Podcasts in iOS 6
I haven’t figured out what to do now that Apple has removed the built-in support for podcasts from the Music app. Now at version 1.1, Apple’s Podcasts app is still clunky and slow and doesn’t sync properly with iTunes. Downcast seems promising, but it doesn’t sync with iTunes, either. I like to use iTunes on my Mac to manage and subscribe to podcasts, as well as archive the good episodes. Plus, I’m suspicious that with apps that do their own downloading I will end up in a situation where I have no signal and nothing downloaded.
Update (2012-09-21): Christopher Breen:
As mentioned, if you’ve installed the Podcasts and iTunes U apps, that’s where you’ll find this content. However, if you haven’t installed these apps and you sync, within iTunes to your device, podcasts and iTunes U content, you play that content within the Music app. Just tap More and you’ll find entries for both kinds of media.
So that’s an easy solution, for now. Thanks to everyone who brought this to my attention.
Update (2012-10-05): Kirk McElhearn:
If you care about podcast playlists, it’s clear that the Podcasts app isn’t for you. But if you’re a casual podcast listener and just want the content, then subscribing to podcasts and downloading them from the Podcasts app may suit you. You may not like the interface of the Podcasts app, but it does an OK job with what it’s supposed to do.
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I've been pretty happy with Instacast. My only gripe is that I can't manually order things within a "smart" playlist. I want to be able to set the order within the "unplayed" list so I don't have to manually pick the next one when the current one finishes when I'm driving.
I like Instacast, but it's the only one I've used aside from the Music application.
If you like an episode you can "share" it via email. i.e. I guess you can email a link to yourself, or copy the URL to clipboard. Although I think it is a http://instaca.st/b/xxx link.
Apple actually hasn't removed the built-in support for podcasts from the Music app in iOS 6. Not that I expect it to stay forever, though. (I use Instacast and Downcast.)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tf2j752qydzpkjm/Photo%20Sep%2021,%206%2033%2034%20AM.png
The iOS Music app DOES support Podcasts, just as before. BUT, the trick is that the Podcasts app cannot be installed. If Music detects the Podcasts app it hides the functionality.
[...] Link. Another reason to wait for 6.1. by jgordon on September 21, 2012 • Permalink Posted in share Tagged s [...]
Thank you so much, Chris Breen!
I thought I'd lost the smart playlists feature for podcasts entirely, which I use to make a catch-all chronological smart playlist, from oldest to most recent. Thinking I'd lost this facility I was getting really depressed. I don't think I can do without it on my daily bicycle commutes.
So if simply deleting the podcast app puts the podcasts back into the iOS Music player, that will be at least a temporary reprieve!
Here goes!
You can export from downcast: http://support.downcastapp.com/customer/portal/articles/474638-exporting-podcast-media-files
I love downcast. It has much better player controls than either Apple's Podcast app or Instacast (I also used Pocket Casts, which I liked better than instacast) and it has far more flexibility in what is auto downloaded vs. just referenced for streaming as well as playlist management.
There are a few podcasts I like to archive, and I keep them in iTunes for that purpose - but I watch or listen to everything through Downcast (have I mentioned how I love AirPlay?)
[...] longer plays podcasts, and I’m still not that fond of the Podcasts app. So I will be giving third-party podcast apps another try. Unfortunately, since some of the episodes are only stored on my Mac, it’s not as [...]
I tried Downcast, since I like the iOS app and it also has a Mac app. Unfortunately, the syncing never worked properly. The subscriptions and played state didn’t sync reliably, and even worse it would delete episodes on the Mac even though I’d set it to never delete. I’m now using Downcast on the iPhone and iTunes on the Mac (just for archiving).
