Apple introduced a number of new podcast tools this week to manage storage between devices, allowing annual subscriptions and making it easier for creators to distribute content through third-party vendors.
With the release of iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5 and macOS 12.4, podcasters can now present annual subscription plans (opens in a new window) along with monthly offers through the new plan selection tool that appears when listeners touch “Subscribe” or ” Try for free “in a show or channel with a subscription option. Annual plans are selected by default.
To switch from a monthly to an annual subscription, open the Apple Podcasts app and go to Listen Now> Account> Subscribe Management, then select your preferred program and upgrade to a 12-month plan. Changes can be made to any podcast. The selection tool also shows how much the listener can save with an annual subscription (if it is lower than the monthly alternative).
While you’re at it, check out Apple’s new auto-download preferences available through your iDevice settings app. Open the Podcasts tab and tap AutoDownload to choose how many episodes to save for offline streaming: a certain number of shows, all recent episodes, all new episodes or none. Customize individual shows by tapping “…” on the program page, open Settings and select a preference from Auto Download.
Users will be prompted to remove automatically downloaded episodes that do not meet the newly selected criteria; those that have been manually downloaded or saved will not be removed, although the app recommends removing old downloads to free up storage space.
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Apple has also introduced a new feature for podcast creators: Delegated Delivery (Opens in New Window) aims to save creators time and energy by allowing authorized platforms to publish free and first-rate episodes of Apple Podcasts on their behalf. From this fall, creators can use the dashboards of their favorite hosting providers to plan the launch of exclusive, early access, bonus and ad-free content using WAV, FLAC and MP3 files. Initial partners include Acast, ART19, Blubrry, Buzzsprout, Libsyn, Omny Studio and RSS.com; more suppliers will be “announced in the future”.
Although anyone can use the new feature – free for all creators via Apple Podcasts Connect – to publish free shows, share first-class shows and episodes requires membership in the Apple Podcasters Program (Opens in New Window) for $ 19.99 . Creators can check support for delegated delivery through the hosting providers page (Opens in new window); In the meantime, interested suppliers can contact Apple for more information.
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