You may have noticed Apple’s Podcast App has undergone some dramatic changes in iOS 11.
Functionally, a few things have moved around and some new features have been added, making the new experience initially frustrating, though it is growing on us.
Some of the key improvements include:
- Discoverability has improved. Reviews and “You might also like” suggestions below the podcast descriptions are great for getting exposure.
- Browse and Search functions are both improved on the previous version.
- Show notes on the same screen as the player.
Drawbacks of the new app centre around:
- When scrolling through podcast feeds it doesn’t reveal how long each episode is without clicking on the episode itself to reveal the duration.
- Difficult to assess whether the episode has been downloaded and/or listened to now that the blue dot has been removed.
- Unclear what order the Listen Now page is displaying podcasts in and there’s no function to change the sort settings (you can in the Library though).
- Artwork icons on the Shows page are too big.
Our advice – Check out Pocket Casts, Overcast and other podcatchers. Cast your net wider than just Apple’s podcast app when searching for and managing your podcasts. And to Apple – a few tweaks and this could be a much more user-friendly experience!
If you’d like to get a glimpse inside the app before downloading, take a look at this video courtesy of Andrew O’Hara from I Download Blog (iDB).
We’d love to hear your feedback on Apple’s podcast app and which other apps you’re using to manage your podcasts. Send us a message with your thoughts, or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter.
