Apple began supporting podcasts with iTunes 4.9 released in June 2005 and launched its first standalone mobile app in 2012.

[1] Apple Podcasts is available on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, CarPlay, Microsoft Windows operating systems, web browsers, and on Amazon Alexa devices.

[2] Apple was an early promoter of podcasts (the term is a portmanteau of Apple's iPod music player and "broadcast"),[3] and added playback functionality to iTunes 4.9 released in June 2005 and built a directory of shows in its iTunes Music Store, starting with 3,000 entries.

[8] A standalone Apple Podcasts app was announced at the 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference as a feature of iOS 6.

This was despite a Podcasts icon appearing on the home screen in commercials, in-store demo loops, and developer documentation.

[13] On March 5, 2024, Apple added transcripts to the Podcasts app on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4.