Apple Podcasts has shared annual rankings and charts that cover this year’s best and most popular podcasts shows, individual episodes, networks and creators.
These were the most popular shows, episodes and creators on Apple Podcasts in 2021
Podcast
Apple TV+ sci-fi series ‘Foundation’ is getting a companion podcast
Apple is still a leader when it comes to podcast distribution. And with podcast popularity still at an all-time high, the company wants to make sure it doesn't miss the bus altogether. As a result, companion podcasts meant to promote, and diver even deeper into, Apple Original films and TV shows are a thing. And now there's a new one to look forward to.
‘California Streaming’ event debriefing [podcast]
After a few months hiatus, Cody and Sebastien got the old band back together for a special episode. After sharing what happened to Cody and discussing the future of the podcast, Cody and Sebastien talk about Apple's September 2021 event where the company unveiled a new 10.2-inch iPad, a new iPad mini, Apple Watch Series 7, iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.
Apple TV+ unveils “The Problem with Jon Stewart” trailer and companion podcast
“The Problem with Jon Stewart,” the upcoming Apple TV+ talk show focused on current affairs, will have a companion podcast when it premieres on Apple's video platform next month.
Facebook’s Clubhouse competitor and exclusive podcasts now launching in the US
Facebook is now rolling out its Clubhouse competitor in the US, dubbed Live Audio Rooms, along with exclusive podcasts that are now available on the platform.
Podcasts are coming to Facebook next week
Facebook is jumping on the podcasting bandwagon with news that the social network will debut a podcast platform of its own as soon as next week, according to leaked internal emails.
Apple Podcasts has launched paid subscriptions and channels
The Apple Podcasts service has now debuted paid subscriptions that enable listeners to support their favorite creators with monthly subscriptions, and it supports free trials as well.
This tweak hides podcasts from the Spotify app
Despite the fact that Apple Music ships natively on all of Apple’s iPhones and iPads, many users still flock to Spotify as their go-to media streaming service.
One thing users have noticed as of late is that Spotify has been investing heavily in the podcast space despite originally being a music streaming platform. This is wonderful news for podcast listeners, but to those who lack interest in podcasts, it’s nothing but extra clutter in an otherwise great app.
Apple Podcasts in-app subscriptions launch globally June 15
After initially announcing new podcast subscriptions within the Apple Podcasts app, Apple delayed its launch soon after. At the time, the company didn't say when the new feature would launch to the public. But now we know.
Favorite WWDC 2021 feature announcements [podcast]
Sebastien goes over his favorite features announced at WWDC 21. He also addresses a few concerns he has about some questionable features.
What YOU want to see at WWDC 2021 [podcast]
After carrying out an informal survey of Downtime listeners and iDB readers, Sebastien reveals some of the announcements that YOU want to see at WWDC this year.
Apple delays Podcast subscriptions until June
Along with the launch of iOS 14.6 earlier this month, Apple was supposed to welcome subscriptions for podcasts.
But, it turns out there will be a bit of a delay before the feature actually goes live. As reported today by MacRumors, Apple has notified content creators that it is delaying the podcast subscription feature until sometime in June. The reason? Apple wants a good experience for everyone involved.