Apple Podcasts is getting an enhanced video experience this spring | TechCrunch

Topics

Latest

AI

Amazon

Apps

Biotech & Health

Climate

Cloud Computing

Commerce

Crypto

Enterprise

EVs

Fintech

Fundraising

Gadgets

Gaming

Google

Government & Policy

Hardware

Instagram

Layoffs

Media & Entertainment

Meta

Microsoft

Privacy

Robotics

Security

Social

Space

Startups

TikTok

Transportation

Venture

More from TechCrunch

Staff

Events

Startup Battlefield

StrictlyVC

Newsletters

Podcasts

Videos

Partner Content

TechCrunch Brand Studio

Crunchboard

Contact Us

Apple Podcasts is getting an enhanced video experience this spring

Apple is taking on YouTube and Spotify with a new video podcast experience launching in the spring. Users will be able to switch between watching and listening to shows in the Apple Podcasts app, which will begin using the company’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) video technology. Users can also switch to a horizontal version of the podcast and download videos to watch offline.

The move comes as video podcasting continues to gain popularity. Edison Research recently revealed that 51% of the U.S. population has consumed a video podcast, and that 37% consume video podcasts monthly.

The updated video podcast experience will allow Apple to better compete with the likes of YouTube, Spotify, and even Netflix, all of which have already embraced the format. YouTube announced last year that it has more than 1 billion monthly active viewers of podcast content. Spotify said last November that it has half a million video podcasts, which nearly 400 million users have watched. As for Netflix, the streaming giant has partnered with iHeartMedia and Spotify to bring video podcasts to its platform.

By bringing an enhanced video podcast viewing experience to its app, Apple is aiming to keep users from turning to rival platforms to watch their favorite shows.

“Twenty years ago, Apple helped take podcasting mainstream by adding podcasts to iTunes, and more than a decade ago, we introduced the dedicated Apple Podcasts app,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, in a press release. “Today marks a defining milestone in that journey. By bringing a category-leading video experience to Apple Podcasts, we’re putting creators in full control of their content and how they build their businesses, while making it easier than ever for audiences to listen to or watch podcasts.”

While the new video experience will officially launch in the spring, the update is available to test starting this week as part of betas for iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4.

Topics

Consumer News Reporter

Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining the publication in 2021, she was a telecom reporter at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s degree from University of Toronto and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University.

You can contact or verify outreach from Aisha by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at aisha_malik.01 on Signal.

Tickets are live at the lowest rates of the year. Save up to $680 on your pass now.Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders, dive into 200+ sessions, and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings.

Most Popular

After all the hype, some AI experts don’t think OpenClaw is all that exciting

After all the hype, some AI experts don’t think OpenClaw is all that exciting

OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI

OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI

Hollywood isn’t happy about the new Seedance 2.0 video generator

Hollywood isn’t happy about the new Seedance 2.0 video generator

The great computer science exodus (and where students are going instead)

The great computer science exodus (and where students are going instead)

A Stanford grad student created an algorithm to help his classmates find love; now, Date Drop is the basis of his new startup

A Stanford grad student created an algorithm to help his classmates find love; now, Date Drop is the basis of his new startup

Spotify says its best developers haven’t written a line of code since December, thanks to AI

Spotify says its best developers haven’t written a line of code since December, thanks to AI

With co-founders leaving and an IPO looming, Elon Musk turns talk to the moon

With co-founders leaving and an IPO looming, Elon Musk turns talk to the moon

© 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC.