Apple Podcasts adds transcripts, lets you jump to any part of an episode

Apple has added a new quality-of-life update to Apple Podcasts that aims to make following along with podcasts easier.

The platform now offers transcripts in four languages, including English, French, Spanish and German. Apple says the new features make podcasts more accessible and “easier to navigate” for all.

Users would be able to follow along with the transcript as the podcast goes on. As the episode plays, each word that is being spoken is highlighted. Users would also be able to tap on a specific word and the podcast will start playing from that point on, similar to lyrics in Apple Music.

Oh, and remember those instances where you want to show your friend a very specific part of a two-hour-long podcast, or maybe you want to re-listen to the part yourself but just can’t find it? Podcasts has a solution for that now.

Listeners can now pull up a search bar within the transcript, essentially like a control+f function, and type in the word they’re looking for. All the instances where the word was used in the entirety of that episode would be highlighted and accessible.

Users can pull up podcast transcripts from the quotation button on the bottom left corner. This is the same button that is used to pull up lyrics in Apple Music.

Creators can provide their own transcripts or Apple will auto-generate transcripts for episodes. “Transcripts will automatically be available for new episodes shortly after episodes are published. Previously released episodes will be transcribed over time,” says Apple.

Transcripts for podcasts is available on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4. Learn more about the new feature here.

Image credit: Apple

Source: Apple