Apple on Monday quietly unveiled a web-based version of Apple Podcasts that lets you access Apple’s podcast service without using the Podcasts app. The new web portal has the same access and management tools as the Podcasts app and can be used to listen to shows, manage subscriptions, sync libraries associated with an Apple account, and browse podcasts on the service.
The web version is available at podcasts.apple.com. However, if you enter this address in Safari for iPhone or iPad, you’ll see a prompt telling the user that the site will open in the Podcasts app. Opening the address in Chrome for iPhone launches the Apple Podcast website in the browser. The address works in any browser on desktop.
The release of Apple Podcasts on the web comes after Apple released a beta version of Apple Maps on the web in June. Apple TV+ and Apple Music have been available on the web for several years.
Web access to Apple’s services allows non-Apple platforms to access them. For example, a large number of iPhone users use Windows PCs as their primary computer, and if they use the Podcasts app on the iPhone, they will now be able to access podcasts via the web. This could also be a way to persuade users who don’t use Apple’s Podcasts app to switch to it.
