🍎 Apple has announced it’s bringing video podcasts to the Apple Podcasts app
🎥 Video podcasts have been made possible due to Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming, or HLS, tech
🎧 It’ll integrate seamlessly into the app with audio podcasts, and users can switch between the two at will
📆 The update is slated to arrive in the spring, so it isn’t too long of a wait
Apple has announced it’s finally bringing video podcasts to Apple Podcasts.
That’s according to a new Apple Newsroom post where Apple says it’s announced “a transformative update coming to Apple Podcasts this spring that will bring advanced video podcast capabilities to the app.”
The new video podcast service is using Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming, or HLS, tech to “set a new standard that empowers podcast creators with unprecedented control and monetization opportunities while delivering the highest-quality viewing experience for users”, according to the press release.
This new update means users will be able to seamlessly switch between watching and listening to shows in the Apple Podcasts app, with the same ease of discovery for new content.
Users will also be able to watch videos from within the app and move to a horizontal full display, as well as the ability to download videos to watch offline at a later point.
Depending on the strength of your connection, the HLS tech can also automatically adjust the quality of the video to deliver the best possible experience, whether you’re on Wi-Fi or data.
Apple’s press release also notes that video episodes of podcasts will also integrate with other existing features in the Apple Podcasts app, such as personalized recommendations and editorial curation from the New tab and on category pages.
For podcasters uploading to the platform, Apple has said that creators will distribute their podcasts through participating hosting providers and ad networks, and it’ll be possible for them to dynamically insert ads, as on the likes of YouTube, for monetization.
Apple also isn’t taking a cut for hosting providers or creators for podcasts on its own platform, whether via audio or video. There is a charge for ad networks on an impression-based fee for dynamic apps in HLS video starting “later this year”, according to the press release.
HLS video is available for testing in beta for iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4 and visionOS 26.4. The functionality will be available for Apple Podcasts users on iPhone, iPad and Vision Pro, as well as Apple Podcasts users on web “this spring” according to Apple.
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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.