Apple this week unveiled iOS 17 at WWDC 2023, and the company has now confirmed some big changes coming to Apple Podcasts across its device lineup later this year.
iOS 17 will bring a brand new Now Playing experience and a Queue, as well as improved episode art, search filters, and more.
"Listeners will enjoy a refreshed Now Playing experience, which features a sleek, dynamic background that showcases a podcast’s art and provides enhanced controls for managing the Queue," Apple stated this week. The Playing Next button will now show the next episode queued up, and you can add episodes to the Queue through the More menu or by pressing and holding on an episode.
Apple Podcasts are also getting Episode art for all shows, so listeners can learn more about each episode of a show at a glance through an illustration, graphic, or photo, that will be displayed on the Now Playing screen and Queue. Creators will publish these via RSS using their hosting providers.
Subs and search filters
Apple Podcasts is getting Search filters so you can easily find shows, with new filters for Top Results, Shows, Episodes, and Channels. More information will also show up in searches such as time remaining in an episode.
Starting in the fall, listeners will also be able to connect subscriptions to certain apps with Apple Podcasts. That includes apps like Bloomberg, The Economist, L’Équipe, The Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and WELT; health and fitness apps, including Calm; kids and family apps, like Lingokids; and many more. This means that if you've subscribed to apps through the App Store you'll also get the Apple Podcasts subscription too.
Apple Music Radio is also coming to Apple Podcasts, and audio stories from Apple News+ are also coming. The Podcasts interface is also getting an overhaul, and Apple is promising "more consistent playback syncing between devices," a massively needed update.
These features are all coming to iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17.
We're covering all the WWDC 2023 announcements live and as they happen. Don't miss all our Apple Vision Pro, iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 news so far.
