Apple Podcasts adds full video support to compete with YouTube and Spotify 📺

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Apple no longer wants to watch YouTube and Spotify dominate the narrative around video podcasts. With the next major update to its Podcasts app, the company is turning what used to be a listening-first platform into a true watch-and-listen experience — without abandoning the audio DNA that made podcasts what they are.

On the roadmap: smoother video playback, a more polished everyday app experience, and new monetization tools for creators ready to lean into the camera.

A Podcasts app that finally feels like 2026 📱

At a technical level, Apple Podcasts will now support full-fledged video shows delivered through Apple’s own HLS streaming technology — the same backbone used by Apple TV+. For users, that translates to adaptive video quality that adjusts to your connection, without wrecking the audio or freezing the moment you step into a crowded subway.

Switching between audio-only and video will be seamless. You’ll be able to start an episode in portrait mode, rotate to full-screen landscape, and even download video podcasts for offline viewing.

The experience will roll out across iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, and the web — making it easier to keep up with your favorite shows wherever you are.

Apple finally closes the gap with YouTube and Spotify ⚔️

If you’re already watching your favorite podcasts on YouTube, you’re not alone. For a growing share of audiences, video has become the default format. By hesitating to embrace it, Apple effectively ceded ground to competitors — despite having played a pivotal role in popularizing podcasts in the first place.

This update doesn’t reinvent the format. Instead, it offers a cleaner alternative: no hyper-aggressive video algorithm, no interface primarily designed for music streaming or short-form clips. Apple’s strategy is straightforward — keep listeners inside its ecosystem and position Podcasts as the natural home of the medium again, video included.

Serious tools for creators 🎙️

Behind the scenes, the rollout hinges on HLS video feed support from major hosting partners, including Acast, ART19 (owned by Amazon), as well as solutions from SiriusXM and Triton Digital.

Creators retain control over distribution and monetization. That includes dynamic ad insertion in video episodes and integration with existing Apple Podcasts subscriptions.

For audiences, that likely means more filmed shows, better-produced hybrid audio/video formats, and potentially subscriber-only extras — without juggling multiple apps. For studios already optimizing production for YouTube or Spotify, it’s an opportunity to extend that investment into Apple’s ecosystem with minimal friction.

So what does the future of podcasting look like? 🔮

By adding a fully realized video layer to Podcasts, Apple is reshaping expectations around the medium. Podcasts are no longer just background audio — they’re increasingly something you follow, watch, and share.

The big question is how far creators will push the visual dimension without sacrificing the intimacy and magic of a show you can enjoy eyes closed.

Between the promise of a better user experience and the risk of visual overload, the next chapter now belongs to both listeners and creators.

Let’s talk 💬
Are you already watching your podcasts in video form, or are you sticking to the classic audio-only experience with headphones on? What do you expect from this new version of Apple Podcasts — more filmed shows, a smarter app, new ways to support creators… or all of the above?