iTunes - Cannot select Podcasts to Sync if Episodes not Downloaded

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In order to select which podcasts should be synced to the iPhone/iPod, one has to select the desired podcast subscription from the Devices/Podcast/Sync_Podcasts list.

However, the podcast list in the Devices/Podcast/ page now only displays podcast subscriptions if it has episodes already downloaded. One cannot include podcast subscriptions if that podcast subscription currently has no downloaded episodes. This is annoying.

Worst still, previously selected podcast subscriptions that have no more episodes will no longer be selected anymore even if it downloads episodes later. Therefore, one has to keep going back to the list and selecting the podcast subscription over and over again.

Anyone experience this problem? What can be done? Thanks.



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Dear iTunes users,

In order to select which podcasts should be synced to the iPhone/iPod, one has to select the desired podcast subscription from the Devices/Podcast/Sync_Podcasts list.

In the past, all podcast subscriptions could be selected for syncing. If one has chosen to only sync all unplayed episodes, once those episodes have been played, they would be erased. When new episodes are downloaded, they would be synched automatically.

With the recent changes in iTunes, this seemingly simple feature now works in a convoluted manner. The podcast list in the Devices/Podcast/ page now only displays podcast subscriptions with downloaded episodes. One can no longer include podcast subscriptions if that podcast subscription currently has no downloaded episodes.

Thus, if one choose a podcast to be included, it must have an episode downloaded. This is simply illogical. More frustratingly, once this episode has been played and erased, the podcast subscription disappears from the list and future new episodes will not longer be synced. It would be necessary to select the podcast subscription again, each and every time!

Does anyone else have this problem? As a workaround, one could create a smart playlist of podcasts to be included, and sync that playlist.

Any other ideas? Why is the feature so annoying?

Thank you for your kind assistance.

JC

I can't be the ONLY one with this frustrating problem, right???

Hi Cinematographer, thanks for your reply. Well I've set iTunes to keep only unwatched podcasts. So right after I've seen them, they would be deleted automatically by iTunes. Seems like normal behaviour isn't it?

I mean I would assume what I am doing at the moment is completely rational and reasonable. Basically, I want iTunes to download podcasts as they become available. I want SELECTED podcasts to be synced to my iPhone automatically. I want podcasts that I have watched to be removed. I mean if this isn't how it was meant to be, I don't know what is... Why does the new iTunes not allow this anymore? And why does not one else seem to have this problem?

Yes that's one way of doing it. Unfortunately, I have some lectures, which are huge and take up too much space. So I'd rather not include them to be synced to the iPhone.

Hi Oclipa. This is indeed a new issue that was introduced with iTunes 9. Two issues. 1. Why did Apple decide to change the behaviour of podcast syncing? 2. How come no one else is having this issue? Doesn't anyone use podcasts?

No I have not solved the problem. Interestingly enough, it seems we are in te minority. Others don't seem to be raising this issue!

What I do now is to just move the largest podcasts that I won't watch yet outside of iTunes. Then ask iTunes to sync all podcasts. So now my iPhone is 80% filled with video podcasts but actually the podcasts I want are the audio ones and they add up to just around 50MB. So stupid.

Yeah it's very frustrating. The workaround I am using now is to set it as:
Automatically include "10 least recent unplayed" episodes of "all podcasts".

This is not totally desirable and probably won't fit everyone's requirements. But it keeps me going. I just have to put up with a bunch of podcasts I don't want synced. But at least it doesn't hog up too much space, as it's limited to just 10.

Shame that not many people seem to have this issue.