Podcasts are audio files (some have accompanying video), usually available on an episodic schedule for a free or paid subscription. Podcasts are downloadable (which makes them different from streamed Internet radio) and playable on your computer, mobile device, or media player. There are thousands of podcasts available for download to your iOS device. Chances are there is at least one podcast for any topic you can think of.
In order to access podcasts, you will need to use a podcatcher on your iOS device. Podcatchers automatically search for new episodes of your chosen podcasts. You will then have options to download or play them from the cloud.
In this article, three podcatchers will be discussed: Apple's app called Podcasts, Downcast, and iCatcher!. The Podcast section within the Sero app will also be described. I am not endorsing any particular podcasts in this article, but I do mention some of the ones I listen to. You need to know basic iOS navigation gestures including how to select items, enter text, and move around on the screen. I am using an iPhone X with iOS 11.3.1. This article will describe how to search for, subscribe to, and play podcasts.
The Sero App from Serotek
If the idea of searching for podcasts seems overwhelming, consider downloading the free Sero app from Serotek Corporation.
There are many assistive technology and visual impairment podcasts available. After opening the app, keep flicking right until you hear the Podcasts option and select it. When the new page loads, there will be a long list of available podcasts, including AppleVis, The Blind Side, and Eyes on Success. Selecting a particular podcast will bring up a list of episodes available for downloading or streaming. Next to the podcast episode's title is the date when the episode was originally posted. In the upper left corner is the Back button that enables you to return to the list of podcasts.
Once you select a podcast episode, a community rating will be at the top of the page. Next is a link to the show notes, which give more detailed information about the episode. Next are three buttons: Play, Download, and Share.
After you select the Play button, a new page will load and the podcast will start playing. At the top of the page is the name of the podcast, the community rating, and the link to the show notes. Next are a Previous Track button, a Play/Pause button, and a Track Position setting where you can flick up or down to move backwards or forwards through the podcast. Next are options to Share, Change Volume, and Next Track.
If you want to download the podcast to your device, select the Download button on the podcast's page. On the Sero app's home screen, towards the bottom is a Downloads button. Selecting it will bring up a list of all your downloaded podcasts.
The Sero app is a very good way to start listening to podcasts. The one downside is that you can only move through a podcast 10% at a time. Other podcatchers move in smaller units.
Apple's Podcasts App
This app is pre-installed on your iOS device. It got a makeover in iOS 11 to more closely resemble the Apple Music app. When the app is first opened, it shows a welcome screen. At the bottom of the screen is a button labeled "Start Listening Now."
After the new page loads, there will be a "Listen Now" heading at the top of the page and a list of recommended podcasts. Next is a "Recently Played" heading. Below this is a list of podcasts that were recently played. If this is the first time you are using the app, just ignore the list.
Below the list is the actual mini-player, which is Apple's term for the podcast player. It works similarly to the player in Apple Music. There is a Play button and a button to jump ahead 15 seconds. The player can be located quickly using the tabs at the bottom of the screen as reference points.
There are four tabs at the bottom of the screen: Listen Now, Library, Browse, and Search. Sliding your finger up on any tab will bring you to the mini-player. More mini-player controls can be located by sliding your finger until you hear, "Double tap to expand the mini-player." The controls now available are: 15-Seconds Rewind, Play, 15-Seconds Fast-Forward, Volume, Playback Speed, Destination, and a More button, which brings up a list of options including Play, Delete Episode, Download, and Play Next. On the other side of the More button are a Sleep Timer button and a Share button.
Next is an Episode Notes heading followed by a button to show or hide the episode notes. Close the mini-player by activating the Dismiss Now Playing Screen button. Flick left to locate it; it is on the top of the screen.
The Listen Now tab has podcast suggestions. Double tap on any of the suggestions to get more information about the podcast, including the publisher of the podcast, a description, and a subscribe button. Under the Recent Episodes heading is a list of recent podcast episodes. Flicking up or down on a particular podcast will give several options including Details and Activate. Under the Ratings and Reviews heading, you can read reviews from podcast listeners.
Once you have subscribed to a podcast or selected episodes, the Listen Now tab will contain recent episodes from these selections.
The Library tab is where your podcasts are listed. Before using this tab, you'll want to learn about the Browse and Search tabs.
The Browse tab has some featured podcasts and buttons for Featured, Top Charts, All Categories, and Featured Providers. The easiest way to find the buttons is to flick right from the top of the screen or slide your finger around the screen. If the Top Charts button is selected, you will then have the choice of sorting by episode or podcast. Each time you select the Top Charts option, it will default to the Episode display. You will need to activate the Podcast option every time. If you have chosen the Podcast option, there will be a very extensive list of podcasts. Selecting a podcast will load a new page with additional information including a brief description of the podcast and a Subscribe button. Several episodes are listed on the podcast's page and can be played by double tapping on the title. Once the Subscribe button is activated, the selected podcast will show up in your library.
If you choose the Shows option, the title of the most recent episode will be listed, followed by the name of the podcast. Double tapping on the episode will bring up a new screen with some information about the episode. There is an Add to My Podcasts button. Activating the button gives two options: Download and Play. Further down the screen is a More Episodes button.
Selecting the All Categories button will load a very lengthy list of podcast categories. Once a category is selected, there will be a list of podcasts that are in the category. The final button is Featured Providers. Members in this category include NPR, ESPN, and the New York Times. Selecting a provider will bring up a list of podcasts published by that provider.
The Search tab consists of an edit box and two radio buttons: All Podcasts and Your Library. Select the result you want. The next page will have a Subscribe button, a brief description of the podcast and a list of several episodes.
Now that you have subscribed to some podcasts or downloaded some episodes, let us go back to the Library tab. There is an Edit button at the top right corner of the screen. You can organize the library's display. Use the same technique as when rearranging the VoiceOver Rotor on your iOS device.
Once a podcast has been selected, a new page will display the name of the most recent episode. Selecting the episode will start playback. Further down the page is an Available Episodes option. Selecting it will display a list of additional available episodes. Next is a list of podcasts recommended by Apple.
If you want to unsubscribe from a podcast, select the podcast from your Library. On the new page, there will be a Play button. VoiceOver will add that you can swipe up or down to select a custom action. Select the More option. A new page will appear with options including Unsubscribe, Delete from Library, and Settings. The Settings option provides a quick way to configure each podcast.
Conclusion
Apple's Podcasts app has improved accessibility, but it isn't perfect. In order to have access to all player controls, it is necessary to expand the mini-player. If you are an Apple Music subscriber than this isn't an issue. One big advantage of the Podcasts app is that you can use Siri to play your podcast. However, Siri does not always get it right. Give this free app a try. If you don't like it, there are other options.
Downcast
Downcast retails for $2.99 at the time of publication. There are five tabs on the bottom of Downcast's screen: Podcasts, Playlists, Add, Downloads, and More.
Downcast's Podcasts tab screen has an Edit button in the upper left corner. Once you have subscribed to some podcasts, activating this button will let you sort how the podcasts are displayed. Flicking right brings you to the Search box. This is not where you search for and subscribe to podcasts, it is a search box for locating content on your device.
Once you subscribe to a podcast or select an episode of a podcast, VoiceOver will also say how many episodes you have and when the last episode was published. Selecting a podcast will bring up the list of available episodes. Swipe up or down on an episode to either delete or activate it. If you choose to get a single episode rather than subscribe to the entire podcast, that episode will also appear in the Podcasts tab. You can delete a podcast by locating it, swiping up or down to the Delete option, and selecting the podcast.
The Add tab is used for finding and adding podcasts. When the screen loads, there are several search options for finding content. The first choice is to add a podcast manually. You will need the podcast's feed URL. The next choice is an edit box to search for a podcast. I entered "Freakonomics Radio," and got that podcast as my first result. Along with the title, VoiceOver said the podcast was in audio format and I was not subscribed. I heard a very brief description of the podcast and it told me when the latest episode was published. Selecting the result brings up a new page with a Subscribe button on the top. Activating the button puts the name of the podcast in the Podcasts section. Farther down the result page is the feed's URL and a brief description of the podcast. On the bottom of the page is a View Episodes button.
Another way of searching for podcasts is to use the extensive categories list in the Add section. Once you select a category, a list of available podcasts is displayed. Activating a podcast displays information as explained above.
Each listed episode had a brief description. Selecting an episode brought up several options: Download, Mark for Streaming, Stream Now, and Cancel.
If you select a podcast while in the Podcast tab, a new page will load that lists all the unplayed episodes available for that podcast. There will be a brief description of each episode. Double tapping on the episode will display more detailed show notes. If you play a podcast from the Playlist tab, there will be a button on each episode to get more details.
Downcast's player is easy to navigate. Player controls are Previous, Play, Next, Playback Speed, Volume, Sleep Timer, and Share. Select the Previous or Next button to move by episode. A tap-and-hold gesture will move you backwards or forward in the episode.
If the podcast you are listening to is enhanced with chapters, Downcast will display the chapters. This means you can easily jump to different chapters. Go to the bottom right corner of the screen and flick left. If chapters are available, VoiceOver will say, "Show chapters." Double tap and the various chapters will be displayed. Select the chapter you want to hear.
The Playlist tab lets you organize podcast episodes in whatever order you want. As you acquire podcasts episodes, they will appear in the Playlist tab. You can create specific playlists by following the prompts on the main playlists screen.
The Downloads tab lets you perform multiple downloads at the same time. If you visit the Downloads tab while files are being downloaded, you can hear download progress.
The More tab has settings for how many episodes are kept, whether to download only on WiFi, and more. The other options on this tab are self-explanatory.
Conclusion
This is an uncluttered and easy to use app. Though not free, it is, in my opinion, worth the $2.99. The ability to move by chapters is definitely a useful feature.
iCatcher!
iCatcher! Retails for $1.99 at the time of publication. The initial screen in iCatcher! gives instructions for getting podcasts. There are five tabs at the bottom of the screen: Podcasts, Downloads, Playlists, Help, and Settings.
As with Podcasts and Downcast, there is more than one way to get podcasts onto your device.
At the top left corner of the screen in the Podcast tab is a button labeled "Show Add Options." When this button is activated, a new screen loads. The first control sets the region for the podcast search. Chances are you will not need to do anything with this button. The next option is an edit box where you can enter the name of a podcast or a search term. Below the edit box are sorting options. I entered "blindness" into the search box and got many results. I entered Maccessibility into the search box and received information on the Maccessibility podcast. Selecting the podcast brought up a dialogue box with several choices: an option to subscribe to the podcast, how many previous episodes should be downloaded with my subscription, and whether to add an episode. Several episodes were listed and selecting one brought up a list of options including Tag for Download and Show Notes.
Once a podcast is selected for subscription, you will find it in the Podcasts tab. Swiping right the podcast will cause VoiceOver to say the name of the podcast, when the most recent episode was added, and how many unplayed episodes are available. Under the Podcast's name is Podcast Options, where you will find an unsubscribe option.
Double tapping on the podcast will load a new page that shows the new podcast with a brief description. If you keep swiping right, you will hear information about previous episodes. Select an episode to play it. You will have the option to download it, stream it, add it to a playlist, and more. If you swipe up or down you will find options to delete or activate the episode. Underneath the episode name you'll find Episode Options, where you can delete, share, mark as played, or chose other actions for the episode.
As with Podcasts and Downcast, iCatcher! also provides an extensive categories list. Selecting a category will load a list of podcasts in that category. Use the Show Add Options button. The category list is below the search form.
Once a podcast is chosen for playback, the player controls are near the bottom of the screen. They are Rewind/Previous Podcast, Play, Fast Forward/Next Podcast, Playback Rate, Sleep Timer, Volume, and More Actions. There are sharing options plus other options including rating the podcast and adding the podcast to a playlist.
The Downloads tab shows the episodes from your subscribed podcasts that are available for download.
The Playlist tab lets you put episodes in a group. Follow the prompts to name the playlist and then add episodes to the list.
The Help tab has a Getting Started section, Help Topics, and the opportunity to send questions or feedback.
The Setting controls have the basic options including Podcast Defaults, Download Options, and Playback.
Conclusion
iCatcher! is another very good option. It is definitely accessible. I have used it for many years.
The Bottom Line
All the podcatchers covered in this article have basically the same controls and methods of finding podcasts. They provide different ways to search for content, such as searching by podcast name or going through a categories list. In my opinion, Downcast and iCatcher! are more accessible and easy to navigate than Apple's Podcasts. One definite plus for Downcast is the ability to move easily by chapters in an enhanced podcast. I also like that the player screen is uncluttered.
I recommend trying out all three apps. You will only need to purchase Downcast and iCatcher! since Apple's Podcasts app is free. Take some time to explore the apps to discover the one you like best.
Related articles:
- Victor Reader Trek: Another Cool Gadget for Your Bag or Pocket by Deborah Kendrick
- An Exploration and Review of the Blaze ET Multi-Player from HIMS by Aaron Preece
More by this author:
