to be accurate despite the company’s comments at the time …

2023 was the year of podcast cutbacks, argues a new piece today, pointing to a whole slew of layoffs and show cancellations.

It also argues that iOS 17 played a role, by replacing an artificially inflated picture of podcast popularity with a more realistic one …

Apple’s Podcasts app appears to be coming to Tesla infotainment systems as an independent app in an upcoming software update, according to a new leak. This officially puts the Apple Podcasts app experience everywhere but Android.

Apple Podcasts has honored renowned podcaster Julia Louis-Dreyfus with its coveted Show of the Year award for 2023.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who took on the role of Elaine in the little-known TV sitcom Seinfeld, finally reached her full potential in 2023 when Wiser Than Me premiered.

As we approach the end of 2023, Apple is taking a retrospective look at the last year in media. After recently naming Taylor Swift artist of the year for being the “most-streamed female artist in Apple Music history,” it’s time to check in with Apple Books and Podcasts.

Apple partnered with Amazon in 2019 to bring Apple Podcasts support to Amazon Echo devices through the Alexa virtual assistant. This allowed users to ask the assistant to play any of the shows available on Apple’s platform. While this integration was only available in a few countries, today, Apple has made it available in more than 40 regions.

Apple’s effort at producing original podcast series must be going well. According to Bloomberg, Apple is interested in bringing ads to its “higher profile, narrative programming” for the first time.

Apple Music Radio isn’t the only new game in town for Apple’s Podcasts app in iOS 17. The crossover feature also brings in spoken word news and magazine articles for Apple News+ subscribers. Beyond Apple, more than a dozen apps from the App Store can also deliver member content through Apple’s Podcasts app.

Apple delivered a long-requested feature this week when it enabled following shows on Apple Music Radio. How Apple went about providing this feature is clever. However, there are some drawbacks for now.

With iOS 17, Apple has introduced a new interface for its Podcasts app, which now has a new Now Playing screen, as well as more search filters and a better Up Next experience. The company also announced that third-party apps can now connect an App Store subscription to Podcasts. To take advantage of this, Apple Music radio shows are now available in the Apple Podcasts app.