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Nearly two months after my Apple Watch Series 3 review, my main complaint still stands: it remains prohibitively difficult to play back podcasts from the device.
The native iOS Podcasts app has no equivalent on the Watch, and the “big player” third-party clients don’t support transferring podcast episodes to the wearable device. Overcast removed this feature in the run-up to watchOS 4, citing critical APIs that Apple had removed.
There are several smaller podcast clients that try to work around WatchKit’s hamstrung audio APIs. I’ve tried both Watchcast and Watch Player. The latter app has made some strides recently by allowing direct podcast browsing and downloading on the Watch itself, but the entire process is very clunky. It’s a bad sign when an app’s first-launch experience includes a twelve-page tutorial packed with caveats and disclaimers. During a recent test, I was able to successfully download an episode, but actually listening to the show proved impossible; I would tap the play button, but nothing would happen.
Users shouldn’t blame third-party developers for the Watch’s podcast unfriendliness. The real question here? In the two-and-a-half years since the Watch first launched, why hasn’t Apple prioritized podcasts? Here are some possible explanations:
Whatever Apple’s reasoning, I hope the Watch’s podcast situation gets remedied soon. I’m tired of strapping on an iPhone fanny pack every time I go running. ■
Apple announced changes to the App Store today; these updates will incentive developers to embrace a subscription revenue model. Silly idea: what if iOS went the same direction?