You can now ask Alexa to play Apple Podcasts on your Echo-enabled speaker

Amazon and Apple today expanded their existing partnership that enables Echo owners to use Apple Music by introducing support for Apple Podcasts.

Starting today, owners of Alexa-enabled devices in the United States are able to stream over 800,00 shows that are available on the Apple Podcasts directory.

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To take advantage of this integration, you mist link your account in the Alexa app using your Apple ID. Once that’s done, simply ask Alexa to play your favorite podcast episode.

Here are Apple’s top podcasts of 2019:

  • The Drop Out
  • Root of Evil
  • Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
  • Dolly Parton’s America
  • The Ballad of Billy Balls
  • Blackout
  • Against the Rules with Michael Lewis
  • To Live and Die in LA
  • 13 Minutes to the Moon
  • 1619
  • The Daily
  • Overheard at National Geographic

It’s great that you don’t need to worry about losing your spot because the integration synchronizes playback across platforms, which lets you pick up right where you left off listening on the Apple Podcasts app or your Alexa device.

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“Pause the subscribed episode you’re listening to in the Apple Podcasts app on your commute and continue listening with your Alexa device at home by asking Alexa to resume the podcast,” Amazon notes in a blog post. Apple Podcasts now available on Echo devices

Here are a few examples of what you can do:

  • Alexa, play Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend on Apple Podcasts
  • Alexa, play The Daily from yesterday on Apple Podcasts
  • Alexa, resume playing Business Wars on Apple Podcasts
  • Alexa, fast forward 30 seconds
  • Alexa, next episode

You can set Apple Podcasts as your preferred podcast provider with Alexa by launching the Alexa app, then invoke the in-app settings. Now tap Music & Podcasts and then Link/Manage New Services.

Going forward, Amazon will try to play the requested podcast episode from Apple Podcasts, if it’s available. Aside from Echo devices, the Apple Podcasts services is also available on HomePod and other Apple devices.