Trying to sync your podcasts from your iPhone to your Apple Watch but it’s not working? Does your watch show an empty Podcast List or is it missing some podcast shows or episodes? Tried a bunch of setting changes but still no joy on the Apple Watch’s Podcast App?
If so, you are not alone! Luckily, we have some great tips from our readers and our staff.
Use Your Charger To Sync Podcasts With Your Apple Watch
Your podcasts only sync to your Apple Watch when it’s charging. So before you spend any time troubleshooting, make sure to place your Watch (and your iPhone, if possible) on their chargers.
It’s also a good idea to keep your iPhone and Watch near each other so they can easily communicate.
And be aware that the podcast syncing and updating process between your iPhone and Apple Watch can take a lot of time! This situation is especially true if you want to sync a lot of episodes.
Already Listened To Podcast Episode(s)?
Listened-To episodes are automatically removed from your Apple Watch Podcast App.
So if your podcast show doesn’t have any new content or you already listened to all available episodes, then your Apple Watch doesn’t list anything.
Not Subscribed?
At this time, only podcasts that you actually subscribe to show up on the Apple Watch Podcast App.
So if you are like me, and listen to several podcasts where you are not officially subscribed, these shows do not appear on your Apple Watch.
The only way to play podcasts not subscribed to on your Apple Watch is by asking Siri.
Manually Download Your Podcasts?
If you manually download some of your podcasts and add them to iTunes (by changing media kind from music to podcast), these do not translate to your Apple Watch’s podcast app.
As mentioned above, currently only podcasts that you subscribe to appear in the watch’s podcast app via My Watch > Podcasts or using the watch app itself.
Check Your Podcast App Settings!
On your iPhone, go to Settings > Podcasts
Toggle Sync Podcasts ON
If already on, toggle it off, wait 30 seconds, and toggle it back on
Try A Manual Sync
To manually sync your podcasts to your watch
Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone
Go to My Watch > Podcasts
Under Add Episodes From, Tap Custom (instead of Listen Now)
Choose which shows to sync to your Apple Watch Podcast Library
Toggle on each of the podcasts you want to sync to your Apple Watch
To sync, connect your watch to the charger and keep your paired iPhone nearby
Remember this process takes time–look for a message that podcasts are pending or updating at the of the My Watch > Podcast screen
Use iTunes To Sync Podcasts
If you backup your iPhone to your computer with iTunes, try using iTunes to force a sync
Open iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC
Connect the iPhone you pair with your Apple Watch
Tap on the iPhone icon
Select Podcasts
Tick the box for Sync Podcasts
Want to Delete a Podcast From Your Apple Watch?
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to delete an episode from the Podcast App on an Apple Watch.
Downloaded podcast episodes are automatically removed after you play it in its entirety.
The only other way we found to remove downloaded podcast content from your Apple Watch is to remove the show from your list of custom shows in the Watch App on your paired iPhone.
Of course, if you unsubscribe from a podcast, any episodes on your paired Apple Watch are removed.
How to unsubscribe from a podcast?
In the Podcasts app on iPhones and iPad,
Open the Podcast App on your iPhone
Tap Library
Select the Podcast you want to unsubscribe from
Tap the Three Dots to expand the setting menu
Choose Unsubscribe or Delete from Library
On your Mac or PC
Go to the Podcasts section of your iTunes library
Select a subscribed podcast
Click the Settings gear icon
Deselect the Subscribed checkbox
Reader Tips
I can’t figure out how to listen to old (previously listened to) podcasts from the watch–it seems they only way is via using the “On iPhone” tab instead of the library–which basically means I’m just using the watch as a remote for my iPhone’s Podcast App!
Check Out Our Video on Setting Up and Playing Podcasts on Apple Watch
For most of her professional life, Amanda Elizabeth (Liz for short) trained all sorts of folks on how to use media as a tool to tell their own unique stories. She knows a thing or two about teaching others and creating how-to guides!
Her clients include Edutopia, Scribe Video Center, Third Path Institute, Bracket, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Big Picture Alliance.
Elizabeth received her Master of Fine Arts degree in media making from Temple University, where she also taught undergrads as an adjunct faculty member in their department of Film and Media Arts.
The problem is the transfer of podcasts to the Apple Watch is unreliable and absurdly slow. You cannot trust that the podcast you want to hear will be available on your watch when you want to hear it. Apple also makes it difficult to see if the podcasts have actually been transferred. You can see it but you have to go into the Library then Episodes to see if they have the cloud icon (not downloaded) or not. I have podcasts that were downloaded to my phone days ago that have yet to make it to my watch despite my watch being on the charger for probably 12 hours. If this worked consistently it would be great but You cannot trust it. This is a half baked feature of the Apple Watch.
Are you manually managing your Podcasts for your watch or letting iOS do it automatically?
We recommend you manage your podcasts for watch manually using the custom option in Watch app > Podcasts > Custom (under Add episodes from.) Then toggle on just one Podcast show, connect your watch and iPhone to their chargers and then see if your watch syncs with that Podcast show.
If you use a passcode with your watch, try turning this feature off temporarily while podcasts sync to your watch–this often helps get podcasts to download.
If problems continue, try restarting your iPhone and try again.
The problem is the transfer of podcasts to the Apple Watch is unreliable and absurdly slow. You cannot trust that the podcast you want to hear will be available on your watch when you want to hear it. Apple also makes it difficult to see if the podcasts have actually been transferred. You can see it but you have to go into the Library then Episodes to see if they have the cloud icon (not downloaded) or not. I have podcasts that were downloaded to my phone days ago that have yet to make it to my watch despite my watch being on the charger for probably 12 hours. If this worked consistently it would be great but You cannot trust it. This is a half baked feature of the Apple Watch.
i have been very frustrated and this article solved my issue! thank you so much for writing it!
Thank you very much. Very simple, all I needed to do was “subscribe”. Nowhere else had given me this advice!
do you need to download the episode first before you sync to iwatch? can you choose older episodes to transfer in custom?
Hi Kawena,
The podcast app is a bit clunky on the Apple Watch.
To get podcasts on your Apple Watch, you need to connect the watch to its power station and set the watch close to your iPhone.
right now, you cannot choose the podcast episodes to transfer in custom–all you can do is specify which podcasts you want to listen to on your watch.
Hi Elizabeth,
I am having such a hard time transferring episodes from Podcast to my apple watch series 5 WIFI version.
It takes hours and still it doesn’t seem to work.
I always see the “cloud” on my apple watch which means it hasn’t been downloaded to my apple watch.
I am not sure if something is wrong with my phone or the apple watch…How long is the norm to get a few episodes downloaded?
What is the indicator that it is on your apple watch and you can listen to it offline?
Thanks,
Dana
Hi Dana,
Are you manually managing your Podcasts for your watch or letting iOS do it automatically?
We recommend you manage your podcasts for watch manually using the custom option in Watch app > Podcasts > Custom (under Add episodes from.) Then toggle on just one Podcast show, connect your watch and iPhone to their chargers and then see if your watch syncs with that Podcast show.
If you use a passcode with your watch, try turning this feature off temporarily while podcasts sync to your watch–this often helps get podcasts to download.
If problems continue, try restarting your iPhone and try again.