How do I prevent ITunes from automatically downloading podcasts to my desktop

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Level 1

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How do I prevent ITunes from automatically downloading podcasts to my desktop

Hi,

I have several subscribed podcasts downloaded to my iPhone 4. I download individual podcasts based upon interest directly through my iPhone 4 device through Wi-Fi. Whenever I start up iTunes on my desktop it proceeds to download all the podcasts simultaneously whether I have listened to them or not. So I proceeeded to delete all podcasts from my desktop iTunes interface as well as subscriptions as I was unable to find a tab to prevent the downloads. I then went for a run and returned to a half finished podcast and once I was out of Wi-Fi range, everything related to podcasts and subscriptions while in the middle of playing disappeared from my iPhone 4. How do I prevent desktop iTunes from interfering with iPhone iTunes? Thanks in advance for any advice.

iPhone 4, iOS 7.1.1

Posted on May 12, 2014 1:02 AM

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Answer 1

4mulator

Level 1

9 points

Oct 24, 2014 1:16 PM in response to JPSanreg

Hi,

I think this may be what your looking for, in iTunes, under My Podcasts tab, down at the bottom left, click on defaults and you'll get a popup window. Check download episodes is set to off.

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

278,179 points

May 12, 2014 2:04 AM in response to JPSanreg

In iTunes go to Edit > Preferences > Store and untick Sync podcast subscriptions and settings. (Press Alt or Ctrl+B to reveal the menu bar if required.

On your device use Settings > Podcasts >Sync Subscriptions > Off.

Now your library and the podcast app should work independently,

tt2

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Answer 3

the fiend

Level 7

23,460 points

May 12, 2014 1:33 AM in response to JPSanreg

Are you sure the episodes have downloaded? After a very strange update to iTunes, it now lists all Podcast episodes in a way that makes it look as though they are downloaded, when they are not. Look at this screenshot below...

Looking from left to right, as we tend to do with western language text, we see the blue spot to indicate that we haven't started listening to that episode, a tick, the purpose of which is to add the episode to a device at syncing time (if the tick is on) and a full (not greyed-out) title, which up until the update, always indicated the difference between a downloaded and not-downloaded episode. Only if you look past those previously reliable indicators, do we see the cloud icon, which indicates that the episode is "in the cloud" and not downloaded into the iTunes Library.

Deleting them does not prevent them from re-appearing. I even have Podcasts to which I'm not subscribed which have these "cloud" episodes displayed. Even worse, they are included in the Unplayed Podcasts count in my iTunes Library - even though they are not on my computer!

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Answer 4

JPSanreg Author

Level 1

0 points

May 12, 2014 5:46 PM in response to turingtest2

Thanks for the info and I have done what you have suggested on both my iPhone device and my desktop iTunes. Unfortunately, everytime I click into iTunes on my desktop it still downloads quite a few podcasts onto my hard drive.

Regards,

JP

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Answer 5

JPSanreg Author

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May 12, 2014 5:50 PM in response to the fiend

Thanks for the reply. However, that is not the issue that I am having. I make sure to click the arrow-cloud icon on the podcast I wish to download on my iPhone device before I leave a WiFi area. he issue is when I click into my desktop iTunes is that it automatically downloads podcasts.

Regards,

JP

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Answer 6

turingtest2

Level 10

278,179 points

May 12, 2014 6:19 PM in response to JPSanreg

Having stopped the two libraries attempting to update each other you should now be able to review your subscriptions on the computer, change automatic download options and remove any unwanted episodes.

tt2

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Answer 7

JPSanreg Author

Level 1

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May 13, 2014 6:37 PM in response to turingtest2

I have done that and changed my settings to manually download. It still seems to download whenever I login to iTunes. I have now unsubscribed and deleted all podcasts from the desktop Itunes and have prevented my iPhone from a WiFi sync to my desktop. I think the issue is solved for now as long as I do not sync to my desktop.

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Answer 8

lars235

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2014 1:12 AM in response to JPSanreg

I have done all the above, but just as JPSanreg, every time I connect the iphone to the mac, it starts synching the podcasts. Anyone got ideas how to stop this?

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