Apple released a new Podcasts app a couple weeks ago due to which podcasts now has its own market on iOS. The new app comes with an apple-designed interface and keeps the podcast media organized. Some users may even switch completely to this app as the only podcast option. The ?catalog? is similar to the interface of App Store/iTunes but for podcasts only. This includes new & noteworthy, categories, featured etc. There?s a new browsing option known as Top Stations for podcast customers. Opening this option will show a wheel with the top podcasts in multiple categories and subcategories. Old podcast customers would find many new podcasts to discover with this new feature.
The option to download episodes for watching in offline mode is very easy to use. There?s a download button placed next to each episode with a status circle shown to see the progress of the download. For each podcast, there?s an ?auto-download? button as well. However, there?s a missing feature as well. There are no dynamic badges for podcasts left un-played. There?s no badge with a number on the Podcasts icon itself on the Springboard. They only come within the app placed aside each podcasts for un-played episodes.
Podcasts only downloaded on separate iDevices will sync playback positions. If you have an iPad and were watching your favorite episode, you can continue from where you left on the iPhone. To do this, you need to setup subscription on both of the devices, so users can pick up where they left off. You can share a podcast via Twitter, email or as a text message. The recipient will receive a link to the RSS feed for the podcast.
To conclude, the dedicate podcast app comes with a nice-clean Apple-inspired interface and has all the options for the users without being cluttered. This makes it a must-have app for podcasts if you?re an iOS user. Future updates are likely to enhance the functionality. Download the app for free from the App Store.
