Get started with Podcasts

Listen to podcasts on the move or while you're sitting at your Mac

- KENNY HEMPHILL

APPLE'S PODCASTS APP had a difficult start. Its first incarnation, around a decade ago, demonstrated the worst excesses of Apple's dalliance with skeuomorphism, where an interface's design replicates real-world switches and buttons regardless of how well or badly that works on-screen.

Thankfully, the new (ish) Podcasts app is nothing like the old one. On Mac, iPhone and iPad, the interface is devoid of gimmicks (such as the old version's reel-to-reel tape recorder) and will be reasonably familiar to anyone who has used Apple's Music, TV or Books apps. Like Apple's Music and Books apps, Podcasts is largely about discovery. One of its aims is to help you discover new podcasts, and then keep track of them across all your devices.

While Podcasts can't lay claim to hosting every single podcast on the planet the podcasting world is going through a period of change as people figure out how to monetize their work those podcasts that are not exclusive to other platforms are certainly all there. So, stick on your AirPods and join us as we explore the world of Apple Podcasts.

Get started with Podcasts

However many podcasts you listen to, this app helps you get organized

PODCASTS' INTERFACE IS similar to the one in Music, which is no surprise, on the Mac at least, as they both evolved from iTunes. So, for example, both have sections called Listen Now and Browse that work in exactly the same way. Listen Now is Apple's curated content that pushes music or podcasts it thinks will interest you based on what you've listened to before. Browse, on the other hand, enables you to browse podcasts by category. Podcasts also includes charts so you can see what is popular with other listeners.