What Does Apple Podcasts’ Latest Update Mean for You?

1️⃣ Enhanced Listening Experience

With this update, Apple Podcasts got a slick makeover. The app’s interface is cleaner and more dynamic, making your podcast cover art pop like never before 📸.

More broadly, Apple has revamped the app’s listening experience. They’ve introduced an intuitive queue feature, making it super easy for your listeners to add episodes.

All they have to do is tap the “More” menu (…) or long-press the desired episode and select “Add to Queue.” Once added, a new “Queue” section becomes accessible through the “Up Next” feature, allowing listeners to easily rearrange or delete episodes. And once they’ve listened to all the episodes in the queue, Apple Podcasts will automatically move on to episodes in the “Up Next” list ✅.

Another major addition is the enhanced accessibility of episode chapters. Listeners can now not only navigate between chapters but also see detailed information like the duration of each chapter and the remaining time ⏰.

2️⃣ More Visuals for Your Podcasts

In this new version, Apple Podcasts now displays the cover art for individual episodes, not just the overall show. And let me tell you, that’s a big deal! We spend so much time perfecting each thumbnail, and now they finally get the spotlight they deserve on one of the most important listening platforms out there 🎨.

These episode thumbnails add an extra layer to the listening experience. They’ll appear not only on the new “Now Playing” screen and in the queue but also on the lock screen, the control center, “Up Next,” and even on podcast and episode pages. And that’s not all: these covers will also show up when sharing links through apps like Messages, Mail, and on social media 💻.

For creators, this is a golden opportunity. You can now publish these thumbnails via RSS through your hosting provider. And if a specific episode thumbnail isn’t provided, don’t sweat it: Apple Podcasts will default to the show’s cover art. Plus, podcasters can still add unique artwork for each chapter, making episode navigation even more immersive 🎧.

3️⃣ 9 New Subcategories

Apple Podcasts is also adding 9 new subcategories, making it easier for listeners to discover your show 🗃.

Once your hosting platforms update, you can categorize your podcast under one of the following new subcategories:

• Mental Health
• Relationships
• Personal Development
• Personal Journals
• Entrepreneurship
• Documentary
• Parenting
• Books
• Language Learning

And as you probably know (especially if you’ve listened to episode 25 of Tips!), each category and subcategory has its own ranking. With these new labels, you have a better shot at topping the search results ⚡️.

4️⃣ New Search Filters

New search filters have also been added to help listeners discover new shows. You’ll find them at the top of the app when you initiate a search. You’ll still get the top results related to your query, but now you can also explore the best shows, episodes, or channels related to the keyword 🔐.

Search results now also display more info, like how much time is left in an episode or if it’s already been added to your library 📚.

Little bonus: a double tap on the “Search” tab will immediately highlight the search bar, letting you start typing your query without wasting a second 🧨.

5️⃣ Apple Podcasts: The Central Hub for All Your Audio Content

With the launch of iOS 17 this fall, Apple Podcasts is reinventing itself. Listeners will be able to link subscriptions from certain App Store apps directly to Apple Podcasts 🍏.

In other words, this platform, once solely dedicated to podcasts, is gradually transforming into a central hub for all your listeners’ audio content. Whether it’s news from Bloomberg, L’Équipe, The Washington Post, meditation sessions from the Calm app, or educational content for kids like Lingokids, everything will be accessible from the Apple Podcasts library 📡.

This is a real revolution that promises to change listening habits! 🔥

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Conclusion

So there you have it, you’re now up to speed on the major new features from Apple Podcasts 🔮.

It’s pretty clear that Apple is going all-in on podcasts, aiming to provide an increasingly complete and intuitive experience for its users. With these updates, they’re looking to outdo Spotify and become the go-to platform for podcast listening 🏆.

For us podcasters, these new features are a golden opportunity to showcase our work 👩‍🎨.

So if you haven’t updated yet, now’s the time to dive in and explore all these new features. And remember, the podcasting world is always evolving, so stay tuned and adapt 👂.