Some few years back, one could download videos and audios to a portable mp3 player and watch or listen at a later time. This simple idea is the motivation behind the creation of the Podcast app in an iPhone’s iOS. A user can access online content, stream or download it to listen or watch later. The Podcast app has a legion of die-hard fans, and Apple users enjoy the podcast content from their iPhones. They say misery loves a company and quite some people have had issues with their podcasts. Download podcast issues are prevalent, but it’s comforting to know that there are diverse reasons why a user might be affected. Below are a few tips to help one solve download issues on your iOS devices such as iPhones (Apple devices).
iOS Podcast App Issues
Before one starts cursing their phone after experiencing download issues, it’s comforting to know that the cause may be external. It happens that the Apple content servers may be down due to diverse reasons out of one’s control like an outage at the server’s site. Open the browser and check on the Apple system status page. The solution here is to be patient and try again later.
Issues in IOS Podcast App
As the norm in the app industry, upgrades and improvements are done during the year which’s the case with iOS. Apple is working around the clock to improve its iOS through updates which in return can negatively impact Podcast downloads.
The solution to sort the issue is to restart the phone and check if the downloads are now okay.
Network issues can also affect Podcast downloading capabilities.
- Go to settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings and reset the network settings. The downside to this activity is losing saved passwords such as Wi-Fi.
- Ensure all your passwords are written down prior to resetting the network.
- Go to Settings > Podcasts > Download Episodes.
The objective of this tip is to ensure the download option is on not off and highlighting at ‘All Unplayed’ instead.
iOS Podcast Settings
Go to Settings>Podcasts>Podcasts Settings to check the network settings for Podcasts downloads. Downloading anything on one’s phone is through mobile data and Wi-Fi. There are instances when the Podcasts download option is set for Wi-Fi only yet the user is using mobile data resulting in the Podcast app not working.
(Note that one excellent feature for Podcasts is that it allows a user a download option via Wi-Fi or mobile data).
The solution is for a user to be aware of whether they are using Wi-Fi or mobile data and select the options accordingly. This tip is directly related to tip no. 5; if a user is experiencing download issues because they have synchronized their Podcasts to Wi-Fi only then the solution is to disable and switch to mobile data. Go to Settings>Wi-Fi and change the DNS for your Wi-Fi connection to a Google public DNS or an open DNS and check if your stalled downloads are now downloading. Proceed to ‘i’ icon on the far right then click the DNS row and proceed to edit to 8.8.8.8 & 8.8.8.4 and save your settings. Applying this should resolve the download issues and improve your WiFi speed.
The IOS airplane mode
This tip involves playing around with the Airplane mode. Check the main Podcasts App screen and go to control center. Activate the Airplane mode for a few seconds and then turn it off. The Podcasts should start or resume the download. Proceed to connect your iPhone to the Power source. Go to Settings>Podcast>Sync Podcasts and toggle the settings to on and off for 5 seconds in-between toggles. The toggling should resolve the issue.
Close the iOS Podcast App
Close the Podcast app and proceed to restart your iOS device and refresh the phone to see if the problem is still prevailing. If your iPad or iPhone is running iOS10 and higher, delete the Podcast app and proceed to download and install afresh. This really helps with stalled downloads. Also, one can cancel the download and start anew.
Restore Your iPhone
Try and restore your iPhone which might be time-consuming. Try a third party app like Overcast and see whether the download issues persist.
If none of the above tips correct your download issues, contact Apple support for a further resolution. Though the Podcast app has a few snags cropping up, the Podcast app is highly recommendable among avid podcast users.
