Apple has launched a web app for Apple Podcasts. As with all web apps, this removes the need to download and use a dedicated app to access the service. Instead, you may just launch your web browser of choice and head to the Apple Podcasts web app.
Apple Podcasts Now Has a Useful Web App
As of today, Apple Podcasts is available on the web, giving podcast fans another option besidesthe best free podcast players.
Apple Podcasts on the web brings the interface that users of the Podcasts app will be familiar with to the web, allowing anyone with a supported browser to access Apple Podcasts' features without the need to download anything.
The web app works on all the major web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari) in 170 countries. While web listening has been an option for a while, the lack of web app meant you had to look up a show and navigate to its Apple Podcasts Preview page. Now, everything is available in a single interface located atpodcasts.apple.com.
What You Can and Can’t Do With Apple Podcasts on the Web
The new Apple Podcasts web app is very similar to the dedicated Podcasts app for iOS and Mac. And should at least be familiar to those who currently use either.
There areBrowseandTop Chartssections, and then once you sign in using your Apple account, you can access your Apple Podcasts library. This means that you can pick up where you left off with the standard app, accessing your shows and syncing playback across the two. You can even purchase premium subscriptions.
Users without an Apple account can listen for free to any podcast that hasn’t been marked as “explicit”. However, not signing in to (or up for) an account means you miss out on various features.
For those with an Apple account, the only feature that appears to be missing is the option to speed up playback. And while I have never understood the appeal of listening to podcasts at 2x speed, this may be an issue for some.
Is It Enough to Tempt You Away From Your Preferred Podcast Player?
In July, I wrote a whole article listing reasonswhy Spotify is my favorite app for listening to podcasts. And while all of those reasons still stand up to scrutiny, the Apple Podcasts web app means I have another potential option to use.
I must admit that the interface is beautiful, and everything works seamlessly on my Chromebook. It isn’t quite enough to tempt me away from Spotify given that I already pay for a subscription, but it may be enough to tempt you away from your regular podcast player.
