What you'll need
- iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the latest version of iOS
- Podcasts app for iOS
- Wi-Fi or cellular internet connection
You don't need to be signed in with your Apple ID to play or download podcasts, but you will if you want to sync your podcasts.
Streaming
You can stream podcast episodes you don't want to be stored on your iOS device. Your iOS device will need a continuous internet connection when you choose to stream.
- Browse or Search for a podcast.
- Tap a podcast to view details.
- Tap the name of an episode you want to play.
The podcast episode will begin playing. If you allow Podcasts to use cellular data (under Settings > Podcasts), streamed podcasts of any size will play.
Downloading
If you download a podcast episode, a copy of the episode is stored on your iOS device so you can play it anytime you like even if there's no Internet connection.
- Browse or Search for a podcast.
- Tap a podcast to view details.
- Tap the download icon next to an episode.
The podcast will start to download and will appear in My Podcasts. When you use a cellular data connection, the maximum download size is 100 MB per episode.
Subscribing
You can subscribe to your favorite podcasts. Whenever a new episode is available your iOS devices will get them automatically.
- Browse or Search for a podcast.
- Tap a podcast to view details.
- Tap Subscribe.
Once you subscribe to a podcast it will appear in My Podcasts. The latest episode of the podcast will also begin to download.
Password-protected podcasts
You can also access password-protected podcasts in the Podcasts app for iOS (such as paid podcast subscriptions). Simply type or paste the podcast's URL in the search field in My Podcasts. You can also subscribe to an authenticated podcast by tapping its URL in Safari.