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whoit Author

Level 1

15 points

Can't sync podcasts ios7.0.3 - terrible

Just got my 5S with iOS 7.0.3 and I can't sync a single podcast.

I'm using Windows 7 Pro, iTunes 11.1.1.11, Podcast App 2.0

I have a large quantity of downloaded podcasts that I've been syncing for years

with iPods, iPhones, and iPads - everything has worked perfectly until now.

I do not sync/download podcasts from within an app - I have a separate

program on my PC to download and manage them.

I do not subscribe to Podcasts via my Apple products or iTunes because my wife and I share

our libraries.

(Meaning using an alternative app like Downcast will not work as it cannot sync existing podcasts via iTunes)

No matter what I do, as long as Podcasts are of Kind "Podcast", they won't sync.

I've tried:

1) Uninstalling/reinstalling the Podcast App multiple times

2) Syncing podcasts 'Automatically' with every option - 'all', 'all unplayed', 'recent unplayed', etc, etc

3) 'Include Episodes from Playlists'

4) and more.

After syncing, I've noticed in iTunes, under my Device, I can see all the podcasts in either the 'Podcast' link or the various Playlists (depending on what I've tried)

However, the Podcast App on the iPhone simply will not show them - as groups, or playlists, or anything.

The most I've ever gotten is a single Podcast mislabeled and with the wrong Artwork.

If I change all my Podcasts to Kind "Music" (or 'Audiobook') then I can get them into the Music player, but then I lose all my storage organization in iTunes - the 'Podcast' Library item becomes useless.

I've been an Apple user since the Apple II so I'm no nubie.

This is the worst junk Apple has ever turned out - whoever worked on it should be fired immediately - and I mean coders, managers, directors - all of them.

All I want to do is sync Podcasts from my PC library to my BRAND NEW EXPENSIVE iPhone the same way I can with music.

Does anyone have any ideas what else to do?

iPhone 5s, iOS 7.0.3

Posted on Oct 24, 2013 10:46 AM

115 replies

7smcb

Level 1

0 points

Nov 3, 2013 6:24 AM in response to whoit

Sad to say it didn't work. I'm now boggled. Very disappointing that something I've done as long as I've used itunes has been thwarted.

I have noticed a couple of things. First, if I sync after a restart, or after upgrading to 7.0.3, the "homemade" podcasts sync properly. On resyncing, they disappear. And I can't get them back.

Also, I would note that I do always seem to keep one of the homemade podcasts - but none of the others.

whoit Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 3, 2013 12:10 PM in response to 7smcb

7smbc - You tried phony URLS and they didn't work?

Just to check, are you sure you added all the new tags I listed earlier?

Are you able to find valid URLS for the podcasts?

7smcb

Level 1

0 points

Nov 3, 2013 1:09 PM in response to whoit

All other tags were entered. Phony urls didn't work. There aren't valid urls for these "podcasts". They aren't podcasts. They are spoken word things I've recorded on the net. It has been useful to have them saved and viewable with my podcasts. Or rather it was...

Nov 4, 2013 12:13 AM in response to 7smcb

7smcb - same issue, same problems.

The work around I finally adopted was to rename all of my spoken word podcasts as Music. I chnaged the genre to "radio podcast" and set up smart playlists based on that genre.

They now download perfectly to iPhone and iPad - sadly in the Music section rather than with other podcasts, so having a "mixed" playlist is out for now. But at least you can listen to them....

7smcb

Level 1

0 points

Nov 4, 2013 4:44 PM in response to jockblue1

Jockblue - I've done exactly the same.

whoit Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 4, 2013 5:53 PM in response to 7smcb

Did either of you consider (or try) using "AudioBook" so they were easier to deal with than "Music" ?

Nov 6, 2013 12:30 AM in response to whoit

Still not working with the iTunes upgrade today.

Very frustrating!

Where can we report this bug so we can get it fixed?

Nov 6, 2013 10:35 PM in response to whoit

It's really frustrating!!! Copying downloaded talks, lectures, seminars into iTunes' podcast and then sync to my iPhone is the MAIN reason I choose iTunes/iPhone, but now it's gone!!!

Nov 7, 2013 6:01 AM in response to whoit

Yep! Podcast are no longer able to be downloaded into your iPhone. You need the Podcast App, which will play the ones you sellect but you need to turn on your celluar data on your phone. That means your using your cellular data which COSTS YOU MONEY, see? Also you can't just play them anywhere, you need a conncetion. So if your on a plane, your ******!

Nov 7, 2013 7:39 AM in response to whoit

Considered audiobook but didn;t think it would be any easier than the "music" option.

Is it easier?

Nov 7, 2013 7:43 AM in response to daveyleis1

Daveyleis1 - that's just wrong mate. You can still sync podcasts onto your phone from iTunes - it's just that some don't work as they should do. You can also download onto your phone directly using wifi only (there's a setting on the podcast app settings page) so it need not cost MONEY, see? And you can play the ones you've managed to download without any connection such as a plane....

Nov 7, 2013 8:17 AM in response to jockblue1

Thanks, I'll see if I can figure it out. Settings on the app. I'll redownload it and try. I tried to creat a playlist with a couple of podcast in it but the sync gave me the message about the app.

Nov 7, 2013 8:01 PM in response to whoit

I couldn't be bothered to find a proper tag editor for my old podcasts so I set them as audiobooks and that seemed to be a good workaround for me as they work basically the same. You can even listen to them in the original itunes player, if you happen to hate the new podcast app.

Nov 8, 2013 10:46 PM in response to whoit

Just wanted to add my frustration to the pile! I had been downloading uni lectures & labelling them podcasts, because listening to them at 1.5x speed is perfect (& I save 8hrs of listening time per unit!). So like others, I don't have a URL for them. Now, they won't sync & the ones that were there, were removed. As far as I can tell, the Podcast app is the only player that does 1.5x (Audiobooks only does 2x), so I am pretty much screwed 😠. 2x is too fast & I was saving hours of time. GGGGRRRRRR! Why is this so hard?

P.S. Just wanted to add that back when my 'fake' podcasts would sync to my iPhone, like others have said, they would all be lumped into one giant album instead of grouped according to the album info I had for them in iTunes. Moot point for now I know.....but if this thing ever gets resolved I hope that's part of the fix!

Nov 10, 2013 5:54 AM in response to iPhoneMum

I am frustrated too. The PODCAST 2.0 sync stopped working for me too.

I don't know exactly what got it to work for me but this is what I just did after an hour of reading all the posts:

(1) exited and restarted iTunes 11.1.3 on my Win7 PC

(2) disconnect iPhone and on iPhone iOS 7.0.3, closed all apps and restarted iphone (apple icon restart)

(3) reconnected iPhone to PC then the PODCAST sync just "magically" worked

. . . go figure . . . there is a bug in there somewhere . . . I hope they find it.

Can't sync podcasts ios7.0.3 - terrible