What are “podcasts” on iPhone, and why are they needed? What are podcasts on iPhone?

After WWDC`12, world conference Apple for developers, a native Apple application for the iPhone has appeared in the AppStore, which no one was expecting at all. And it happened quite quietly and calmly. As a result, many iOS device users may have been left in the dark. Therefore, today is a story about the Podcasts program released by Apple. Everyone knows about podcasts from the menu iTunes programs. I listened to them several times myself, but never got around to using them all the time. The Podcasts program is a completely different story. Here you are not distracted by anything except the videos themselves. This saves a lot of time and does not require unnecessary movements. The main menu is nothing special. Hidden at the bottom left of the screen is a small Catalog button. By clicking on it, the user is taken to iTunes Store, where you can download most podcasts completely free of charge. Once you select a podcast that interests you, you can download either a single episode or subscribe to the artist, after which you can download all of his new episodes. Everything happens quite quickly and efficiently. After subscribing to an artist, you don’t have to download all the videos at once: download what you liked, or delete what you don’t need (you need to swipe your finger over an individual podcast from left to right and click Delete).
Podcasts are placed on the main screen under the covers, by clicking on which you will receive full list videos, as well as some information about the podcast itself. If you liked what you listened to, share it with your friends via Twitter, Mail or iMessages. For each podcast you can configure an important option - automatic download new releases, which is convenient if available unlimited internet or Wi-Fi connection.
An interesting feature of the application is the view during playback. An old-fashioned film rewind system with the ability to change the playback speed. All this is not just animation: film from another reel is actually wound onto an empty reel. Very unusual. Another one, it seems to me important function- this is sleep mode. You can set a timer to turn off playback after certain time. Once you fall asleep, the application itself will stop playing music, and you will continue to watch your dreams. Many people note that Podcasts do not fit into the design Apple applications. To be honest, I don't understand this because I am quite pleased with the application and its rich features.

This manual describes iOS features 8 for iPhone 4S/5/5c/5s/6 and 6 Plus.

Getting started with Podcasts

Launch the Podcasts app to browse, subscribe, and play your favorite audio and video podcasts on iPhone.

Selection of podcasts and episodes

Access to new podcasts. Tap Featured or Top Charts at the bottom of the screen.

Search for new podcasts. Click Find at the bottom of the screen.

Search the media library. Tap My Podcasts, then swipe down from the center of the screen to display the search field.

Preview or streaming release. Tap a podcast, then select an episode.

Get more information. Tap to get detailed information about the release. Tap any link in the podcast or episode description to open the web page in Safari.

Search for new releases. Click the Unplayed tab to see episodes you haven't heard of yet.

View episodes. Select the Source tab to see episodes available to download or stream.

Click next to the release.

Receive new releases as they become available. Subscribe to the podcast. If you're viewing podcasts in Featured or Top Charts, tap the podcast you want, then tap Subscribe. If you've already downloaded episodes, tap My Podcasts, select a podcast, tap Settings at the top of the episode list, then turn on Subscribe.

Saving issues. Tap next to an episode, then select Save Episode. Tap Delete Episode to delete a saved episode.

Playback Control

Use the playback controls to fast forward or rewind your podcast, set the speed, skip episodes, and more.

View podcast information while listening. Tap the podcast image on the Now Playing screen.

Using your voice. Ask Siri to play existing podcast episodes or specific podcasts or stations. For example, say "Play podcasts" or "Play Freakonomics Radio."

Setting Up Favorite Podcast Stations

Create your own stations from your favorite podcasts and customize automatic update releases on all your devices.

Combining episodes from different podcasts. To add episodes to On-The-Go stations, tap My Stations, select On-The-Go, then tap Add or tap next to any episode in your library. You can also press and hold any episode, then tap Add to On-The-Go.

Creation of a station. Tap My Stations, then tap +.

Change the order of the list of stations or podcasts within a station. Select My Stations, tap Edit above the station list or episode list, then drag up or down.

Changing the order of playback of episodes in the station. Select a station, then tap Settings.

Change the order of your podcast library. Tap My Podcasts, select list view on the right top corner, tap Edit, then drag up or down.

Displays the most recently downloaded podcasts first in the list. Tap My
Podcasts", select a podcast, then tap Settings.

Play podcasts from the station list. Tap next to the station name.

Podcast Settings

Go to Settings > Podcasts. The following actions are available:

synchronize podcast subscriptions across all your devices;
select the frequency of checking for new episodes for the Podcasts program;
saving episodes after they are played.

When you travel in public transport for a long time, and the shaking makes it difficult to read or watch a movie, and you are tired of the music, the latest invention from the developers will be a real salvation. Podcasts - what are they? Broadcast music on the Internet according to the principle of a genre radio station, there are even video casts.

What are podcasts?

This term was coined by bloggers when, instead of texts, they began posting their thoughts and lectures in audio format. Faster, simpler and more convenient for both them and site visitors. The word was formed from “podcasting” - the procedure for creating and distributing voice and video materials online. What are podcasts? Computer data in MP3 format – for voice recordings And Flash Video– for videos with a specific topic and clear frequency. The podcast consists of a large list of specially selected compositions; it is possible to find a connection both paid and free.

Such sites are similar in principle to social media, there are similar channel groups: trade, humor, audio books, lectures on different topics. Often, users even subscribe to selected channels and receive new recordings. Radio stations also create their own podcasts so that listeners can find materials from their favorite programs or original shows.

Podcast and webcast - the difference

Podcasting quickly became popular, many users even switched from texts to audio and video communication; the invention especially made life easier for students. Podcasts - what does it give? It’s easy to “scatter” a recording of a lecture among the whole group, and if you need an image of a board with formulas, then a webcast will come to the rescue. The term was “glued together” by users from “web” and “broadcasting” - wide broadcasting. These are videos, films, excerpts of recordings posted on the Internet. Registration is carried out on digital camera, then processed on a computer. The development of webcasting gave impetus to popular blogs.

What are podcasts on windows?

Users of smartphones with Windows systems can also find useful podcasts on the Internet, because entertainment is very popular. Experts recommend using software such as iTunes; synchronizing computer data with an Apple device is most convenient through this program. Good feedback Clementine has a strong player and file manager; there is even a separate item for podcasts.

Podcasts for Android

Since such online files are distributed in the thousands, there is already more than one application for listening and viewing them. What are the best podcasts on Android? The three most popular applications today are:

Pocket Casts. Synchronizes with the cloud, has a good library and video support, easily searches for any podcasts.
Podcast Addict. Very functional. Can organize not only podcasts, but also RSS feeds, and YouTube channels, unlike other applications.
Player FM. Stylish in appearance, original design, supports Chromecast and Android Wear.

For beginners, a very relevant question is: how to listen to podcasts on Android? Experienced users recommend the Podcast Addict program; it can be easily downloaded in Android applications. Once the program is installed, you can select a language to quickly filter necessary channels, add your favorite shows - through a selection of podcasting networks or manually. The database of this program contains thousands of the most different channels, information about them is immediately loaded into the library. The name, logo and number of gears are displayed.

How to use podcasts on iPhone?

As soon as the first interesting podcasts appeared on the Internet, Apple company instantly developed their implementation into its system. Using such files on an iPhone is easy; they are sorted by topic; if you select Trance music, you can listen to many tracks, and even from different authors. There are also applications: Overcast and PodWrangler, which have many functions. Only for Apple gadgets They also released specialized free software with convenient settings.

How to create a podcast?

It is known that the best podcasts are those created independently; many users have already mastered this science. Beginners are advised to use Audacity programs, Bioreporter and Podcast Wizard. Before speaking in public, you need to decide on a topic, rehearse your speech, select music, buy good microphone, because sound quality is very important. How to record a podcast?

For speech recording, Skype and the built-in Skype application Call Recorder.
If there is a conversation with a guest, answers and questions should be written separately, the guest will then send his file for editing.
Choose a picture for the cover and come up with tags - keywords so that the performance can be found on the Internet.
When the sound has been cleaned and “glued” together, upload the file to the cloud. From free hosting Google Drive is praised.

Application developers for Apple products always strive to surprise their users with something. This is why there are various useful options, programs and features with every release new version operating system iOS. For example, podcasts, iMessage, Facetime and some others. What are podcasts on iPhone? What are they needed for? What do they give the user? There are answers to these and other questions about the application.

What it is?

Podcasts originally appeared during the emergence of Internet radio. Literally it means “a recorded message on a specific topic.” As soon as the first messages of this kind began to gain momentum on the Internet, Apple began implementing them into its operating system. So what are podcasts on iPhone? This is definitely not a radio! These are recorded audio and video files that are sorted by topic. For example, a podcast called Trance music will definitely contain music tracks given direction. Moreover, there may be several podcasts from different authors on the same topic.

After I sent one of my last mailings, which offered to listen to an audio interview with Igor Osipenko, I received back great amount letters in which people asked what kind of word this wonderful “ podcast"I used in the newsletter and in a blog post...

During the correspondence, it turned out that a huge number of people have no idea what a podcast is and what they “eat” it with.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of using buzzwords like this, but I thought that podcasting, as a rapidly growing phenomenon on the Internet, would already be familiar to my audience. But it turns out I was very wrong! Therefore, the idea was born to write this article, which would reveal in detail the topic of podcasts and podcasting in general.

So, "Podcast" is English word, or rather even slang.

In English it is written as Podcast.

Anyone who knows English can immediately notice that the word consists of two parts “Pod” and “Cast”.

First part Pod comes from the name “iPod”. The iPod is the world's most popular portable MP3 player for playing audio files, produced by Apple.

Second part Cast comes from the English “Broadcasting”, which is translated from English as “wide-screen broadcasting” or “broadcasting”.

In the free encyclopedia Wikipedia you will find the following explanation of the meaning of the word “Podcasting”:

"Podcasting - the process of creating and distributing audio or video broadcasts (i.e. podcasts) in World Wide Web(usually in MP3 or Ogg/Vorbis format for audio and Flash Video and others for video transmissions). As a rule, podcasts have a specific topic and frequency of publication (however, there are exceptions). The target audience of podcasting is users of personal or laptop computers, as well as owners of portable players..."

So, podcast This sound file(most often in MP3 format) or a video file (most often in FLV streaming flash video format), which is distributed free of charge via the Internet for mass listening or viewing of your target audience.

If in the beginning podcasts were only audio and were more designed for listening on iPods or other portable players, now the phenomenon of podcasting has evolved greatly. This led to the fact that podcasts became not only audio, but also video, and they began to be listened to or viewed more often directly on the website (usually on a blog) or downloaded to your computer. But, if the podcast turned out to be very useful, then they already download it to their portable player and listen (watch) repeatedly in their free time (for example, on the way somewhere in a car, bus, subway, or just sitting in nature).

The word itself " podcast» was invented by Bloggers. A blogger is any person who actively maintains a blog on the Internet. Some bloggers, instead of text notes, began recording their notes (useful thoughts, ideas, interviews and lectures) in audio format, and then gave them to visitors to their blogs to listen to.

But things didn't stop there. Bloggers began recording podcasts in video format, which attracted even more attention to their personalities, and the value and interest of the material increased many times over. After all, watching and listening together is the most you can dream of when presenting information!

Now let me list what types of podcasts exist at the moment...

In total, I know of three types of podcasts so far:

#1. Audio podcast. It is an audio recording of your completed ideas, thoughts, lectures, news, presentations, which is of clear interest and benefit to your target audience. The recording is formatted into an mp3 file, which you then provide for listening or using a special audio flash button, which you integrate into your blog (website) and/or provide a link to download the podcast file. For example, if you blog on a popular Wordpress engine, then you can download a special plugin (additional software module) to post your audio podcasts on the blog.

The theme of the Audio Podcast must fully correspond to the theme of your blog or website. An audio podcast must be free and provide informational value to the visitor.

You can record an audio podcast either through an ordinary microphone on your computer, or on your mp3 player (if it allows recording), or on a voice recorder. Also, you can use special equipment to record audio podcasts, as I do. The equipment is called Pinnacle Podcast Factory (M-Audio Podcast Factory) and costs around $180.

#2. Video podcast. It is a video recording of your speech on some topic related directly to the subject of your blog or information site. This entry is then posted on your blog or website. Again, a video podcast must be useful to your target audience.

A video podcast is filmed either on a webcam or on digital video camera. High quality video does not play a big role here, just as podcasts in general do not imply the professionalism of the author. Let's just say that a video podcast is more like a home video that contains some useful and free information for visitors of your blog or website.

You can record your video podcasts on any modern video camera, which then allows you to connect to your computer via a USB-2.0 or FireWire port, and then you can transfer the video to your computer. Usually software For this purpose it is supplied complete with a video camera. And if you, for example, have a video camera that records directly to DVD, then the process is generally easy - insert the DVD after recording into the computer and now you have an almost finished video.

But such a video cannot be immediately posted on a blog or website. This requires a special video format. Therefore, here you can use either such services as Youtube.com or video.mail.ru, which will help you convert a video clip into a streaming flash video format and then you will receive a ready-made html code for placing a flash video player on your blog or website. Very comfortably!

Or you can do it on your own; I explain in detail how to do this in my tutorial here. You can also use a special plugin (additional software module) for the popular WordPress blogging engine.

#3. Screencast. This is a whole new phenomenon that has created an incredible number of new information products, as well as simplified people's learning via the Internet. The essence of the screencast is that you, using special program(usually Camtasia Studio) record your actions on your computer screen along with your audio comments, then save it in Flash video format and then you can let visitors of your blog, your website view it, or you can make entire commercial training products in the format screencast.

The possibilities and potential of screencasting are truly limitless! Now you can massively and in a very accessible form share your experience of using any programs, any sites and web services. You can also demonstrate any of your complex ideas step by step with visual diagrams and immediately give examples of their use. You can combine screencasts with real video inserts, with presentations made in Microsoft PowerPoint. In short, screencasting has a huge potential and future.

You can post screencasts for free for viewing directly via the Internet on your blog or website in streaming flash video format, you can download screencasts as files for local viewing on your computer, you can also record capacious screencasts on CD or DVDs and distribute them further for a fee. Everything is in your hands and the only limits here are your imagination and abilities!

Now let's talk a little about the benefits of podcasting:

Firstly , the use of sound and video allows you to become more alive and real to your target audience. Now you have the opportunity to influence them not only with ideas in text form, but also emotions that are transmitted through audio and video. This allows you to erase doubts and distrust in yourself as a source of valuable information as quickly as possible.

Secondly For many people, the process of recording podcasts is more creative, entertaining and convenient than writing text. In turn, for many people from your target audience it will be much more interesting to listen to, and even more so to watch, a video with you. People by nature are very curious creatures, so they like to watch someone, peek into the “keyhole” of someone’s life, and also learn useful experience in this format J.

Third , the clear advantage of an audio podcast is that its listener can do his usual business while listening to the podcast in his MP3 player. This is convenient because such information, when listened to frequently, begins to be absorbed into the mind of the listener on a subconscious level, and then changes his mental attitudes, beliefs, value system and outlook on life. Thus, by listening to podcasts of successful people with valuable positive information, a person begins to gradually change at a level at which it is almost impossible for him to change by applying his direct conscious effort. And thus you also begin to think like a successful person. In other words, positive audio podcasts can literally reprogram you, making you a happier, more constructive and productive person. And this has been tested for a long time.

Fourth , video podcasts and screencasts can convey to you some kind of non-verbal motivational information, as well as a person’s experience, which in most cases does not allow for regular text. For example, it has been proven that gestures during communication are an important part of communication itself and often expresses what words themselves do not express. And when you watch a video podcast and see how a person (speaker) speaks and gestures, this allows you to absorb information in the maximum format, to be imbued with what is said and shown. And the intonation of voice in an audio podcast often directly affects one’s personal belief in the correctness of what the author said.

Fifthly , creating audio, video podcasts and screencasts makes you a kind of director, author and host of your radio and video programs. You can become popular and famous as an author and as a professional in your field. And if earlier this was the lot of select people working at radio stations or television channels, now with the help of podcasting and the unlimited possibilities of the Internet you can broadcast yourself via own blog, newsletter, website for a potentially unlimited audience!

At sixth , anything can serve as a topic for creating your own podcast. It could be a brilliant idea that came to your mind and which you quickly recorded on a tape recorder. This could be an audio or video interview with some interesting person, or it could just be some news from your field of activity. This could be yours professional recording your recommendations for the audience of your blog or thematic site. All that remains is to use your creative imagination, because the topics and possibilities of podcasting are unlimited! The main thing to remember and follow is one the most important principle– the podcast should not turn into some kind of muttering under one’s breath and loading people with useless information. A podcast must have informational value for its listener or viewer!

Now let's summarize what has been said:

#1. A podcast is an audio or video file that must contain benefits for the target audience of your blog or website. You record podcasts yourself and then distribute them for free. Most often this happens through your blog or through a thematic site.

#2. Recording podcasts does not imply that you have professional diction, acting skills, public speaking skills or fancy equipment. The useful information component of the podcast is important. Moreover, the more you record podcasts, the better they will turn out for you :-)

#3. You can listen to or view a podcast directly on your website, or download the podcast file to your computer to add it to your collection (library) of podcasts and then listen or watch directly on your computer.

#4. You can download podcasts to your mobile player or telephone. Modern mobile devices allow you to listen to podcasts in mp3 format and view video podcasts in flash video or other video formats. I recommend using for podcasts - Apple iPod or Apple iPod Touch, or Apple iPhone. But any other players or modern mobile devices will do.

#5. A screencast is also a type of podcast. It allows you to convey your actions on the computer in video format with audio comments for your target audience, or for an individual. Screencast allows you to demonstrate your experience of using it.

#6. Podcasting is a very creative, enjoyable and entertaining experience for a podcaster. On the other hand, this is a convenient and interesting form of obtaining information (experience) for your target audience of listeners and viewers.