Where is the podcast playlist in iOS 12?

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Level 1

40 points

Where is the podcast playlist in iOS 12?

I know that this question has been asked a few times already since iOS 10 came out but I'm up to iOS 12 and I still can't get Podcasts to work as I want. Just wondering if someone out there has found a way to either find where podcast playlists are displayed or found another way to simulate playlist functionality in the iPhone Podcast app?

Background:

I manage my podcasts on my Mac in iTunes as I find it much easier on the big screen than on the iPhone. I drive long distances regularly and listen to podcasts on the way and they play in the order that I set for them in the playlist in iTunes. This used to be easily done by just creating podcast playlists that contained the episodes I was interested in in iTunes and then sync'ing to the iPhone. The iPhone Podcast app used to show those playlists and I'd pick one, start playing and off I'd drive. They would play one-after-the-other all day. Now, I can still create and manage podcast playlists in iTunes. I can even sync them to the iPhone but the iPhone Podcast app no longer shows them. This is strange as I know that the episodes that were in the iTunes playlist did actually get copied to the iPhone - it's just that the playlist that they are in is not visible.

iPhone 8

Posted on Dec 22, 2018 7:39 PM

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Answer 1

rick9109

Level 1

19 points

Dec 25, 2018 10:35 AM in response to Polgs

For some reason Apple thought it was a good idea to remove access this feature in iOS11, and the app hasn't received a significant update since that time, so I'm not hopeful it will return.

You can set up a "now playing" playlist, by long pressing/force pressing podcasts and adding them to "up next."

I'd suggest looking into third party apps, but none of these support syncing with iTunes that I know of, unfortunately.

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Answer 2

Polgs Author

Level 1

40 points

Dec 27, 2018 11:28 PM in response to the fiend

Thanks to 'rick9109' and 'the fiend',

One reason for me wanting to manage my podcasts on iTunes rather than iPhone is that I subscribe to around 20 to 30 different podcasts and I have episodes saved from those podcasts going back 10 years or more. Most of my podcasts are science and reference types, not stories, and I like to go back and listen again to episodes that I downloaded years ago and may have already listened to previously. My podcast library in iTunes has over 10,000 episodes saved. I cannot imagine trying to manage all this on my little iPhone 8.

One method that I use is to put the episodes that I want to listen to into a playlist as usual but before sync'ing to iPhone, I change the 'media kind' to 'music'. I find the playlists that they are in in the music app on the iPhone and play them all from there. The disadvantages here are that I cannot change the playback speed and that it is not obvious where I am up to in a playlist if I have to stop playing. Also, to preserve my library's integrity, when I've finished with a playlist, I have to change the episodes back to 'podcast' media type.

The other solution is that I use my old, but still alive, iPad 2 that is stuck on iOS 9 so it still supports podcast playlists.

It would be really nice if Apple would allow the playlists that we create in iTunes to be accessed on iPhone.

"PLEASE"! (humble begging here)

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Answer 3

the fiend

Level 7

23,460 points

Dec 25, 2018 11:35 AM in response to rick9109

rick9109 wrote:
I'd suggest looking into third party apps, but none of these support syncing with iTunes
that I know of, unfortunately.

The trend is to download Podcasts directly to your device, even with Apple's (now useless) app. Try a third-party app and see what you think of it. I abandoned the Apple Podcasts app some time ago.

My recommendation is do not pay for an app unless - and until - you are happy that you can use it to your satisfaction and that it will do what you want. Make a note of the features that you want and make sure the app you choose can offer that feature. In the end, make sure that the you find the app easy and intuitive to use.

Apps to avoid are ones that:

only let you download Podcasts that the app is hosting (and have no method for adding a Podcast by its "Podcast URL")
only stream audio, but don't let you download it (such apps are not Podcatchers anyway)
you yell at, telling it to play your choice of Podcast, but which don't let you choose which episodes to play

I currently use Podbean. Would I recommend it? Not unequivocally, but I would suggest you try it. Like all Podcast apps, one can listen to Podcasts in spite of the app, not because of it.

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Answer 4

the fiend

Level 7

23,460 points

Dec 28, 2018 3:32 AM in response to Polgs

Thanks to 'rick9109' and 'the fiend',

It would be really nice if Apple would allow the playlists that we create in iTunes to be accessed on iPhone.

"PLEASE"! (humble begging here)

Just as it used to be, you mean? That would be nice, wouldn't it?

You could suggest it as a feature, at https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html but two points:

Apple rarely (and I mean very rarely) reply to such suggestions (even if they use them)
Don't hold your breath waiting for them to implement such a useful feature

I listen to several Podcasts about Podcasting and the impression I get is that:

the people who create Podcast apps don't listen to Podcasts (so never use the app they've created). Result?... they don't know just what a pile of junk their creation is
The apps are not tested properly (if at all) before release to us
the people who create the Podcast programmes are just as bad as the people who create the apps
We're on our own...

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Where is the podcast playlist in iOS 12?

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