Podcasts for iOS Updated With Siri Integration, CarPlay Support and Improved Browsing

podcastsApple today updated its Podcasts app for iOS to version 2.1, adding several improvements to the app, which currently has just a two star rating in the App Store. The update includes a new "Unplayed" tab displaying episodes that haven't been listened to, and episodes that are available to stream or download can be accessed from the "Feed" tab.

It's now possible to save favorite episodes to listen to offline and users can also automatically delete episodes after they've been played. Siri integration has been included and Siri is able to play podcast episodes with a "play podcasts" command. Users can also ask Siri to play specific podcasts or stations.

Along with these enhancements, the Podcasts app now supports CarPlay and link sharing via AirDrop. Apple has also released iTunes 11.2 with several desktop podcast improvements.

This update includes several improvements that make playing your favorite podcasts even easier:

Improved Episode Browsing
- Quickly find episodes you haven't listened to in the new Unplayed tab
- Browse episodes that are available to download or stream in the Feed tab
- Save your favorite episodes to keep them offline
- Episodes can now be automatically deleted after you play them
- Tap on links that appear in podcast and episode descriptions to open them in Safari

Ask Siri
- You can now ask Siri to play podcast episodes by simply saying "play podcasts"
- To play specific podcasts or stations, just ask Siri to play them by name, like "play TEDTalks"
- Please note that Siri may not be available in all languages or in all areas.

Additional Improvements
- Podcasts now supports CarPlay
- Start playing a station right from the stations list -- just tap the Play button next to the station name
- Share links to your favorite podcasts using AirDrop

This update also resolves playback issues after syncing with iTunes and improves stability while downloading podcasts.

Podcasts can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Related Roundup: CarPlay

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Friday October 31, 2025 8:52 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about Apple's foldable iPhone so far. Ove...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...
iOS 26

Apple This November: iOS 26.2 Beta, Rumored New Products, and More

Thursday October 30, 2025 12:42 pm PDT by
Tomorrow is Halloween, and then November is upon us. Below, we outline what to expect from Apple next month, as the slower holiday season approaches. Apple is expected to kick off November by releasing iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1. With beta testing now wrapped up, the updates will likely be released this Monday, November 3 or Tuesday,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Revamped Siri on Track to Launch Next Year

Thursday October 30, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Apple CEO Tim Cook today said that a more personalized version of Siri remains on track to launch at some point next year, with the new set of features expected to debut on the iPhone as part of iOS 26.4 in March or April. "We're also excited for a more personalized Siri," said Cook, on Apple's earnings call for the third quarter of the 2025 calendar year. "We're making good progress on it,...

Top Rated Comments

mactumors Avatar
150 months ago
I think the bigger news here is that Apple added functionality to Siri by updating an app. Previously when they wanted to add features to Siri, they updated the OS. The fact that they only needed to update the app implies that there is a Siri API that the podcasts app is taking advantage of.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
albusseverus Avatar
150 months ago
Unbelievable! … how profoundly Apple has destroyed the podcast experience over the past year… And every time they do anything, it seems only to make things worse.

Couldn't agree more. And yet, after weeks of research, I chose none of the alternatives. As bad as Podcasts & iTunes gets, the combo is still better than the competitors.

And that's the bad news. No real competition, means the downhill slide continues.

I have little to no use for downloading directly with the Podcasts app. I let iTunes manage my podcasts & keep my library. Sadly, Apple's Podcasts works worse with iTunes with every release. Playlists are the single powerful feature of iTunes and Podcasts looses it's grip on Playlists with every release. I used to be able to sync a Playlist, by that I mean, what was in the list got transferred to the device, even if the Playlists in Stations were incorrect and useless once they arrived, the content actually arrived.

Now it doesn't even sync the contents of the Playlist correctly & I've had to do needless and unnecessary syncing, just to get Playlist contents across.

This is maddening. And no developer would risk a player that let iTunes do the downloading, and only sync to Podcasts on the device—as it seems iTunes might drop Podcasts any minute. Wish Apple had a simple player that doesn't try to download or manage Podcasts.

And what's with Playlists? I have podcasts "synced" with my iPhone called Not Found. I suspect it means 'not in the cloud, so you don't get it, even if it's in your iTunes library'. That sinking feeling continues.

If only somebody could tell us how Podcasts are supposed to work, and where Apple is going with this. That would be a big start!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
proline Avatar
150 months ago
I hope this properly syncs across all my devices now.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdonisSMU Avatar
150 months ago
This app doesn't work for me. I use it regularly and it just crashes every time I open it up now. It's a definite downgrade. I expect this from windows and android not apple.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nyctravis Avatar
150 months ago
I updated it. I opened it. It crashes. Rinse and repeat.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
casperes1996 Avatar
150 months ago
Actually.

They can use "unauthorized APIs" because they're apple. But hopefully, there'll be an API with iOS 8 that makes Siri more useful!

Yes. This is in part to do with Apple using private APIs, but what is more interesting is what's happened on the server side of Siri. I tried asking Siri to play a podcast, before updating, and she said: "I'm sorry, I can't do that, you haven't installed the latest podcasts app", with a link to the App Store. This suggests that simply implementing the API isn't actually enough, even if it were open for everyone. This would be a smart way of doing it, so that if an app managed to sneak in with a Siri API in it, it wouldn't be useful anyhow.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)