You won’t be wrong if you think there is a “podcast boom” currently happening across the globe! With thousands of active podcasts and many budding podcasters investing in affordable podcasting equipment, the numbers can only keep going up.
This creates plenty of listening opportunities for people to “tune into” what has been aptly described as “radio on the internet.” And if you use an iPhone, you can download and listen to countless episodes mostly for free.
If you don’t already know, this quick guide will show you how to listen to a podcast on iPhone.
How to Search for Podcasts on iPhone
With the vast number of podcasts available, it might seem challenging to figure out where to start looking. However, the easiest and most common way to find podcasts is to search your preferred podcast listening app on your phone.
Depending on the specific app on your iPhone, you can get hints in the form of featured sections or charts to help you choose what you’ll like to listen to.
However, even if your app is pretty basic, you can still cut through all the noise and narrow down your search by entering a few keywords into the search bar of the app. For example, you may want to listen to the most effective way to lose weight. Simply type something along the lines of “how to lose weight” and the app will spit out several suggestions.
How to Download Podcasts on iPhone
Downloading your favorite podcast episodes to your iPhone is pretty straightforward, whether you are using the Apple Podcasts app, iTunes app, or some other popular podcast app.
Here’s how to download podcasts to your device using Apple’s default app and iTunes.
From the Apple Podcasts App on your iPhone
- Navigate to the Podcasts app icon and tap it.
- Head on the App Store to download the app for free if it is not available on your iPhone.
- Tap the “Top Stations” or “Catalog” option to browse for available podcasts.
- Tap the “Search” option if you know the name of a particular episode you want to download.
- Tap the name of the podcast.
- To download the episode, tap the download button or arrow next to the particular episode.
- Tap the “Subscribe” option if you would like to subscribe to the podcast on your iPhone. This option allows new episodes of the podcast to automatically download to your iPhone as soon as they are available.
- You will be prompted to enter your password. Type in your password and tap “Download” to start downloading the episode to your iPhone.
From iTunes App
- Start the iTunes app by tapping the icon on your phone
- Tap the “Search” option and enter the name of a specific podcast you want to download.
- Tap the “More” option if you want to browse through all the available podcasts.
- Once the name shows up tap it to display the list of episodes.
- Next, tap on the download button or arrow icon next to your desired episode to download it to your device.
- You will be prompted for your password. Enter your Apple account password and tap “Download” to begin downloading the episode to your iPhone.
How to Listen to a Podcast on iPhone
Now that we are done with the downloading aspect, let’s get into the crux of the matter: how to listen to a podcast on iPhone.
Typically, your iPhone is equipped with a built-in podcasts app. While this is pretty basic, it will do for any average podcast listener. It allows you to search Apple’s podcast library for shows and subscribe to them easily.
Your first task is to locate the app on your iPhone. Look for the app called Apple Podcasts and then tap it each time you want to listen to your favorite podcast.
If for some reason the Apple Podcasts app is not on your iPhone, you can always download it from the App Store for free.
Here’s how to listen to a podcast on your iPhone:
- Tap the Apple Podcasts app to open it.
- Tap the “Search” icon (usually, it is a magnifying glass button at the bottom of the navigation) to open the search page.
- Enter the name of the podcast you want to listen to or a description of the podcast.
- Browse through the list of available podcasts and choose the one you want by tapping on the name. This will navigate to the podcast’s homepage.
- Tap on any of the episodes listed on the podcast’s homepage and tap the play button to listen to it.
- You can access the playback controls from the Now Playing screen by tapping the player at the bottom of your phone’s screen. The playback controls allow you to do any of the following:
- Rewind or fast forward through an episode. Tap the 30-second fast forward button or 15-second rewind button to move back and forth through the episode.
- You can also adjust the playback speed. Simply tap the speed button (1x) to choose normal speed, double speed, half speed, or one and a half speed.
- Set a time for the podcast to stop playing or when it should start playing. Tap the Sleep Timer button from the Now Playing screen and set your preferred time.
- Tap “Subscribe” if you like the content and the app will automatically download new episodes straight to your podcast library whenever they become available.
As much as we all love a night in front of the TV, podcasts are becoming a fierce competitor for the traditional couch potato activity.
As the podcast world continues to boom, we have thousands, if not millions, of podcasts at our fingertips.
With not a single topic left uncovered, more of us are ditching the TV for an immersive listening experience.
However, not everyone wants to listen to their podcasts at their desks or in their homes.
If you want to enjoy your favorite podcasts on the go, we’re here to show you how you can dive into the listening experience straight from your home.
The Apple Podcasts App
If you don’t already have this app, you can head straight to the app store and install it on your iPhone.
The Apple Podcast App gives you instant access to some of the best podcasts on the market straight from your iPhone.
Once you’ve downloaded the Apple Podcast app, follow these steps to get started:
- Press ‘continue’ on the welcome screen
- Now, navigate to the ‘browse’ button at the bottom of the screen, and search for any podcast you want to listen to. If you know the name of the podcast, you can search for it directly, or you can search for a genre you want to explore.
- Once you’ve completed your search, select the podcast you want to listen to
- To start a specific episode, scroll down until you find the episode you want, and tap it to play.
If you want to download your episode and listen to it later, you can hit the plus sign to the right of the screen.
This will store your podcast episode on your phone for later, where you can listen to it without the internet – this is great if you’re planning to travel with limited WiFi access.
If you’re enjoying your podcast, you can also subscribe to it.
When you do this, the app will automatically download new episodes for you, so you won’t have to do it yourself!
When this happens, you’ll find your new episodes directly inside your library.
Spotify Podcast App
Spotify isn’t just good for streaming music on the go. You can also access a wide variety of podcasts, too!
To access Spotify’s podcast collection, follow these steps:
Spotify For Desktop
- Click on the ‘search’ option in the top left corner
- Find the podcasts tab in the ‘browse all’ section and click on it
- From here, you can explore featured podcasts on Spotify or search through them based on their categories
- Once you’ve found a podcast you click, click on the podcast art to start listening
If you know the name of the podcast you want to listen to, you can search for it in the search bar without navigating to the podcast section.
Spotify For Mobile
- Head over to the search option, and find ‘browse all’
- From here, scroll down until you see the podcast option, and click on it
- Once you’ve selected the podcast option, you can scroll through and find a podcast you want to listen to
- Click on your chosen podcast and scroll to explore the episodes
- Click play to start listening
Like the Apple Podcast App, you can also download episodes and save them for later, so you can listen without internet access.
Spotify has plenty of great podcasts to choose from. However, its library is not as extensive as the Apple Podcast App.
Google Play Music
If you’re an android user without access to the Apple Podcast App, you can also explore Google Play Music.
Google Play Music is a free, built-in app that comes with all android devices.
This app does absolutely everything the Apple Podcast App does, and you can listen to your favorite podcasts on the go, download episodes for later, and subscribe to your favorite podcasts for automatic downloads and all the latest content.
To explore podcasts on Google Play Music, simply open the app, search for your favorite podcast, and hit play.
If you’re not sure where to find the app, open up the Google Play Store, find the three horizontal lines in the top left corner, and click ‘open music app.’
This will open up Google Play Music – from here, the world is your oyster! Once open, head over to the left corner of the screen and tap the horizontal lines.
From the side menu, scroll down until you find the ‘podcasts’ section, and open it up.
Once you’re here, you can browse through the featured podcasts or search for one by name if you know it.
Once you’ve found the podcast you want, click on it to explore episodes or download episodes for later.
If you want to subscribe to a podcast, simply hit the ‘subscribe’ button – when you do this, your new podcast will appear in the ‘your podcasts’ section of the Google Play Music app.
This will save you from searching for it each time you want to listen.
Why Listen To Podcasts?
If you’re a committed TV fanatic, you may be wondering… what can I gain from listening to a podcast? First of all, podcasts are usually offered for free.
You can also listen to them whenever and wherever you are – sure, you can watch a TV show on your mobile, but it doesn’t quite live up to the real TV experience, does it?
Unlike audiobooks, podcasts are more of a conversation than a story.
This is far more dynamic than the usual one-person narration we see with audiobooks, and it makes for a far more exciting and diverse listening experience.
FAQ
How to listen to podcasts on iphone for free?
Open the pre-installed Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone. Use the ‘Search’ feature to find a podcast of interest. Once you’ve found a podcast, tap on it and hit the ‘Play’ button to start listening.
How to listen to podcasts on iphone without using data?
To listen to podcasts on your iPhone without using data, you’ll need to download the episodes while you’re connected to Wi-Fi. Open the Apple Podcasts app, find the podcast episode you want, and tap the cloud icon with the downward arrow. This will download the episode to your device, and you can listen to it later without using data.
Are Podcasts free on iPhone?
Yes, most podcasts are free to listen to on the Apple Podcasts app on the iPhone. However, some podcast creators offer premium content or ad-free listening for a fee. You can choose to subscribe to these paid services, but it’s optional and the majority of content remains free.
How do I get podcast on my iPhone?
ou can get podcasts on your iPhone by using the built-in Apple Podcasts app. Open the app and use the ‘Search’ tab to find a podcast you’re interested in. Once you’ve found the podcast, tap on it and then tap the ‘+Follow’ button. New episodes of this podcast will automatically appear in your ‘Library’ when they’re available.
The Bottom Line
With these convenient podcast apps, you can throw yourself into an immersive listening experience whenever and wherever you are.
So, ditch your favorite TV shows for a while and stick on a podcast today – we promise you, you won’t look back!
Other Great Podcast Apps
You are not limited to the Apple Podcasts app on your iPhone. You can download other great alternatives that offer better design and great customization. Some of the widely popular options include Castro, Fusebox, Spotify, and Overcast.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve seen how to listen to a podcast on iPhone, there’s nothing stopping you from enjoying your favorite topics and themes. Simply head on to App Store and download your preferred podcast app if you want something with more functionality than Apple’s default Podcasts app.
