That would be a terrible experience. Other than both being audio, how the source are organized and how you listen to it is completely different. I tried Spotify for a while and the podcast listening was not really optimized for podcasts.
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Apple Podcasts Losing Market Share to YouTube and Spotify
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Surprised nobody has mentioned WHY the Apple podcast app is so inferior.
It lacks features that are pretty standard on other podcast apps, such as :
Sure wish there was a chance of getting Scott Forstall back !
Incidentally, Google discontinued its podcast player recently. Podcasts are extremely popular in my friend group (and something I use EVERY DAY) and one of the coolest things about having a smartphone. But I guess since they don't
generate any income, Google and Apple are pushing them aside. Shame.
As for the annoying ads you may hear, they can be inserted by 1) the app or 2) the download server (these are horrible and I haven't found a way around them).
Pocketcasts on ios and Podcast Addict on Android seem to be the best replacements. I was an Overcast user until the developer intentionally broke compatibility on older devices. The best thing about the Apple app is it works even on old devices, and your listening history is preserved across devices. But boy do I hate it.
It lacks features that are pretty standard on other podcast apps, such as :
- variable playback speed (Apple actually has this but the MINIMUM speed you can play back at is 1.5 times, which is almost unintelligible. That is the MAX speed for some other apps!) This is huge for serious podcast listeners, as you can listen to 20% more episodes every week if you play back at 1.2 speed.
- Playing podcasts in order (not only is the default to play podcasts in reverse, which makes no sense, there is not an easy way to change this in settings).
- Trim Silence / voice boost - cuts out pauses, and helps equalize volume
- Will often start playing another episode when I don't want it to, and has a clunky interface (going BACK and selecting something else to play is weird and unintuitive).
- Odd behavior (sometimes it downloads the next episode automatically, sometimes it has the cloud download icon where I have to do it manually).
Sure wish there was a chance of getting Scott Forstall back !
Incidentally, Google discontinued its podcast player recently. Podcasts are extremely popular in my friend group (and something I use EVERY DAY) and one of the coolest things about having a smartphone. But I guess since they don't
generate any income, Google and Apple are pushing them aside. Shame.
As for the annoying ads you may hear, they can be inserted by 1) the app or 2) the download server (these are horrible and I haven't found a way around them).
Pocketcasts on ios and Podcast Addict on Android seem to be the best replacements. I was an Overcast user until the developer intentionally broke compatibility on older devices. The best thing about the Apple app is it works even on old devices, and your listening history is preserved across devices. But boy do I hate it.
You're right -- it's a shame there's no feature parity there.
It's absolutely supported. See CGP Grey or this week in tech, or lecture series like the secrets of mathematics. Some video podcasts are listed independently, like UC San Diego which records raw lectures and makes many of them freely available. You are also able to subscribe to them on Apple Podcasts via their RSS link. The issue is that decentralized nature of podcasts requires extra efforts and costs to figure out how to host video content yourself (or pay a podcast distribution/monetization platform), while on YouTube it’s all handled by Google for free. Unless you are a big institution or have an interest in having an audience outside of YouTube, it’s not a super attractive option.
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It also doesn't make sense, when you consider that the podcast and music apps are both preinstalled on every Apple device, so it's not like Apple needs to merge both in order to improve the visibility of either one.
Didn't they split it a few years ago ? Because iTunes was becoming almost as complex as an entire OS.
They split it in 3 : Music, TV, Podcasts.
They won't merge them again. 100% confident about this.
Apple does not inject ads, this is the podcast company that is doing that.
Depends on the podcast, it opens the door for more visuals to add context to the discussion.
But you have to pay for YouTube premium to be able to listen in the background on mobile
Yes, but how do we know that? It is weird I am hearing the same localized commercials for where they think I am located (I am not actually there -- ISP to IP problem) across multiple podcasts. Usually at the end. These are Miami based podcasts that are not produced by the same group--completely separate.
I mean, it could be an ad production network or something, but I would like to know more.
@DwayneDwibbley - When episodes are downloaded in the order Apple's app chooses, it's akin to Playing Next (which I abhor) in the Music app. Apple is overriding my presences as to what I want to hear. If
I'm wrong, please tell me how to download episodes oldest to newest.
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Exactly. A podcast is something I listen to on a flight or long drive with an unreliable internet connection, or while walking the dog. On YouTube you can’t download them or put the screen to sleep and have it play without a paid subscription which I don’t have (obviously there are still ways to do so, but why go through all that trouble when I can do it in a couple taps on another app).
Where I think Apple Podcasts and other dedicated podcast apps can do better is podcast discovery. The YouTube algorithm has gotten really good for discovery. And there have been times when I just haven’t been able to find podcasts on other platforms.
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Good overview of what Podcasts app is/was missing.
For some obscure reason, the sync feature did not work properly on my account. It drove me mad and was the main trigger for me to look for alternatives. I switched to Overcast.
It’s usually because of who is hosting the podcasts, which is different from the production team. Those platforms will take the audio from podcast creators and provide a stream that will show up on places like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. They can also insert geographically targeted ads into streams for creators who want to monetize. What you might be experiencing is multiple podcasts using the same platforms, or the same ads being sold to multiple platforms targeted for your area.
I have an intermittent problem with the Apple Podcasts app where I push "play" and the button turns to the "pause" button (as you would expect) but immediately turns back to the "play" button. The audio never plays. If I quit the app and reopen it, select the podcast I was trying to open before and push "play" I get an error message that says that the podcast cannot be played and I should check back later. Even rebooting the phone does not help.
Try switching to playing another podcast or episode and switching back. It's usually because of issues with accessing the stream or switching between wifi/cellular mid-fetch for me.
Seriously? You think Apple could get away with sneaking ad revenue into other creators podcasts? They can't even make an ad showing creators stuff getting smashed in an iPad without an uproar. It is the podcast creator/host that is injecting the ads, 100%.
Yes but how does it change based off my IP? I am not saying you are wrong, I just don't understand the mechanism.
Edited to add:
Okay, I did a little research on a fine Sunday, and I think I figured out what is happening.
Apple is allowing a handoff to third party podcast distributors, and they are doing the dynamic ad insertion (DAI) based off the information (our IP, etc.) based on that handoff. We, using the app, just see Apple Podcasts allowing a download of the podcast episode, but behind the scenes, it is actually downloading from somewhere else as a go-between. Kind of annoying for a privacy-based company. Find out more here:
Introducing Delegated Delivery - Apple Podcasts for Creators
Launching this fall, Delegated Delivery helps creators distribute their premium and free audio through their participating hosting provider. Learn more about how it works and which hosting providers have committed to supporting it at launch.
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I never understood why they even have a Podcast app for the Mac. I've never once thought it'd be better than just using my phone.
There are actually settings where you can change for each podcast that allows you to listen from oldest to newest. It has to be set for each podcast though I think, which is probably the better way to do it.
I still use it. But boy does have bugs and quirks. The latest show I’m following jumped midseason from downloaded episodes of season 3 to 8 without any clear way to fix this.
I don’t understand why Apple just let things slide like this. Good news for Spotify and third party apps.
I don’t understand why Apple just let things slide like this. Good news for Spotify and third party apps.
I'm not sure if IP addresses are involved. The "Podcast store" is localized to the region settings chosen on your device and podcast producers can choose to provide different feeds for different regions.Yes but how does it change based off my IP? I am not saying you are wrong, I just don't understand the mechanism.
Edited to add:
Okay, I did a little research on a fine Sunday, and I think I figured out what is happening.
Apple is allowing a handoff to third party podcast distributors, and they are doing the dynamic ad insertion (DAI) based off the information (our IP, etc.) based on that handoff. We, using the app, just see Apple Podcasts allowing a download of the podcast episode, but behind the scenes, it is actually downloading from somewhere else as a go-between. Kind of annoying for a privacy-based company. Find out more here:
Introducing Delegated Delivery - Apple Podcasts for Creators
Launching this fall, Delegated Delivery helps creators distribute their premium and free audio through their participating hosting provider. Learn more about how it works and which hosting providers have committed to supporting it at launch.podcasters.apple.com
I agree most Podcasts last over an hour.
I will usually listen to 10 minutes Podcasts where the content goes straight to the point or 30 minutes if I'm walking and listening to a conversation with someone I want to discover.
An hour is impossible for me.
I use it while I work, I find it more practical than using my phone.
Also, they share the same code base, it's very easy to pull off the same app for their entire ecosystem. If it takes them just a month for one person to port it on macOS, it's worth it.
"while Apple Podcasts has shown no willingness to push video at all."
Back in the day, Apple used to actively push video podcasts.
Had they leaned into that, perhaps YT wouldn't have such a grip on the video space.
Back in the day, Apple used to actively push video podcasts.
Had they leaned into that, perhaps YT wouldn't have such a grip on the video space.
Podcast producers have always had the option to use third party hosting services for the audio streams of their feeds. Sometimes that was for convenience of not having their own server host the files. Other times it was to same money or to make money on dynamically inserted ads. This goes way back. the article you linked to shows that Apple has integrated this feature into some of the podcast production tools that they provide. Podcast creators can use this service or do their own deal with third-party hosts. In either case, the only privacy compromise is around your IP address and that is a pretty low grade identify that is relatively easy to mask, if it really matters to you.Yes but how does it change based off my IP? I am not saying you are wrong, I just don't understand the mechanism.
Edited to add:
Okay, I did a little research on a fine Sunday, and I think I figured out what is happening.
Apple is allowing a handoff to third party podcast distributors, and they are doing the dynamic ad insertion (DAI) based off the information (our IP, etc.) based on that handoff. We, using the app, just see Apple Podcasts allowing a download of the podcast episode, but behind the scenes, it is actually downloading from somewhere else as a go-between. Kind of annoying for a privacy-based company. Find out more here:
Introducing Delegated Delivery - Apple Podcasts for Creators
Launching this fall, Delegated Delivery helps creators distribute their premium and free audio through their participating hosting provider. Learn more about how it works and which hosting providers have committed to supporting it at launch.