Apple on Monday quietly released a web version of Apple Podcasts that allows access to Apple’s podcast service without using the Podcast 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 can be accessed at podcasts.apple.com, however, entering that address in Safari for iPhone or iPad will cause a prompt to appear, telling the user that the site will be opened in the Podcasts app. Opening the address in Chrome for iPhone launched 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 in June a beta of Apple Maps on the web. Apple TV+ and Apple Music have been available on the web for several years.
Web access to Apple’s services allows them to be accessed by non-Apple platforms. For example, a large number of iPhone users use Windows PCs are their primary computer, and if they use the Podcasts app on the iPhone, they’ll now be able to access podcasts through the web. It could also be a way to persuade users who don’t use Apple’s Podcasts app to switch to it.