Podcasts not updating on watch

Having this exact issue and it is extremely frustrating. I literally bought this watch, so that I didn’t have to have my phone on me and this completely defeats the whole purpose. Why is it taking Apple so long to respond?? I don’t see a single Apple rep commenting at all. Get it figured out Apple. Your tech continues to dwindle as you ride the name that Steve Jobs created!

I have tried multiple methods : deleting app and reinstalling, unpairing and repairing, normal sync and custom sync. The only thing I have not tried is deleting the watch and setting it up as a new device. (I really don’t want to do that) I am now using the Overcast app and am able to sync multiple podcasts to my watch and run and listen without bringing my phone. I would love to use the native apple app but so far for me the Apple Podcast app is a dud.

I have struggled for months with the same Podcast to Watch sync issues that everyone else here seems to have. I love Apple since I bought Quadro something or other but as of the last 12 months or so, I'd say the user interfaces and user experience of Apple's iOS apps have become complete garbage.

Bottom line on THIS particular issue IMHO:

The Podcast app for sync to Watch is completely useless (why Bluetooth? That's a completely brain dead way to transfer media when wifi is present almost everywhere). TBH, the Podcast app interface basically ***** to begin with. Littered with confusing icons and a counterintuitive workflow.

Overcast might be the BEST podcast app for playback on the iPhone. Clean and user friendly. But I can't sort out how to sync to Watch over anything but Bluetooth (maybe it can't) so I ditched if for syncing podcasts to the Watch

Now be careful. The next bit is about the unfortunately similarly named Outcast:

Outcast syncs over WiFi. Praise Allah. But it quit working maybe 60 days ago and I bailed back to the Podcast app. After a few weeks of that useless and frustrating garbage, I couldn't take it anymore. As of today, I'm back to Outcast on the Watch. New interface, wifi-fast downloads and 100% satisfaction.

So:

1. Overcast for podcast playback on the Phone
2. Outcast for offline podcast playback on the Watch
3. Apple Podcast app - nvmd!

And as soon as Spotify releases an offline playback version for the Watch, I'm back to that and dropping Apple Music like a bag of hammers. Because Apple Music might be the biggest UI/UX catastrophe I've ever experienced.

Sorry Apple. You need to get your head back into the software game. Your hardware's mostly great; your iOS software is a disaster.

So you’re saying that the only way to fix this is to:

1. Wait several hours, like overnight
2. Keep the iPhone and Apple Watch far enough apart that the Apple Watch doesn’t connect to Bluetooth and is forced to use WiFi?

That’s pretty ridiculous but I guess it’s a start.

Thank you!

This might help;

Listen to Apple Podcasts

By default, when you charge your Apple Watch, podcasts that you subscribe to sync to your Apple Watch. But you can also sync podcasts to your Apple Watch manually.

How to sync podcasts to your Apple Watch

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Podcasts and make sure that Sync Podcasts is turned on. 
2. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Go to the My Watch tab, scroll to Podcasts, then tap it.
3. Under Add Episodes From, tap Custom.
4. Tap the slider for the show that you want.
5. If you don't see the show that you want, open the Podcasts app on your iPhone, find the show, then tap Subscribe.

Episodes are automatically removed from your Apple Watch after you listen to them.

Learn more about how to use the Podcasts app.

4.3.2021

seems like Apple is discriminating against us runners or at the very least has a software manager that “sleeps in

“ on this one. (Pun intended)

so this is what I do now to get the podcasts to synchronize before my runs (it worked this morning)

Setup

-make the podcast app keep 1 episode (less apps means shorter downloading times)

i have 16 shows in my app all set to keep most recent

daily

wake up

leave watch on charger

pick up phone, open watch app

stare at the podcast synchronization symbol (spinners) (the harder you stare the faster the spinners go!)

go to the bathroom- keep watch app open

do my business, keep the watch app open

check spinners, some should go away after completing download. They take a long time.(I tried turning off Bluetooth but was then forced by the app to turn it back on doh!)

finish up in bathroom go back to watch.

Put on watch, say a little prayer to Steve Jobs and Woz.

Open podcast app and check for cloud icons on the watch show images, if no cloud icons it was a success!

if not, go back to top and start over ****** off damming Apple coders iPhones to turn into Newton’s.

today I only had one show that updated because it’s saturday so it worked.

i have partially or unplayed podcasts from Friday or before

11 downloaded but I think some were downloaded while on WiFi by streaming to watch partially and then later the watch downloaded while in the charging station

I think the problem is several things:

1. Podcasts are long and take a long time to down load
2. they download only when watch is on charger and the watch app is open (I could be wrong about the app having to be open but it is satisfying to see progress spinners disappear)
3. New podcasts download to phone in the morning right before I want them on my watch which means the watch being on the charger for a full minute is not enough

by allowing a 5-15 minute period between podcast download to phone and over to watch enabled success for 1 show

therefore going forward watch will need more time on charger as more new apps are available for download.

so I have purchased another watch charger that I can place in my tv room so I can charge the watch the evening before.

my guess is it will need to be connected to remove played podcasts thus decreasing the chances of a bottleneck in the short period of time I have in the morning.

Apple could do better by improving the display of downloading progress. Since we want it to happen fast the usual status shenanigans is not sufficient

Here’s the thing that frustrates me the most about this. Downloading or syncing music to the Apple Music app is easy and predictable. It sometimes takes up to 30 minutes or so if you have a massive playlist, but it works EVERY time. Why can’t the podcast app have the same consistency?

I have a cellular plan on my watch, I also have EVERY SINGLE problem that has been described on this thread - including talking to stumped Apple tech support. Still I start my run every day to see 85% of my podcasts un-downloaded.

podcasts DO NOT PLAY OVER CELLULAR. Do not get a cellular watch thinking it will stream your podcasts.

Hi, i’m here again for an update. After a lot of unsuccessful talks with apple support, unpairing watch and reseting iphone, i found an answer. Well, actually that one senior adviser i talked to recently solved that mystery, like he said that is from his experience.

So what you need to do is just wait a loooot more or just left it for a night.

To make syncing faster - you need to put your iphone and watch far from each other so that bluetooth starts breaking and it will use WiFi instead. (You can’t turn it off cause it kinda doesn’t work, idk. That’s that he said, you just can’t.)

At first i didn’t believed him and was really sceptical and hopeless but it worked and today i was listening to podcast in the gym! Try it and update if it really works for everyone.

Thanks for that unknown adviser!!

The ONLY thing I’ve found that works, and it works consistently, is to download and use a third party app. The app is “Outcast” and it’s a $0.99 download from the App Store

It’s not as clean as the native Apple Podcast app, and it takes a couple of steps, but you can tap a podcast episode right on the watch and download it over WiFi. You can see the download progress and track in General - Usage and see that it does indeed download to the phone right away.

it’s clunky and it’s a pain, and I would expect more from Apple developers for their own app, but it works for me.

Manage subscriptions wrote:

Can I just turn off my iPhone 12pro?

Be aware that even a cellular Apple Watch still depends on the iPhone for some services. See the footnotes from the following URL:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205547

1. To receive SMS, MMS, or push notifications from third-party apps on your cellular Apple Watch, your paired iPhone must be powered on and connected to Wi-Fi or cellular, but it doesn't need to be nearby. You also need to be signed in to iMessage on your iPhone.

This is WAY frustrating to me too, as I've gone through pretty much all you all have described. I have an Apple Watch Series 3 Nike, it's the GPS only, no Cellular, and I love it. I have spent HOURS on chat and on the phone with Apple tech support, and NOTHING works. The same issue you all are having, I'm having too. I've tried all of this with tech support, sent in screenshots, shared my watch data with apple, installed as a new phone, everything, and nothing at all works. I tried installing Overcast, and, just like the rest of you, it's still very sporadic.

I too use the Apple Watch for running, and I would love to be able to do short runs without carrying my phone. It seems like there are three options:

1. Get a Cellular Apple watch and a data plan, and stream your podcasts
2. Run with your iPhone and your Apple Watch
3. Just suck it up and deal with it

I don't like either of those options, as this is something that the Apple engineers should definitely be aware of.

Any other suggestions?

Put Outcast on your Watch (App store):

1. It will work standalone on your Watch. i.e., you can download podcasts DIRECTLY TO THE WATCH. No need to move them through your Phone.
2. It will download to your Watch over Wi-Fi. i.e., no need to use slow Bluetooth
3. It's a buck.

Here is how I work around it, to ensure the podcasts I want stay on the watch ready, regardless of whether I have partially listened or nor not (using Apple podcast by the way, I have no joy with 3rd parties). But Podcast syncing is still a frustrating process on the Apple Watch GPS version (which I bought so I can run without my phone).

1. download podcasts on the phone and mark them as saved. This adds them to your saved library.
2. On the watch app under podcasts, change the settings to custom. Choose stations and select saved.
3. Charge the watch, whilst near the phone and you should see the number of episodes updating to the watch.
4. On the watch, select library, saved items to play those podcasts
5. Points to note… if the watch dies completely or is updated , then all podcasts disappear from the phone so you have to repeat process. However for some reason it won’t sync on that first charge, so you have to take it off charge. Then repeat steps 2 and 3 and then charge. Also bear in mind it can take hours for 2 or 3 podcasts, so do it overnight. dont forget to delete and unsave podcasts you don’t need anymore from the phone app to reduce sync time..

Easy right…equally unsatisfactory process in switching AirPods from to watch quickly. But that’s for another thread..