Podcasts not updating on watch

Have you tried the app ‘Outcast’?

It works perfectly for me. Apple Watch 5 + iPhone XR.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/outcast-for-watch/id1326693810

Just in case you’re interested. It recommends turning off Bluetooth and turning on airplane mode to download faster.

As long as I have a pretty good WiFi connection the ‘outcast’ app works for me every time.

Let me know if it works.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/outcast-for-watch/id1326693810

There’s a new WatchOS update this morning (v7.5). Apparently one of the changes is related to the podcast app. Wonder if the functionality has been improved any…

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.

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?

I’ve been struggling with this same problem for a couple of weeks with my iPhone 8. I typically let my watch and phone charge overnight but was not seeing podcasts downloaded to my watch so had to revert to listening to my downloaded music instead.

I tried your recommendation and sadly it did take a real loooong time to work. I had to have my watch in the charger for close to an entire day overall. One thing I did notice was my watch has a lot of old podcasts were no longer on my phone so maybe that is why it took so long to sync properly. Either way, syncing should never have to take this long. Please get this addressed Apple.

Well, my podcasts always show me the same message as yours for like a sec and then immediately switch to ‘updating’ or ‘waiting’. Nevertheless after the night i found all or sometimes almost all podcasts in my apple watch.

When i talked to Apple adviser he said that bluetooth is still really slow and it wasn’t adapted (?, if it is the right word) to transfer such a large amount of data. But idk why then i can’t just download them via WiFi.

Actually it would be nice to draw attention to this issue.

Also it interesting that no-one of apple advisers i talked to (both in my local stores and online support) have even heard about that.

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.

THIS. I'll add to this, it drives me up the wall. I've tried everything in the thread below. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

What really drives me nuts is; I understand the technology to be not quite there yet. I wish Apple would just be transparent about that. Even then, the user experience doesn't have to be so poor.

Audible audiobooks is the only app that has figured this out. Even that is spotty, but at least they have a 1:1 File --> Watch capability.

I can wait hours if I need to. I can do it overnight. Just let me go into the podcast app, choose an episode, choose to send it to the Watch, and then have a progress bar the entire way to tell me how far it is. And then, if it fails, tell me WHY it failed and what to do to fix it (restart, wait longer, etc).

Every experience seems to be "add podcasts to queue, create settings exactly right, then hope for the best" and if it doesn't work, we have NO idea why.

The tech isn't the problem, the user experience is.

I have a brand new watch. Fully updated... it has about 4 podcasts added to it each 8hr overnight charging period. This is insane! There is no way to force it to add podcast any faster. After 5 days of sitting on the charger I have only 25 podcasts on my watch! WTF!?!

I’ve been experiencing the same issue so trying this now. I removed everything from the library and sync’d. Once done selected a few podcasts once again. I selected custom rather than next up. The custom is to download 3 episodes but appears to be downloading more than 3 so not sure why. Will see how this works.