You'll soon be able to read, search, jump through Apple Podcasts with its new transcript feature
You can also navigate through audio content.
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Key notes
- Apple introduced transcripts for all episodes in English, French, Spanish, and German in its Apple Podcasts app.
- Users can read, search, and navigate audio episodes with these transcripts.
- Transcripts are available for new episodes on iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4, with plans to add them gradually for older episodes.
Apple today announced a major accessibility update for its popular Apple Podcasts app, introducing transcripts for all episodes in English, French, Spanish, and German.
As detailed by the Cupertino tech giant, this innovative feature allows users to read the full text of an episode, search for specific keywords, and even jump to specific points in the audio by tapping on the corresponding text.
Right now, only new podcast episodes have transcripts on Apple Podcasts for iPhone and iPad with iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4, available in over 170 locations.
Transcripts for older episodes will be added gradually, and podcast creators can also upload their own transcripts if they prefer not to use Apple’s automatic generation.
To make things easier for everyone, Apple designed the transcripts with features like high-contrast fonts for clear reading and the ability to download them for offline use.
This is especially helpful for listeners who are Deaf or hard of hearing, as they can access the information without needing the audio.
Speaking of podcasts, while Apple previously appeared to be slowing down updates for iTunes for Windows, last year’s update (version 12.13) surprisingly reintroduced podcast functionality.
However, listening to podcasts now requires installing the separate Apple Music and Apple TV apps.
