While redesigning the App Stores apps for iOS 6, Apple left out the podcasts section from the iTunes app. Many have speculated that Apple was building a separate app for podcasts, and it looks like those rumors are true, as Apple just released their new podcast app today for iOS. The free standalone app works on all iOS devices running iOS 5.1 or later and gives users a better hub to discover new audio and video podcasts.
Podcasts app is the easiest way to discover, subscribe to and play your favorite podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Explore hundreds of thousands of free audio and video podcasts from the Podcasts Catalog, and play the most popular podcasts, organized for you by topic, with the all-new Top Stations feature.
Features:
• Enjoy all of your audio and video podcasts in a single app
• Explore hundreds of thousands of podcasts including shows in over 40 languages
• Try the innovative new Top Stations feature to find new podcast series in a variety of topics, including arts, business, comedy, music, news, sports, and more.
• Browse by Audio or Video podcasts, or see what’s most popular in Top Charts
• Tap subscribe for your favorites and automatically receive new episodes for free as they become available
• Stream episodes or download to listen while offline
• Skip forward and back using simple playback controls
• Turn on Sleep Timer to automatically stop playing a podcast while listening in bed
• Share your favorite episodes with friends using Twitter, Messages and Mail
• Optionally sync your favorite episodes from iTunes on your Mac or PC
• Sync your episode playback for seamless transition between devicesRequirements:
• Requires a device with iOS 5.1 or later
• Optionally syncing episodes requires iTunes 10.6.3 or later
• Streaming or downloading episodes requires internet access over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection
You can download the app right here for free.
Thanks: Jan
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
9 responses to “Apple Just Released A New Podcast App For iOS”
Seems like a giant FAIL to me. It doesn’t allow you to search by type of podcast, just categories. So you search for news or whatever and you get a huge long list of podcasts with no information as to whether they are audio, video, or some combination of the two. No indication as to video quality etc.
It’s like Apple’s approach to Internet radio in iTunes ( just as useless). “Let’s present the user with a witheringly long list of stations with no categorisation at all and let them find things by searching.”
How incredibly un-helpful.
Yeah this app isn’t even good. Where the hell is the browse by category? And the search is all wonky. What was the point of this?
@Skywaytraffic: Upper left corner? At least in my version…i think it actually is a smart approach, as podcasts kind of vanished between music and movies…i’ll give it a try
but what i don’t see is why the app does not keep my podcasts synced between iPad and iPhone. I have to download them separately onto all my devices, right?
Go to catalog > Top Charts > Categories is the top left corner….
Video Podcasts have a “TV” icon next to their name, audio only do not.
@Pelu @MacHead84 No categories in iOS 6 then :/
…yet. Don’t understand why the fuck not though.
The Podcasts app here (which I am testing on my 3rd gen iPad) reminds me of the PocketCasts app (which I use allot on my Android phone, its on iOS as well), but with the full iTunes library of podcasts and a much more fluent interface. I am really liking it so far.
I think this is a great idea as its a far better way to organise podcasts than it was before. Plus, having podcasts in their own app is going to get more of these podcasters noticed IMO.
Big FAIL from Apple on this app. No syncing between devices. I’ll stick to using the default Music app for my music & podcasts.