Apple's built-in Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad you lets you stream and download all your favorite shows, and discover new ones. You can subscribe, sync, and customize it just the way you like it! All your favorites are yours to discover! There are a few ways to find podcasts in the Podcasts app.
Browse free audio episodes and shows about topics that range from comedy and science to news and politics in Apple Podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV.
Explore Apple Podcasts
Navigate Apple Podcasts with the tabs at the bottom of the screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. On your Apple TV, swipe down on your Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote to see the navigation menu.
Listen Now
In this tab, you’ll see new and unplayed episodes from your subscribed shows and recently added episodes. Tap a show to listen. After the latest episode finishes, any unplayed episodes of that show in your Library automatically play next. You'll also see shows you might like and shows that you recently played.
Library
See all the shows and episodes you’ve added to your Library—even if you’re not currently subscribed. Tap Downloaded Episodes to see only the podcasts that you downloaded, and to listen without cellular data or Wi-Fi.1
You can create a custom station or add a podcast that you subscribed to through a website. Tap Edit in the upper-right corner. Then tap New Station or Add a Podcast by URL.
Browse
See what’s new and topping the charts in this tab. Tap on any episode to start listening or tap add to add it to your Library so that you can listen to it later.
Search
Use this tab to search for specific episodes, shows, providers, or topics. Tap the search field, then tap All Podcasts or Your Library to search either the entire Apple Podcasts catalog or just your Library.
Listen to shows
When you play episodes in Apple Podcasts on your iOS device, a player appears at the bottom of the screen. Tap the player to open the Now Playing2 screen, which shows all the playback controls.
Control playback
From Now Playing, here's what you can do:
- Control the volume.
- Play and pause episodes.
- Tap 15 second rewind or 30 second fast forward to skip through an episode.
- Tap the playback speed icon to change playback speed.
- On your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, you can also tap playback destination to change what device your audio plays to.
- Swipe up and see episode notes and a list of episodes queued up to play next. Here, you can also tap Sleep Timer to stop playing a podcast after a certain amount of time.
To exit full screen, tap dismiss or swipe down from the top of the player.
Subscribe to shows
- Find a show that you like in Apple Podcasts.
- Tap it to go to the show's info page.
- Tap Subscribe. Now, new episodes automatically download3 for free and you'll get a notification4 as they become available.
If you stop listening to a show for a while, Apple Podcasts might pause your subscription. The shows and downloaded episodes stay in your library, but new episodes might not be updated. To continue getting new episodes, subscribe again.
Here's how to unsubscribe from a show:
- Tap the show to go to its info page.
- Tap more .
- Tap Unsubscribe. New episodes won't download to your device, but episodes that are already in your Library won’t be deleted.
More ways to listen to Apple Podcasts
Mac Sync Software
Control is at your fingertips—or voice. Ask Siri 'what can I do?' to learn more about Siri commands for podcasts and audio. You can also:
- Control audio that you're listening to from the Lock screen and Control Center on your iOS device.
- Control your Podcasts library or listen to Apple Podcasts on your Apple Watch.
- Connect your phone to your car with Bluetooth or USB. Some cars might come with CarPlay. Learn more about playing media in cars with CarPlay, Bluetooth, and USB.
- Listen to Apple Podcasts in iTunes on a Mac or PC by choosing podcasts from the menu in the upper-left corner.
Podcasts On Mac
Download or delete episodes
If you want to listen offline, here's how:
- Find an episode in your Library or Browse.
- Tap download next to the episode's name. Or, if you see the add icon, tap it, then tap download .
Free app for mac. If you don't see download , the episode is already downloaded to your device.5
Episodes automatically delete 24 hours after you play them, or you can delete them manually:
- Find the show in your Library.
- Tap the show to bring up its information page.
- Swipe left on the episode.
- Tap Delete.6
If you want to mark an episode as played to remove it from your queue, here's how:
- Go to the Listen Now tab.
- Find the episode that you want to remove.
- Long press it, then tap Mark As Played.
Change your settings
On your iOS device, go to Settings > Podcasts. There, you can adjust these settings:
- Sync Apple Podcasts: Keep your Podcasts Library the same across all of your devices. Pause an episode on one device, and pick up where you left off on another.
- Continuous Playback: Choose whether the next episode of a show or station will automatically play after another episode ends.
- Cellular Data: Control whether Apple Podcasts can stream shows while your iPhone or iPad uses cellular data.
- Download Episodes: Control whether new or unplayed episodes get downloaded to your device.
On a podcast’s product page, you can also control settings specific to that show by tapping more , and then tapping settings .
Learn more
- Learn how to use Siri to play music or podcasts.
- You can rate and review a podcast by searching for it in the store. On the show's information page, look for Ratings & Reviews.
- If you're a podcast creator, you can submit your podcast through Podcasts Connect.
1. You can't download items on Apple TV, but you can use Wi-Fi to stream your content.
2. On iPad in portrait mode, Now Playing is in the lower-right corner. On Apple TV, open Apple Podcasts, then swipe down on your Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote to see Now Playing in the top menu bar.
3. To turn off automatic downloads on your iOS device, go to Settings > Podcasts > Download Episodes and choose Off.
4. To edit notifications, go to the Listen Now tab and tap the notification settings icon .
5. You can only stream episodes on your Apple TV.
6. To delete a specific episode in iTunes, right-click or Control-click on the episode, then choose Delete from Library.