As YouTube continues its run as the leading podcast platform, Apple Podcasts will introduce advanced video podcast capabilities this spring, expanding beyond audio into HLS-powered streaming that allows creators to distribute, monetize, and dynamically insert video ads.
The update brings Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming technology to podcasting, enabling seamless switching between audio and video playback inside the Apple Podcasts app. Users will be able to watch in full-screen horizontal mode, download video episodes for offline viewing, and benefit from automatic quality adjustments based on network conditions.
Video episodes will integrate with Apple Podcasts’ existing personalization features, including recommendations, editorial curation, transcripts, chapters, and adjustable playback speeds. The functionality is available for testing in beta versions of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4, with full rollout planned this spring across iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro, and web platforms.
At launch, Acast, Amazon’s ART19, Triton Digital’s Omny Studio, and SiriusXM will support HLS video delivery, with additional partners expected to join.
Per Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights’ Fall 2025 Podcast Download study, seven in ten YouTube podcast users say they would switch platforms if a show moved elsewhere, indicating that while YouTube drives discovery, loyalty remains show-driven rather than platform-driven.
Apple Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue said, “Twenty years ago, Apple helped take podcasting mainstream by adding podcasts to iTunes, and more than a decade ago, we introduced the dedicated Apple Podcasts app. Today marks a defining milestone in that journey. By bringing a category-leading video experience to Apple Podcasts, we’re putting creators in full control of their content and how they build their businesses, while making it easier than ever for audiences to listen to or watch podcasts.”
