Users Despair at Apple Podcasts App After iOS 14.5 Update

[ChromeAce]

None of these complaints are valid if one simply takes the time to explore the menus. The Library IS still there. Episodes CAN be deleted. Order CAN be customized. Number of most recent episodes displayed CAN be adjusted. Ever try tapping EDIT?

All my episodes are exactly as they were before, except one podcast where I did get a year’s worth of old episodes listed as unplayed, but that’s probably because that podcast’s metadata was not originally formatted correctly and the redesign exposed the error. So yes, I had to delete each of those episodes individually, so there should be a mass delete option. And yes, syncing across devices has never worked right. But all this other nonsense is from people who don’t know how to explore new interfaces.

 

[StaceRumors]

At the moment there are some third party alternatives like Overcast, but I think that may be short lived. I think Podcasts will go a similar direction as Youtube - With a combination of subscription (paid) and ad supported via un-skipable dynamic ad insertion. Because of this, we'll end up needing to subscribe and listen via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Subscription fatigue is real... Personally as a consumer, the more and different subscripts that are forced on me, the less media and software I consume. Just over it.

 

[arvinsim]

Still have no reason to switch away from Pocket Casts.

 

[barkomatic]

Ugh. I hate the "change for the sake of change" ideology that exists at so many companies.

 

[Frankras]

I used to use Apple Podcast, but now I’m switching to Overcast. Only problem it can’t play video podcast.

any idea except Pocket Casts?

 

[Seanm87]

Im so glad the syncing issue has been mentioned. This has driven me mad for years and genuinely thought I was the only one with the problem.

 

[Canyda]

This is why I started using Overcast and never looked back.

I love Overcast.

My main reason for using it and not the Apple podcast app, however, is that I subscribe to a sub-only podcast that password protects individual episodes. Overcast (and Downcast, to be fair) support that function, whereas Apple Podcasts most decidedly does not.

 

[masterleep]

Apple's media playing/managment software design is notoriously horrible. I defy anyone to figure out how to use an iPhone to control the music playing on a HomePod, which one would think was an elemental use case, without searching on Google.

 

[Canyda]

Jesus, its an absolute mess. Someone should be getting fired for this.

Can anyone recommend a decent podcast app either free with minimal on screen ads or a one time ad removal IAP? No subscriptions.

Overcast is free with minimal ads. There's a sub option, but it's not required for full functionality.

 

[Pafoofnik]

Nothing personal, MacRumors, I luv ya', but gee whiz... I know true journalism (when people actually left their desks to find out information) died with the birth of the internet (along with editing done by a human and not a free-download spell checker and other accoutrements of the profession) but isn't simply cutting and pasting tweets from denizens of the Cloud a bit passé by now? Like, I know all of the major "news" outlets still do it, but nobody pays attention to them. Just axin'.

 

[philrock]

Overcast is far from perfect but I have been happily using it since 2014 or so. Occasionally I would check back with the Podcast app only to quickly delete it again.

 

[widestload]

But at least it still comes in purple

 

[NMBob]

Almost all software these days is now being brought to you by the kind of people you've seen for years walking around staring at their phones and getting run over by automobiles.

 

[stevet]

LOL, whomever is using that app deserves everything they get.

 

[stevet]

I spent years cultivating a particular way of using the podcasts app. That all came crashing down the other day. Now I have to do what I don’t like doing: relearning a new UI to achieve the same result with no apparent upside. This reminds me of why I like to wait a while before updating. Okay, I’m done wallowing in my own tears.

Very risky updating to new apple apps when you rely on them. They always take 3-4 fixes to get them 'right'

 

[antiprotest]

And people say Apple is anti-competitive. They do so much to promote third-party apps and services to the point of crippling their own.

 

[NightFox]

I would chalk this up to user error & RTFM.

Wasn't one of the beauties of Apple products always the fact that everything was so intuitive you didn't need a manual?

But even if you do want to RTFM - https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201859 - Published June 2020.

 

[lpc2]

I switched from Apple Podcasts to Overcast several years ago when I didn't like Apples updates. I've been happy with the change.

 

[ignatius345]

correction: The best thing that users affected by the plethora of issues in the Podcasts app can do is delete it and download one of the many superior and fully functional third party podcast apps available.

The only reason I leave Podcasts installed is to be able to occasionally leave a positive review for a friend's podcast.

 

[stevet]

Can some recommend a good podcast app. This is just terrible.

Theres a few of them out there that will fit different peoples uses. Pocket Casts, Overcast, Castro, iCatcher....

 

[jweinraub]

Why can't Apple make their native apps truly updatable through the App Store rather than an entire operating system update? As when they hopefully fix these/some of these problems, I don't want to waste my day upgrading it all when it should be a 5 second ordeal though the App Store it is so so stupid the way it is done now.

 

[V.K.]

Overcast is free with minimal ads. There's a sub option, but it's not required for full functionality.

Also, the sub option for Overcast is 10 buck a year. That's a laughably small number to support a good app and get rid of the ads.

 

[kerr]

Stop using the Apple podcasts app. There is nothing that could convince me to use it. My app of choice is PocketCasts.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

With so many issues with this app, I wonder if anyone at Apple uses it.
It's ridiculous. It seems there's poor quality control and they are not listening to beta testers

 

[CarpalMac]

If they can't remember the last window size in Finder, they can't sync across complex cloud services.

This!! As a relative newbie to using MacOS, now for 9+hrs a day every day, this drives me loopy.
Figured I was just being rubbish and had been too lazy (sorry, busy) to google it.