14 DAY TRIAL // Apple never managed to deliver a compelling experience with its iOS Podcasts app, but none of the updates has been so ill-fated as the last one. Despite promising to offer improved ways of browsing and playing podcasts, the new Podcasts 2.1.1 has been met with dismay and immense frustration.
Instead of addressing these problems in a timely manner, Apple decided to publish a Support article outlining how Podcasts for iOS must be used. Never mind that people can’t find, sync, and play their favorite stations, Apple believes it has everyone covered with a neat tutorial on how to “stream, download, and subscribe to podcasts.”
The document in question, KB article HT3281, starts from scratch telling people what they’ll need: iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with the latest version of iOS, Podcasts for iOS, and a Wi-Fi or cellular Internet connection.
Apple then goes into Streaming, telling customers how to browse and search for podcasts, then tap the name of an episode they want to play. The thing is those who’ve already used the app for a while have complaints in totally different departments. Such as constant crashing, the checklist is gone, interrupted downloads, unplayable podcasts, deleted podcasts reappearing, the disappeared Edit function, and dozens others.
Apple, seriously. Take a minute to skim through those reviews. People are flocking for alternative solutions.