iTunes won't download podcasts

Hey krskiff,

Thanks for posting. The exact steps you listed did not work for me on my computer but it was close enough that I did get it to work. I'll list my steps. With so many variables in the settings someone has set there may not be a universal workaround but there is at least one.

These were used with iTunes on Win10 and no existing podcast subscriptions.

Locate and select the Podcast in the Store tab.

Subscribe to the Podcast

Click Subscribe in the pop-up box

Click the Library Tab

Look for the MyEpisodes/Feed box on the right side of the page, near top

Select Feed

Locate the specific podcast you want to download and then click the blue cloud to start the download

I tried to make the images smaller but when I added they were still big so sorry about the size. As you stated, you need to subscribe to the podcast, then go to your library and from the Feed or MyEpisodes tab (both work as long as you see the specific podcast you want) click the blue download cloud to the right of the podcast. You should start to see it download.

It would seem that among other issues (bugs with Get Info and reset plays) Tunes 12.6.0.100 has problems accessing the iTunes Store for some users, which can make it freeze on launch. See the iTunes installers section of Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates for links to the 12.5.5.5 build and roll back advice.

tt2

I see that 3 of us (so far) have posted about this problem so it's likely some kind of glitch in the 12.6 update. So far no one has suggested a solution, but perhaps when enough people who are experiencing it post the Apple techs will get busy and figure out how to correct the problem.

I posted this problem a few hours ago as well.

Cannot download from iTunes after updating to 12.6 using a Windows 7 machine connected to my IPod Touch.

Hopefully the Apple techs will post a solution or patch.

I have this question too. I was trying to download podcasts from Masterpiece Studio. When this didn't work I tried some CBC podcasts I had downloaded in the past. No go. I am using an HP laptop with Windows 10, and download to transfer to my iPod. I tried calling Apple support late last night. I was on hold and then told due to high call volume I should leave my name and number. Then I had silence and a dial tone.

I used the e-mail route to report this problem to Apple support yesterday and received back a form e-mail saying that I would receive a reply from them within 48 hours. I hope that everyone who is experiencing the inability to download podcasts will contact support via phone or e-mail so that they realize that it's a serious problem which needs to be fixed right away and can't be ignored.

I clicked on the "contact support" button at the top right of the page, selected "iTunes", then "iTunes Store" and described the problem as "I can't download podcasts since I undated to v.12.6." The e-mail page is what came up as the suggested way to contact them and all I had to do was fill in the form and send it. Not sure why it didn't work that way for you.

I've tried something that might help. If you have episodes that are more than a few months old that you want to keep, do not try this.

1. Unsubscribe from the podcasts you want new episodes for.

2. Delete the entire podcast from your feed.

3. Go to the iTunes store and re-subscribe to the podcast. The latest episode should start downloading automatically.

4. Once the podcast is back on your feed, download other recent episodes by clicking on the icon of the cloud with the downward-facing arrow.

This is tedious, but will get you the latest episodes.

Thanks. I used a variation of that yesterday but hadn't gotten around to posting it yet. I didn't delete my podcasts. First, I tried to subscribe from within the iTunes store and got the same result as ksuguy--nothing happened. Then I tried subscribing from within the app on my computer and got the same result as you did. (I normally don't subscribe to any of my podcasts but visit the store and download the ones I want.) The latest episodes appeared and were downloaded when I clicked on the cloud icon. As you say, it's tedious but it appears that either of our methods can function as a temporary work around until Apple gets this fixed.

[Sorry about the multiple postings. My reply didn't appear the first 2 times I entered it and when I repeated it a 3rd time, suddenly all 3 were popped up.]

To update my previous suggestion of a work-around---I opened iTunes today and no new episodes were there to be downloaded. I tried unsubscribing to one of the podcasts, then re-subscribing and suddenly the latest one was there ready to download. Apparently my work-around only is effective for 1 day and it's necessary to repeat the unsubscribing/re-subscribing process every day for it to work, which is obviously a ridiculous hassle. Apple needs to get this fixed soon.

BTW, I e-mailed support last Saturday and received back a form note assuring me that I would receive a reply from the engineers within 48 hours. It's now been 4 days and . . . *crickets*

Thanks for the info. I'll give it a try tomorrow. One thing, I don't see the word "show" anywhere on my library page (and the view is set to podcasts) so I can't figure out how to access the "show" dropdown menu to select "feed" within it. What am I missing?

I sure hope they get this fixed soon. I thought Apple was supposed to be the outfit which never released anything which doesn't work perfectly. Wish they had thought about that before they released iTunes v.12.6.

I have the same problem and I contacted Apple about it on Sunday morning once I noticed it. After a couple days of looking into it the customer service rep said they I'm not the only one and that they're working on fixing it. So basically just told me to sit tight and keep checking for iTunes updates (or maybe they can fix it without an update).

I heard back 3 days after I e-mailed them explaining the problem with downloading. The reply included a link and suggested that I use it to contact their tech experts. When I went to the link, it turned out to be the same "contact tech support" page I had used to initiate my original e-mail advising tech support of my problem. I suppose if I went thru the process and repeated my e-mail describing the problem I'd get an e-mail a few days later suggesting that I go to the that page and advise their tech experts of the problem . . . . And round and round we go.

I don't see why Apple just doesn't put out a press release saying that they are aware of the problem, are working to fix it, will put out an iTunes update once the bug has been fixed, and describing the various work-arounds that people can use to get their downloads until then.