Apple Podcasts on the Web
Apple today announced the launch of a Podcasts on the web feature, which works in Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox on Macs, PCs, and other devices. Podcasts on the web allows users to search for, browse through, and listen to podcasts with access to the Up Next queue and library when signed in to an Apple Account.
The UI is essentially the same as Apple’s native app but with the added flexibility of working on non-Apple devices.
[…]
Links opened on Apple devices will open in the native Podcasts app and in the browser on other devices, although on the Mac, it is possible to play episodes in a browser if you prefer.
The only use case for something like this is for users who spend a lot of time on Windows — presumably at work — and wish they could listen to their own podcast queue. That’s a big use case though!
I continue to use Overcast, but I’m considering adding Apple Podcasts as a second app to manage podcasts that we listen to in the car as a family. That would let me keep the subscription lists separate, and perhaps the Web version would make it possible to make additions from other devices (alas, not from iOS devices) that aren’t logged into my account. Of course, it would be better to have actual family sharing support within the Podcasts app. And it’s still clunky and doesn’t support OPML.
Those who don’t wish to sign in can listen to millions of free podcasts, browse Top Charts, and take advantage of Apple’s editorial collections. Signing in with your Apple ID gives you access to your Library, Up Next Queue, and subscriptions. Signed-in users can also follow shows and save play progress.
I must admit some curiosity as to why Apple has suddenly started producing Web versions of some of its apps and services. Nothing prevented Apple from doing this years ago—Google and Spotify have produced capable Web apps for ages.
Apple Podcasts, once the dominant platform for podcast listening, is experiencing a significant decline in popularity as competitors like YouTube and Spotify gain ground, according to a recent study by Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights.
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YouTube is now the most popular platform for podcast consumption in the United States, with 31% of respondents reporting it as their primary choice. Spotify follows at 21%, while Apple Podcasts has dropped to third place with only 12% of the market share.
This is in stark contrast to Apple's position just a few years ago. In July 2019, 29% of weekly podcast listeners primarily used Apple Podcasts.
Previously:
Update (2024-09-12): M.G. Siegler:
Well beyond the obvious element – video, more on this in a moment – a big part would seem to be discovery. That is, YouTube, as you might expect given the parent company, is a great search engine for content. Apple is... well, Apple.
Update (2024-09-13): My initial experience using Apple Podcasts, the iOS app, was a mixed bag. It was nice to have a separate app with separate podcasts for family consumption. But the interface for browsing and downloading individual episodes is clunky, and CarPlay integration was unreliable, with the display of the playback position frequently getting out of sync with the audio and it sometimes restarting at the beginning of the episode. That has never happened to me with Overcast.
Previously:
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Love that when I click on that link in Juli's blurb, to check out the Podcasts Web app and see if it's any better than the lousy native app, MacOs just opens the native app. Thanks, Apple, just what I wanted.
Yay! One more reason to switch to Windows or Linux!
I can see why Youtube is popular, but quite a few Youtubers whose podcasts I follow always want to offer the podcast option, even if they're really lousy at maintaining it and effectively lock in the Youtube option as a result. Wouldn't it be just terrific if Apple were to complete by, I dunno, making their podcast directory, sync infrastructure, content delivery, and subscription purchases a completely open platform?
Nah, won't happen ...
Forgot to add: Also chapter support is still missing in the web player. Shame. But hopefully it'll make it there soon. It's actually not that bad of an experience.
