How to get started with Podcasts on iPad

You can get started with Podcasts on iPad to find and play shows, follow a show, and download episodes to play offline.

By Tom Griffin - Executive Editor
1 Min Read

On iPad, the Podcasts app offers millions of shows on a variety of topics such as news, true crime, comedy, and more. You can watch or listen online, or download episodes so you can play them even when you’re not connected to the internet, and when you find a show you like, you can follow it.

Video episodes open in the Now Playing screen, where you can navigate through chapters and view the transcript. You can also choose whether to automatically download new episodes from shows you follow.

The Search screen in the Podcasts app, showing podcast categories. Towards the bottom of the screen is the MiniPlayer.

Find podcasts

Tap Search to browse shows by category. To search for a specific show or episode, enter a word or phrase—for example, a show name, episode title, person, or category. To find episodes within a specific show, tap Episodes on the show page, then search.

The Now Playing screen in the Podcasts app, showing a video podcast, the episode title, the progress bar, the playback controls, and the volume slider. The AirPlay button, the View Transcript button, and the Playing Next button appear at the bottom of the screen.

Play podcasts

Tap the play button to start playing a show or episode. Video episodes open directly in the Now Playing screen, where you can access playback controls, navigate through chapters, access links to other media, view the transcript, and more. For audio episodes, tap the MiniPlayer at the bottom of the screen to open Now Playing.

A show page in the Podcasts app showing two episodes with summaries of each and the MiniPlayer at the bottom.

Follow a show

When you find a show you like, tap the Follow button to add it to your library. You can choose whether to automatically download new episodes and get notifications for them.

To get more out of your podcasts, try these guides:

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Tom Griffin is the editor-in-chief at GeeksChalk where he oversees all of site’s evergreen content to ensure it’s up to date with the latest information. Hailing from London in the UK, he has over seven years of experience in the tech journalism space and holds a degree in English Literature. In his spare time, Tom can found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, and petting every dog he comes across in the outside world.
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