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Apple first introduced the world to podcasts back in 2005 by adding a podcast directory into iTunes 4.9. It wasn’t until 2012 that they launched the Apple Podcasts app for iPhone.

Over the years, the app has taken on many designs as it mimicked the overall iOS design trends. Despite it not offering all the features of third party apps, it is reported to have the high market share of any podcast app. Despite having control of the market, Apple hasn’t done much to try to profit from it. From a technical side, the directory in Apple Podcasts is just a collection of RSS feeds. Spotify is one company aimed to growing its podcast market share at the expense of Apple Podcasts, so it remains to be seen what (if anything) Apple will do going forward.

9to5Mac hosts an hour long weekly Apple news podcast called 9to5Mac Happy Hour, a short updates podcast with episodes released throughout the week called 9to5Mac Daily, and a weekly tech news podcast from the perspective of developers called Stacktrace. All of them can be subscribed to inside of Apple Podcasts.

Other podcasts on our network include:

A new Apple Podcasts bug means listeners miss the latest episodes of their shows [update: fixed]

Update: The issue now appears to have been resolved and episodes are rolling out as intended once more. Original story below.

An Apple Podcasts bug is making listeners miss the newest released episodes of their favorite shows. Seemingly impacting some significant proportion of shows that released new episodes yesterday, the bug means that the Apple Podcasts app does not show the latest episode in the user’s library, nor will it automatically download it and appear in the Up Next queue.

There is a workaround that entails manually finding the exact episode in the search tab, but that requires the user to be aware that a new episode has been released in the first place …

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Popular podcasting app Castro has ceased working, and domain is dead

Popular podcasting app Castro gone | Microphone shown against colored lighting

The popular podcasting app Castro appears to have ceased functioning, and the website has gone. The latter appears to be because the domain is no more, as emails also bounce.

A former employee predicted back in November of last year that the app would be shut down within two months, a prediction which now appears to be accurate despite the company’s comments at the time …

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Apple Podcasts integration with Amazon Alexa now available in more countries

Amazon Echo Alexa | Apple Music integration

Apple partnered with Amazon in 2019 to bring Apple Podcasts support to Amazon Echo devices through the Alexa virtual assistant. This allowed users to ask the assistant to play any of the shows available on Apple’s platform. While this integration was only available in a few countries, today, Apple has made it available in more than 40 regions.

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You can now access Apple Music radio shows in the Apple Podcasts app with iOS 17

You can now access Apple Music radio shows in the Apple Podcasts app with iOS 17

With iOS 17, Apple has introduced a new interface for its Podcasts app, which now has a new Now Playing screen, as well as more search filters and a better Up Next experience. The company also announced that third-party apps can now connect an App Store subscription to Podcasts. To take advantage of this, Apple Music radio shows are now available in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Apple Podcasts has a slightly refreshed interface in iOS 17

Apple Podcasts has a slightly refreshed interface in iOS 17

Unlike watchOS 10, which has a completely new interface, iOS 17 has kept the same design language as previous versions of iOS. But even without major changes, Apple has slightly refreshed the interface of an important native app: Podcasts. With the update, the app gets a new Now Playing screen, plus more search filters and a better Up Next experience.

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Apple TV+ teases return of murder-mystery comedy ‘The Afterparty’ (and we think Baby Shark did it)

Apple TV+ is becoming a must-have subscription for fans of new and original comedy series. Just as the new fan favorite “Shrinking” wrapped up, “Ted Lasso” returned for round three. Mark your calendars once more because last year’s hit, “The Afterparty,” will present a new murder mystery to solve not long after we say goodbye to AFC Richmond’s beloved Coach Lasso.

“The Afterparty” debuted on Apple TV+ in January 2022 with a three-episode drop. The comedy from Chris Miller and Phil Lord presented different perspectives from each attendee of an afterparty following a high school reunion. Viewers (and the internet) used the weekly episode release to put together clues and figure out who committed the murder at the center of the show’s plot.

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Apple Podcasts now lets creators publish subscription content directly from hosting providers

Apple Podcasts

Apple on Tuesday announced a major update for podcast creators. Starting today, Apple Podcasts will let creators publish subscription content directly from the dashboard of participating hosting providers. The company says this will make it easier than ever to “launch and grow shows and subscriptions on Apple Podcasts.”

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QCODE shows the future of premium audio podcasts, including in Apple Podcasts

Birds of Empire

QCODE has announced the release date of their all-new fantasy epic podcast series Birds of Empire. I received an early release of episode one, and it’s an amazing audio experience that’s worth sitting in a comfy chair, pouring a cup of coffee, closing your eyes, and letting your imagination transfer your mind to another world. It’s unlike any audiobook or podcast you’ve experienced thus far.

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