
Some platforms offer their own listening apps-such as public radio (either at the national level or your local station could have an app.) Some podcast networks (yes! those exist!) will have their own apps, and major or international media companies can offer listening apps. Newer devices might even have Google Podcasts, another built-in app. If you have an Android phone, you most likely already have an app that can be used to listen to a podcast such as Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, or iHeartRadio. How to listen to podcasts on an Android phone From left to right, these are the podcast app icons for Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, and Podcast Addict. The app icon is purple and simply says, “Podcasts.” Apple recently spun-off Apple Podcasts from iTunes and have spent considerable resources revamping their app to me more user-friendly with more features. If you have an Apple device such as an iPhone or an iPad, you already have a built-in podcast listening app. (*There are podcast websites and web-based podcast players it is possible to listen to a show on your laptop or desktop, and we’ll get there, but as this is a guide for beginners, we’re going to go step by step through the various methods.) Once you know that there are such things as podcast listening apps, the whole world of podcasts will make more sense and will open up to you rather quickly. What I wish someone had said to me lo so many years ago when I started listening to podcasts is that a lot* of podcast listening is app based. But where should you get started with podcasts? You’ve heard about podcasts from time to time when a show bubbles up in the zeitgeist, or you’ve heard podcasts mentioned on radio, or of course, when the caring person who sent you this post speaks about how much they love podcasts and how they think that you will love podcasts, too. If you are reading this, it’s most likely because someone who cares about you knows you want to listen to a podcast, but you aren’t sure where to start.
