Lil Katz / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple is ready to deliver one-tap switching between audio and video within the Podcasts app.
- The button placement is an identical to YouTube Music.
- The function unifies audio and video streams for podcasts, which have been beforehand obtainable solely individually.
Apple simply rolled out the iOS 26.4 beta 1 for fanatics yesterday. When you’re an Apple person, you may wish to put together for some thrilling new upgrades, such because the Music app’s redesign with AI playlist creation in addition to end-to-end encryption for RCS messages (at present solely when speaking with different iPhone customers). As well as, Apple’s Podcast app is getting a significant improve, which seems to borrow a web page from YouTube Music‘s playbook.
Apple is increasing help for movies within the Podcasts app. Whereas the app has all the time supported movies, creators may solely add audio and video variations of the identical podcast to totally different feeds. That may additionally imply customers must swap between audio and video variations and manually scrub to a particular timestamp. That is being addressed within the newest iOS beta, which can allow a seamless transition between audio and video feeds and consolidate them right into a single stream quite than two. Curiously, Apple’s Music app misses out on the function at present and as a substitute lists audio and video tracks individually.
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The improve is so important that Apple even devoted a whole weblog publish to explaining the framework and its advantages. Within the publish, Apple notes that the improved model of the Podcasts app will make the most of the HTTP Dwell Streaming (HLS) commonplace to energy the simple transition between audio and video.
With this transformation, episodes that function movies will routinely load with video enabled, however customers can swap to audio-only playback by tapping the “Flip video off” button above the play/pause controls. When you aren’t too deep into the Apple ecosystem, you’d know YouTube Music already affords the toggle between audio and video on the actual spot. Hopefully, switching between audio and video gained’t disrupt the cadence or have an effect on synchronization with the transcript or auto-generated chapters.
As well as, customers can view the video in full-screen mode when switching to panorama mode. Moreover, earlier movies will migrate to the built-in HLS feed from the earlier RSS-based video feed. For creators, that most likely means utilizing a third-party internet hosting supplier after which linking it to the Podcast Join account, as famous within the up to date help web page.
Apple additionally notes that the function is at present soft-launching for a handful of creators, however we anticipate extra creators to realize entry when the secure model of iOS 26.4 rolls out. The replace must also enable creators can even be capable of insert “dynamic” video advertisements, together with host-read placements.
In the meanwhile, the function is buggy as YouTuber Stephen Robles notes of their newest video. Transcripts and chapters are glitchy, which works on to indicate Apple has work to do earlier than broader launch.
Along with the massive Podcasts improve, Apple was beforehand additionally anticipated to deliver the overhauled Siri with iOS 26.4, which is ready to roll out in Spring 2026. It’s unclear whether or not these timelines for Siri and Apple Intelligence options nonetheless stand, particularly after Apple determined to make use of Google’s basis fashions to energy them. We’ll most likely know nearer to launch.
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