Apple has announced an update arriving this spring that introduces native video podcast support on Apple Podcasts. The update is based on HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology and extends the app’s existing podcast framework to include video playback, creator distribution control, and advertising support.
Video playback, discovery, and listener features
Users will be able to switch between listening and watching podcast episodes within the Apple Podcasts app. Video can be viewed inline or expanded to a horizontal full-screen layout, and episodes can be downloaded for offline viewing.
Playback quality adjusts automatically using HLS to maintain smooth streaming across Wi-Fi and cellular connections. Video episodes appear alongside audio content and integrate with existing discovery features, including personalized recommendations and editorial placements in the New tab and Category pages.
The update builds on current Apple Podcasts features available in more than 170 countries and regions, including Enhance Dialogue mode, playback speed controls from 0.5× to 3×, automatically generated chapters, timed links, and transcripts covering more than 125 million episodes in 13 languages. Listeners can also support creators through premium subscriptions offering exclusive content or ad-free listening.
Creator distribution
Creators distribute video podcasts through participating hosting providers and ad networks while retaining control of their content and monetization. HLS video support at launch includes:
- Acast
- ART19
- Omny Studio
- SiriusXM, including SiriusXM Media, AdsWizz, and Simplecast
Additional providers are expected to add support later.
Monetization
Creators can dynamically insert video ads, including host-read placements, and monetize through sponsorships and dynamic advertising. Video episodes can be added to existing podcasts without affecting followers or historical downloads.
Apple does not charge creators or hosting platforms to distribute podcasts on Apple Podcasts via RSS/MP3 or HLS video. Starting later this year, Apple will apply an impression-based fee to participating ad networks delivering dynamic video ads through HLS on Apple Podcasts.
Availability
HLS video podcast testing begins February 16, 2026, through beta releases of iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and visionOS 26.4. The feature rolls out this spring to iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro users and to Apple Podcasts on the web, which is also accessible across Mac, Apple Watch, and CarPlay.
Speaking on the launch, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, said:
Twenty years ago, Apple helped bring podcasting into the mainstream by adding podcasts to iTunes, and more than a decade ago, we introduced the dedicated Apple Podcasts app. Today represents a key milestone in that journey. By bringing a category-leading video experience to Apple Podcasts, we’re giving creators full control of their content and how they grow their businesses, while making it easier than ever for audiences to listen to or watch podcasts.