Once again it is clear that Apple does not use its own products. Apparently they are just checking off to-do lists for a next release. Too bad if it doesn't work, VP wants it shipped.
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Users Despair at Apple Podcasts App After iOS 14.5 Update
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The issues with the podcast app is no different to issues that nearly every company has that designs software. The company gets everyone on board to design the software then when the software is rolled out and in use for a few months, the company moves the majority of the core teams onto new projects and leaves a skeleton crew to maintain the existing software. The company will usually keep 1 or 2 people who were involved in the design of the original software but the rest moved to other projects. The ones who are kept back are ones who have just enough knowledge of the original software to help with updates or other minor fixes, anything major would be beyond their scope.
A very good example of this was in the gaming world with the game Division. When the game was finished, a huge majority of the core design team was moved onto another project but when updates were released to resolve minor glitches with the game, the updates kept causing bigger and bigger problems within the game. Those who were left behind to help with the updates and inexperienced programmers brought into to fill the shoes of the original programmers were just unable to cope. Eventually the situation got so bad that the game company had to call back a majority of the original design team and programmers to solve the problems.
I therefore have no doubt this is what is happening with Apples podcast app. Apple is making changes to the podcast that is affecting the core software of the app and those who are left to look after the app do not have enough experience of the app to know how to fix the errors hence why the podcast has the issues it has because the original programmers of the app who would know how to solve the issues quickly were moved on to other projects and cannot be brought back.
Apple have got two choices, bring the original podcast design team back to solve the issues or scrap the podcast app.
A very good example of this was in the gaming world with the game Division. When the game was finished, a huge majority of the core design team was moved onto another project but when updates were released to resolve minor glitches with the game, the updates kept causing bigger and bigger problems within the game. Those who were left behind to help with the updates and inexperienced programmers brought into to fill the shoes of the original programmers were just unable to cope. Eventually the situation got so bad that the game company had to call back a majority of the original design team and programmers to solve the problems.
I therefore have no doubt this is what is happening with Apples podcast app. Apple is making changes to the podcast that is affecting the core software of the app and those who are left to look after the app do not have enough experience of the app to know how to fix the errors hence why the podcast has the issues it has because the original programmers of the app who would know how to solve the issues quickly were moved on to other projects and cannot be brought back.
Apple have got two choices, bring the original podcast design team back to solve the issues or scrap the podcast app.
Podcasts is a recurring services business for Apple unlike OSX which they can let languish. It does not make any sense for them to release a podcast app iteration like they just did.
Just give me a library where the newest podcasts get added that I easily can delete the episodes that I am not interested in. IF, and I say IF, you want to jazz a bit more, feel free to introduce a "Siri-feed" that lifts up interesting podcast that I might have missed and put the ones I listen to the most above the ones I usually miss as long as I can opt-out of it...
I doubt Apple even listen to podcast if they manage make something so easy to extremely complicated.
I doubt Apple even listen to podcast if they manage make something so easy to extremely complicated.
I’m not saying it’s a good design but it’s not exactly difficult either.
I hear you.
It’s sad though as in the 00s, Apple really did own digital music and podcasts.
Now (as you say) the focus is squarely on revenue; where the services just have to be ‘good enough’, seemingly.
I doubt this would happen under Steve Jobs.
For him, anything that Apple did had to be the best in the market segment that they were in.
Despite a few odd choices (brushed metal EDIT: Ping, MobileMe…), I think you can look at 00 Apple and say that this was the case.
You can’t now.
The Apple Podcast/Big Sur 11.3 upgrade two days ago prevented me from dragging and dropping Podcasts to Desktop in order to save. Possibly due to copyright issues? Is there any workaround to save Podcasts to my MacBook? Thanks.
The days of listening to free podcasts are coming to an end boys and girls. Eddie Cue is going to shake those nickels and dimes from the “users” no matter how much they bleat. Like a boot stamping on a human face, service revenues shall grow every quarter — that is his vision of the future.
I don’t get why apple just doesn’t buy Overcast or stitcher.
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It's a good thing I figured out how to clear up the number of podcasts in Settings. That was nearly 40 GB of storage on my iPhone 12 I freed up. 😒😑🙄
I am seriously considering switching to Overcast or Pocket Casts.
I was an overcast user for years and switched last month to pocket casts. I still like overcast but he ruined watch syncing. It just doesn’t work. Pocketcasts handles it perfectly. And the ability to use 1gb cloud storage too is brilliant for non podcast files
i put audiobooks in there
Overcast gives you 10GB of cloud storage to upload stuff. I use it for audiobooks too. 1GB is not enough for some audiobooks.
Had some problems witch sync from IOS between (iPad and iPhone), but with the lastest version of Pocket Cast seems to have eliminated my sync problems.
so I use overcast and now (again) Pocket Cast for the few video podcast I’m following.
In the article, it said there is no way to add a podcast to the library. It is not true.
in display of a podcast, you may choose “save episode” from the ellipse menu, then this action would effectively add the podcast to the library. Also, there is a systemwide setting to disable “download when saving”
i like the new UI revamp. Before, the use of “save”, “add”, “download “ is confusing. It required the users to add an episode to the library before downloading it, which looks a redundant step to me.
auto downloading every episodes of a show is often too much. But you could disable this option from the podcast systemwide setting or from the setting of a followed show.
what the app is missing is a limit to set for downloads, either a storage limit for overall download (like the cache limit in telegram), or no of recent episodes to be downloaded for a show, which would make the app be of more practical use.
in display of a podcast, you may choose “save episode” from the ellipse menu, then this action would effectively add the podcast to the library. Also, there is a systemwide setting to disable “download when saving”
i like the new UI revamp. Before, the use of “save”, “add”, “download “ is confusing. It required the users to add an episode to the library before downloading it, which looks a redundant step to me.
auto downloading every episodes of a show is often too much. But you could disable this option from the podcast systemwide setting or from the setting of a followed show.
what the app is missing is a limit to set for downloads, either a storage limit for overall download (like the cache limit in telegram), or no of recent episodes to be downloaded for a show, which would make the app be of more practical use.
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the difference between “saved” and “downloaded” is, the downloaded episodes would be removed if the option of “removed episodes after played” is enabled while those under “saved” would not be removed.
I think the new UI is trying to resemble the Apple Music UI which is greatly influenced by Spotify.
the “listen now” is kind of an AI display, “library” is the collection you try to keep tracked.
for the “browse” tab, I found the display text would change to “podcast” once you clicked it. “browse” text would only be displayed if the podcast app freshly (close and restart) opened.
tks for your reminder.
I like the download limit setting that I even post a suggestion in this forum. But it is too deep inside the setting of individual shows. A systemwide setting would be even better, I also like a download limit set for storage
actually, the reported issue of not able to add an episode to the library could be handled by “save episode”
I think the logic is less confusing than before, just becos the app has long been due for updates, and the users are too accustomed to the old logic.
I never realised that when I used it. I loved the app but they’ve completely screwed adding episodes to the Apple Watch. I tried for ages to figure it out but I was left with just one podcast on the watch to stream
10gb is a lot. But I only upload one book at a time anyway
If you go to https://overcast.fm/ there is an Uploads tab which lets you upload files and then they show up in Overcast in the Uploads item in the list of podcasts. I am not surprised you didn't know about it though. Overcast has no documentation or even FAQs. The only reason I found out about this was that Marco Arment mentioned it on ATP. That's the trouble with 1-man shops like his.
yes. 1 GB is enough for most books but I have a few that are bigger and I had to split them because while Overcast gives you 10GB there is 1GB limit on individual files.
I can't comment on Apple Watch as I don't have one so this is not a consideration for me.
I agree with you 110%, and I'm not sure that you're in the minority. I suspect that the current structure is part of an ongoing move to dumb down macOS, iOS, and their accompanying apps to the level of the least capable Apple device.
This never would have happened if Steve Jobs were alive.
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I just deleted overcast and moved back to the stock podcast app (been bouncing between the two for a while now). I am sure Marco Arment is working fervently on updating it, but I continue to be annoyed by the watch app and the lack of Apple TV, Mac support and widget support. At the end of the day, I think there is something to be said about the seamless-ness that the Apple ecosystem affords.