Mastodawn

Apple is adding video support to its podcasting apps — that’s great. But the way it’s doing so might jeopardize the openness that’s kept podcasting from getting enshittified like every other form of media. It’s not too late for them to fix this. https://anildash.com/2026/02/28/apple-video-podcast-power/

Why Apple’s move to video could endanger podcasting's greatest power

A blog about making culture. Since 1999.

Anil Dash

James Purser Mar 1

@anildash oh for crying out loud really?

When you say Podcasting Standard, you're talking about RSS yes?

Anil Dash Mar 1

@purserj yes. They added support for HLS for streaming video, but you have to use their approved vendors to serve the HLS video.

James Purser Mar 1

@anildash oh sigh.

There is nothing in the announcement or anything that I can read that requires it. HLS is an open industry standard (by Apple).

Ben Stokman Mar 1

@anildash apple has had video podcast support for 2 decades.

Anil Dash Mar 1

@benjistokman not in the way that contemporary users understand them. If you search for Amy Poehler’s show in Apple Podcasts, you can’t watch it.

Elf Burgerman Mar 1

@anildash
The addition of moving images of talking heads to radio programmes on the internet was the first step in their enshittification.

Anil Dash Mar 1

@elfburgerman then I don’t think you understand the economic and political definition of the term.

Elf Burgerman Mar 1

@anildash
I do, but I also detest that talking heads were added to what used to be perfectly good audio programmes. And without that change, Apple probably wouldn't be adding video support to its podcasting apps...

Elf Burgerman Mar 2

@anildash
On a related note: it made me sad when BBC Radio started producing YouTube videos, thinking it had to... The attachment economy is fooling too many of us into thinking enshittification is not a choice but the only way forward for our culture and society.

Elf Burgerman Mar 4

Call for all podcasters:
If you need to use a video platform, please let the image you use be a still of a text that suggests viewers keep their eyes on the road, or on something useful to do with their hands, for instance, the dishes...

beka valentine Mar 1

@anildash @misty iTunes has always supported video podcasts for downloads tho??? as has the Podcasts app on iOS? i'm running iOS 16.7 and i want download and watch vodcasts in the Podcasts app right now, i just tested it

@beka_valentine @anildash He mentions that in the post! This is about *streamable* video podcasts rather than videos that are fully downloaded before watching.

Animal Rebellion NL Mar 1

@anildash reasons to switch to be a #foss developer are piling up :)

outofcreativity Mar 1

@anildash
TBH, I do not see a problem here for the podcast ecosystem itself.

The reasoning behind my argument is, its not a podcast if there is no RSS feed somewhere and as far as I know it is not provided. It's just a programme from a vendor.

Matt Godden Mar 1

@anildash Do you know that Apple's iOS Podcasts app communicates to Apple what shows you listen to, even if you don't download them from Apple's directory, or subscribe to them in Apple's app. Even if you have iCloud sync for Podcasts switched off.

If you manually copy a podcast file into the app, it sends the file info to Apple, and downloads an Apple provided episode artwork (overriding the file's own art) based *purely* on the name in the ID3 tags.

@anildash meh… company known best for wall-building for it's walled-garden breakes yet another nice and open thing we had… FFS…

They could add video-media to the XML feed but nooooo…

,K PkNikku Mar 4

@anildash Yeah, I'm not trusting a company like Apple that is trying to kill VP9 and Opus to get into podcasting apps and not enshittify them.