My podcasts aren't syncing from iTunes to my iPhone.

I am getting this same message with my 5th gen Ipod touch. none of mine will play not even the ones with the cloud icon. make no sense why they do not work anymore please help.

Same issue here with my iphone5. Seems to have started happening after I installed the latest version of iOS7. I used to be able to sync my podcasts to my phone. Now they are available from the cloud for download instead. After I download from the cloud, I get the same message as you - "episode temporarily unavailable". Is Apple aware of this issue and working on it for an updated Podcast app?

I'm also experiencing this problem. I've tried deleting the app, resetting the phone... un/re sunscribing. Nothing works.

What I did before all this broke:

1 - I have iTunes on my macbook download the podcasts

2 - Set to auto transfer all unwatched episodes of about a dozen podcasts

3 - Sync my phone in the morning, loaded up with all new podcasts

4 - Listen to podcasts in my car (without eating the battery or my data by transferring from the cloud)

What I do now:

1 - Check iTunes and see that it missed episodes of some podcasts

2 - Manually download the episodes that didn't automatically download

3 - Verify that, yes, all the podcasts are set to auto download latest unwatched episodes

4 - Bang head into desk

5 - Hit sync, watch the progress bar sometimes transfer a podcast, most of the time not

6 - Check the podcast app on the phone and see that no podcasts have transferred (despite there being 20+ unwatched episodes)

7 - Verify all the settings in iTunes/phone

8 - Sit there contimplating throwing the phone down the garbage disposal

9 - Curse apple for breaking something that worked perfectly before...

10 - Repeat steps 1-9, etc

What I'm seeing on the phone is exactly what the previous posters described. My podcasts do not transfer, and the icloud download icon shows available. I can steam from the cloud, not that I want to eat my cell data, but that is the only way to hear my podcasts.

What I don't understand, is that it works the same way, regardless of the settings on my phone. I've tried both sync podcasts and don't sync, manually sync, auto sync, etc... all the combos of settings on the phone and iTunes. I can't get any of them to work.

The fact that iTunes on the MacOS is also broken makes me think there is something more systemic than just the podcast app or iOS being broken. Either that or it's tinfoil hat time, and it is a conspiracy between apple and the carriers to get us to use more data so they can charge more...

Really hoping it isn't tinfoil hat time. I hate tinfoil hat time.

OK, tinfoil hat is off. At the ready, but not on my head.

Found this on another thread, repeating it here, there is a temporary solution. For podcasts I had in the library, but could not transfer to the phone, this actually worked. Now if apple just fixes the whole shebang...

1- Select the podcasts folder in iTunes (MacOS)

2- Select all podcasts (apple-A)

3- Get info, go to options tab

4- Change Media Type from "music" (or anything else) to "podcasts"

5- sync your phone

6- open podcasts app

7- return to normal listening... kind of

Wakazashi, thanks, but this didn't work at all.

Overall the problem has gone from bad to worse in the past few days.

Same problem for me, and now I'm having the same issue with music. This is incredibly frustrating.

Lots of threads now saying the same thing. I'm going to test out some of the non-Apple paid apps that can download podcasts to see if I can get things working again.

Downcast is fine. You just run it on your iPhone/iPad. It doesn't "sync."

I think the syncing is where iTunes and the Apple Podcast app create their problems.

I agree with Hunter. Downloading via wifi direct to my phone is the only way I can get them to play. Called apple support and was disconnected with no call back. I won't knock their customer service though. It's always been top notch. The more I sat on hold the more I started to feel like they weren't going to be able to help me anyway. I will load them direct to my phone until the next update/fix. Bull$hit apple OS.

I'm having this problem as well, and was having to use wifi to load directly to the phone. Now, even THAT doesn't work; it downloads, but when I try to play it, I get an error that says "EPISODE UNAVAILABLE: this episode is temporarily unavailable from <Podcast name>.". I am hopeful that they are going to get this bug fixed soon, because I'm getting crabby, and it's the holiday season...

Same here. Tried everything. So I abandoned podcasts altogether. This started a month ago.

Ray

Not sure if this is the same issue. My podcasts all listed with an "iCloud" download symbol. Those would not sync. I went into the Settings under My Podcasts on iTunes (for that podcast) and set it to download all episodes. The episodes all proceded to download and they would then sync.

I had the same problem, but I think I have solved it. I had the same issue. Here's the solution.

1. Open iTunes.

2. plug in your device (iphone, ipad, etc.) so it shows up.

3. Sync it to make sure everything is backed up. (Just in case.)

4. In the device (as it shows up in itunes), click on the podcast tab. Make sure you have "sync podcasts" checked.

5. On your iphone or ipad go to Settings > Podcasts (you have to scroll down a little for it). Make sure that "sync subscriptions" is turned on (shows up as green.)

6. sync again.

when I upgraded the ios, this sync subscriptions was somehow turned off.

My basic approach is to download podcasts on my computer (so as not to use any cellular data) and have the podcasts on my computer and then synce to my device, rather than being on the cloud.

In response to "Barney-15E"s comments, you have to change the settings both in itunes on your comptuer and in settings > podcasts on your device.